For a long timedespite my outdoor gardening expertiseI steered clear of houseplants.
Houseplants, I felt, rely on you too much.
They bear no fruit, and they kind of … sit there.
But over the pandemic, I decided that my living room needed more life and built out aplant wall.
It was the start of a love affair with indoor plantsthe key is starting with plants that areeasyfor beginners.
I recommend starting with big, leafy plants, rather than succulentstheres a higher payoff as new leaves emerge.
Here are the plants Id consider.
Pothos
I love walking into someones house and seeing a pothos claiming the space.
Those long, trailing plants you see crawling someones walls and shelves?
Its likely a pothos, and they come in a huge variety ofpatterns and colors.
While there are verdant solid green pothos, the plethora of variegation possible on the leaves is astounding.
There are yellow varieties like Golden pothos, too.
This is an easy, hard-to-kill plant.
Support the trailing vines as they begin to grow using plant clips along the wall.
A pothos can fill a large space easily, and will grow with you over time.
Monstera
Monsteras had a moment a few years ago, and remain very popular.
(If a friend has one, you’ve got the option to easily propagate theirs.)
Monsteras are a split leaf variety of philodendron.
Some varieties will develop holes (these varieties are referred to as cheese varieties).
Spider plant
Spider plantswere hugely popular in the ’70s and have been a mainstay since then.
Otherwise, spiders are easy to maintainhang them and wait for baby spiders to jump from the pot.
Bamboo plant
Outdoors, gardeners tend to avoidbamboo, due to its propensity to spread.
Indoors, bamboo is popular and a common gift.
Bamboo doesnt require a lot of light, preferring low or medium light, and doesnt even require soil.
you could plant it in rocks or glass pebbles; you just need the roots submerged.
Bamboo can benefit from a light fertilizer once or twice a year.
Cast iron plant
If youre looking for a pet-safe, larger plant, consider acast iron.
It requires the least amount of attention of all my plants.
Ferns
There aremoreferns than you could imagine, and they come in so many shapes and textures.
I am constantly in awe of the new varieties I fall in love with.
Most people knowasparagus ferns, which are the most resilient, in my opinion.
Ferns love the indoors, and dont need as much sunlight as other plants.
They love moist but not wet soil.
Whats wonderful about ferns is they tell you how theyre feeling.
it’s possible for you to tell if they need more water if they become droopy.
Philodendron
If you like monsteras,philodendronsmake sense for you.
There are tons of varieties, and they do well in planters inside.
Whether hanging or in a standing planter, philodendrons want to grow.
Philodendrons require as much water as ferns, and benefit from occasional weak fertilizing.
Aloe
I make an exception to my avoidance of succulents foraloefor obvious reasons: its usefulness.
Aloe has long been used to soothe burns and rashes.
A succulent potting mix is appropriate.
Most houseplants are easily propagated.
Also, consider online sources.
For the past few years, I’ve sourced most of my plants on sites likeEtsyand the appPalmstreet.
