21 Indoor Plants to Add Color and Beauty to Your Home
Beautiful and easy to care for, these indoor plants are our faves!
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Houseplants can bring color, style, and warmth to nearly every part of your home. And they don't have to be difficult to care for, either. Even if you have dark apartment with few windows or if you're a little more forgetful about watering than you'd like to admit, there are houseplants that can fit into your living situation. We've rounded up the best indoor plants for any room of the house to help you find the right plant for you.
With many options to choose from, you'll find houseplants in every shape and size. Some have a trailing habit, which look fabulous draping over the edges of coffee tables. Others are big, bold floor plants that offer plenty of drama to liven up a boring room.
From easy-care pothos to colorful prayer plants to tough-as-nails cast iron plant, we've got the best indoor plants for every type of home.
How to Shop for a Houseplant
When shopping for a new houseplant, the first thing to figure out is what kind of light you have in your space.
No matter what you've heard, no plant survives with zero light! But many can adapt to low light conditions. "Low light" means dim enough that your hand never casts a shadow at any time of day. Bright, indirect means your hand casts a shadow for a few hours every day. Typically, you'll get the most amount of bright, indirect light near east, west, or south-facing windows.
If you have poor lighting conditions in general, save yourself (and your plant!) the struggle, and invest in an inexpensive LED grow light. That way, you can have greenery even in spaces where there's very little natural light.
What Plants Are Best Suited to Indoor Rooms?
The truth is there's not one perfect indoor plant that will work in every space. It really depends on your lighting conditions. Most houseplants are tropical in origin, meaning they prefer bright, indirect light. A few will tolerate direct sunlight for a few hours, especially gentle morning light.
In general, the houseplants that are best suited to indoor rooms are those that can adapt to low-light conditions. Fortunately, there are many plants that will do just fine, including different types of pothos, snake plant, most types of philodendrons, and ZZ plant.
Popular plants that are not suited to indoor rooms or low light conditions include succulents, fiddle leaf fig, and cacti.
What is the Longest Lasting Indoor Plant?
With the right light and proper watering (never too much! most plants don't want to remain soggy!), many plants can live for decades. Yes, decades! In general, the longest-lasting indoor plants include the popular succulents Christmas cactus, Thanksgiving cactus, and Easter cactus. A few others that also can live for 20 ore more years include ficus tree, jade plant, and snake plant.
Read on to learn which indoor plants are the best for any home.
More ideas for decorating with houseplants:
Staghorn Fern
This striking indoor plant rose to fame on Joanna Gaines's Instagram in 2022. You'll also find staghorn ferns mounted on wood for a unique, living wall decoration. In USDA hardiness zones 9 and warmer, you can grow this outdoors in dappled shade, as long as it doesn't freeze.
Related: Here's your guide to staghorn fern care.
Sun Exposure: Bright indirect light
Toxic to Pets: No
Helpful Tidbits: These plant are happiest in warm, humid conditions.
Jade Plant
Succulents such as the popular Crassula ovata, known as jade plant, are perfect for houseplant newbies. They're durable, need very little water, and remain green all year long.
Sun Exposure: Bright indirect light
Toxic to Pets: Yes
Helpful Tidbits: This plant can live for decades with proper care.
Related: The Best Pet-Friendly Houseplants
Calamondin Orange
It may be small, but it sure is mighty! This dwarf citrus tree produces fragrant flowers and sweet-tart fruits, which you can harvest and use to make jam or to garnish cocktails.
Sun Exposure: Bright, direct sunlight
Toxic to Pets: Yes
Helpful Tidbits: Use a grow light if you don't have a brightly lit window with direct sunlight exposure for most of the day.
Succulents Box Paddle Plant
Succulents Box Paddle Plant
"This little-known succulent deserves to take American living rooms by storm," says Tovah Martin, author of The Unexpected Houseplant. Paddle plant (Kalanchoe thyrsiflora) boasts wavy, red-tipped leaves that appear as one massive bloom. "It's also practically unkillable," Martin adds.
Sun Exposure: Bright light
Toxic to Pets: Yes
Helpful Tidbits: Place a layer of pebbles and activated charcoal in the bottom of your container before filling it with potting soil to aid drainage; then let the soil dry out a bit between watering
Succulents Box String Of Hearts (Ceropegia woodii)
This trailing indoor plant happens to be a favorite of master gardener and Instagram influencer Melissa Lallo Johnson (@fancyflowerfarmer). "My string of hearts drapes over multiple levels of my bookshelves and then hangs freely around 5 feet down from the lowest shelf," she says.
Sun Exposure: Bright indirect light
Toxic to Pets: Yes
Helpful Tidbits: Direct sunlight will cause the leaves of this plant to burn.
String of Pearls
This charming succulent looks exactly like a pearl necklace! Its long, draping stems make it totally Instagrammable.
Sun Exposure: Bright, indirect or direct light
Toxic to Pets: Yes
Helpful Tidbits: This plant prefer direct sunlight but will do fine in a room with bright, indirect light as long as it's within a few feet of a bright window.
Air plants, as you may have guessed, don't need soil, just bright, indirect light. With more than 600 varieties, you'll find one you love! They need dunked or soaked occasionally.
Sun Exposure: Bright, indirect light
Toxic to Pets: No
Helpful Tidbits: Display in a hanging terrarium, mounted on a piece of decorative wood, or in a ceramic vessel.
Related: How to Care for Air Plants
Ponytail Palm
Nicknamed for its ponytail-like leaves, the ponytail palm (Beuacarnea recurvata) stores moisture in its base so it’s more forgiving if you forget to water for a week or two.
Sun Exposure: Bright, indirect light
Toxic to Pets: No
Helpful Tidbits: To avoid overwatering, wait for the top few inches of soil to dry out before watering it again.
ZZ Plant
The ZZ plant is aesthetically striking and tolerates incredibly low light levels. Water sparingly, and only when the top few inches of soil are dry.
Sun Exposure: Medium to bright, indirect light
Toxic to Pets: Yes
Helpful Tidbits: This plant will tolerate low light, but if it seems to be struggling, move it to a brighter spot in your home.
Related: How to Care for a ZZ Plant
The Sill Phalaenopsis Orchid
Once you know how to care for orchids, they're easy to grow. Their flowers last a long time, and if you are patient and provide the right conditions, they will put out new flower stalks.
Sun Exposure: Bright, indirect light
Toxic to Pets: No
Helpful Tidbits: Feed your plant regularly with an orchid food to encourage blooms.
Snake Plant
No green thumb? No problem: The snake plant is practically indestructible. In fact, we'd be impressed if you managed to kill this one. It likes medium to bright, indirect light, but it's amazingly adaptable to low light levels.
Sun Exposure: Low, medium or bright indirect light
Toxic to Pets: Yes
Helpful Tidbits: Overwatering is the only sure way to kill this plant. Let it dry out almost completely between waterings.
Related: How to Care for a Snake Plant
The Sill Peperomia Obtusifolia
You definitely have room on your desk for this cute, pet-friendly plant with thick, glossy green leaves. We also love it in a small bathroom, as long as there's sufficient light.
Sun Exposure: Bright, indirect light
Toxic to Pets: No
Helpful Tidbits: The fleshy leaves retain moisture, so let the soil dry out between waterings.
The Sill Parlor Palm
While your plant might start out just a wee thing under one foot, over the years your parlor palm (Chamaedorea elegans) can grow large—up to 6 feet tall. It's been popular since Victorian times because it's one of the less fussy indoor palms to grow.
Sun Exposure: Medium to bright indirect light, tolerates low indirect light
Toxic to Pets: No
Helpful Tidbits: Don't overwater. Allow it to dry out between waterings.
Costa Farms Money Tree
Costa Farms Money Tree
Purported to bring good luck, the money tree is surprisingly easy care. It prefers medium to bright, indirect light, but it can tolerate low light levels, too. Rotate the pot weekly to ensure more even growth.
Sun Exposure: Medium to bright, indirect light
Toxic to Pets: No
Helpful Tidbits: If you grow in light that's too dim, the plant will stretch and become gangly.
Related: How to Care for a Money Tree
Costa Farms Aglaonema
If you're looking for pretty pink foliage, this is the plant for you! It's one of the easiest houseplants to care for, seemingly thriving on neglect and low light.
Sun Exposure: Medium to bright, indirect light
Toxic to Pets: Yes
Helpful Tidbits: Water every ten days or so when soil is mostly dry.
Related: How to Grow and Care for Your Pink Princess Philodendron
American Plant Exchange Monstera Deliciosa
This is a plant that begs for attention! With huge leaves that split as the plant matures, Monstera is a great floor plant for any room with adequate light. Give it a moss pole to climb, and it's even happier.
Sun Exposure: Medium to bright, indirect light
Toxic to Pets: Yes
Helpful Tidbits: Make sure you have plenty of room for this plant because it can become quite large in a matter of a few years.
Costa Farms Bird of Paradise
Forget about fussy fiddle leaf fig. Bird of paradise is incredibly low maintenance and makes a much less finicky (and less expensive!) floor plant.
Sun Exposure: Medium to bright, indirect light
Toxic to Pets: Yes
Helpful Tidbits: This plant prefers it on the dry side, so don't let it get too soggy.
Costa Farms Heartleaf Philodendron
Heartleaf philodendron is one of the easiest-care plants you'll ever grow. With darling heart-shaped leaves, this makes a great plant for tabletops and bookshelves.
Sun Exposure: Medium to bright, indirect light
Toxic to Pets: Yes
Helpful Tidbits: This plant will do okay in low light levels, though it will not grow as vigorously.
Costa Farms Little Monstera Plant
Little monstera (Monstera adansonii) is a vining plant with leaves that split to resemble Swiss cheese, which is another of its common names. It's a great option if you don't have space for a full-sized Monstera deliciosa.
Sun Exposure: Medium to bright, indirect light
Toxic to Pets: Yes
Helpful Tidbits: The leaves will grow larger and more dramatic if you give it something to climb.
Plants for Pets Scindapsus
Also called silver satin pothos (although it's not really a pothos; it just looks like one!), this vining plant has pretty, silvery splotches and a vining form. It's super-easy to grow!
Sun Exposure: Medium to bright, indirect light
Toxic to Pets: Yes
Helpful Tidbits: This plant adapts okay to low light levels, though it will grow less vigorously.
Arricca Elin SanSone has written about health and lifestyle topics for Prevention, Country Living, Woman's Day, and more. She’s passionate about gardening, baking, reading, and spending time with the people and dogs she loves.
Janece Maze is Associate Editor at Country Living, where she covers DIY projects, gardening, and travel. When she’s not in the kitchen creating a new recipe with farm fresh ingredients, you can find her on the road heading to a music festival or browsing a local consignment shop.
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