House Plants for Beginners

Choosing An Indoor Plant For Beginners

There are a number of things to consider if you want to choose a plant that will thrive in your home, but luckily it’s not too complex! You can find details on growing conditions for each plant on their individual pages, but when choosing which indoor plant to buy as a beginner, consider the following conditions listed below:

• The size of your space: Is your space large or small? Depending on how much space you have to work with, you may have the ability to buy larger plants that can accentuate dining or living rooms. If not, smaller plants are an easy way to add instant charm and life to any room regardless of the size.
• Natural light versus low light: Do you get a lot of natural light in your home? If so, we have a great selection of plants that thrive in bright settings. But you can still successfully grow indoor plants as a beginner even if you don’t have too many windows in your home. Add dimension and color to a windowless bathroom or office with low light houseplants!
• Steady or fluctuating temperature: Does the temperature stay steady in your home or does it fluctuate? While some plants grow best in steady temperatures, the plants listed above are resilient to fluctuating conditions.

Care Instructions for Indoor Plants for Beginners

We’ve hand selected these beginner houseplants for their resilience, ability to withstand tough conditions, and easy care. The key is to start with a fresh, healthy, and full plant. When you order with Garden Goods Direct, your houseplant will be delivered in pristine condition along with clear, simple instructions on how to best care for your specific indoor plant. All you’ll have to do is transfer it to your favorite pot or planter!

Choosing The Right Pot

First, make sure to pick out a pot or planter that facilitates drainage - look for pots that have a hole at the bottom and a saucer paired with it. You can also layer some rocks at the bottom of the pot for even better drainage. This step is important because it will help reduce the risk of root rot - when roots start decaying after prolonged exposure of wet or damp soil.

Add Fertilizer

Good soil and fertilizer can give the plant the extra boost it needs to thrive in darker settings and uneven temperatures. Mixing this into the potting soil will provide the plant with essential nutrients. Too much of a good thing can turn into a bad thing, so be careful not to add too much fertilizer to the soil.

Properly Water Your Plant

We chose this selection of houseplants for beginners because they can go without being watered for longer periods than typical plants. The key is to not overwater them. If you’re unsure, stick your finger in the dirt. If it’s bone dry, definitely water the house plant! If you feel that it’s moist or somewhat damp, give it another day or two before watering it. It’s helpful to sift the soil around a bit and expose the moist parts. You’d be surprised how long these plants can go without water!

Different Types of Houseplants for Beginners

Woodie, our expert nurseryman, put together a list of approved houseplants for beginners, along with helpful information about each one to help make your decision easy and quick.

Aglaonema

Chinese Evergreens are a live plant that requires little to no maintenance. Bright, almost reflective foliage matches virtually any decor and lightens any kitchen, living room, bathroom, or bedroom. Aglaonemas also tolerate low fluorescent to bright, indirect light. Aglaonema plants are known to clean the air of benzene and formaldehyde, and are a well-known clean air plant. They are considered by many to be the best and most rewarding indoor houseplant for beginners. Make Aglaonemas your stepping stone to plant success.

Fiddle Leaf Figs

The Fiddle Leaf Fig, or Ficus Lyrata, is a lush, tall, sculptural houseplant. This tough plant adapts easily to conditions and once acclimated, it can grow to 6 feet tall or taller. Fiddle leaf fig trees or “standards” are produced with one plant per pot, and the lower leaves are removed to expose the stem.

Fiddle Leaf Fig Bushes are grown with 2 or three plants planted in the one pot. Little Leaf Figs are more compact and better suited for smaller areas.

Money Trees

A Money Tree is a small, tree-like plant with a clear trunk and large leaves. Sometimes the trunks are braided for ornamental value. This plant handles low light, fluorescent to bright indirect, and likes to dry out some between watering. This plant is incredibly low maintenance and hardy.

Chinese Money Plant

Pilea peperomoides is highly sought after in the minimalist interior design world. Also called a Chinese Money Plant and Pancake Plant due to its flat, coin-shaped foliage. Pilea peperomioides is spectacularly easy to grow indoors. Simply place the plant where it will receive bright but indirect light, watering regularly, and shielding from the direct sun. The plant will reward you with seemingly constant growth.

Spider Plant

Spider Plants are named for their ability to reproduce: they send out long shoots with flowers on the ends that become small rooted pups. These small flowers that become pups resemble spiders and can be planted once they produce small white roots. The green and white foliage lightens and blends in to furniture and decor indoors. They like fluorescent light to bright indirect light.

Peace Lily

The Peace Lily is a houseplant that bears dark green leaves and graceful, white flowers on tall stems that rise above the foliage. Peace lilies fit in well in just about every style of decor, including formal designs. Larger specimens look great on the floor.

Smaller peace lily plants are perfect on desks or tables. Very easy to grow. Because Peace Lily is one of the best indoor house plants for filtering indoor pollutants from the air, it's a great pick for homes and offices.

Palms

Palm Trees have always had a place in homes and gardens around the world. They instantly adapt to any condition and require little to no maintenance. Great for beginners and children of all ages, these plants are a great way to be introduced to the "growing" hobby of indoor plants. Palms are also very efficient air cleaning plants so why not add beauty and function to your home, apartment, or office today.

Philodendrons

Philodendrons are classic houseplants because they are so easy to grow. There are vining philodendrons, climbing philodendrons, split-leaf philodendrons, and dwarf philodendrons. We offer a large selection of philodendrons and we are always searching out new varieties. Philodendrons are one of the most popular houseplants grown today. They’re easy to grow and most of the varieties available today adapt well to average household conditions.

Snake Plants

If you're looking for an easy-to-grow houseplant, it doesn't get much easier than the snake plant. Whether you call it Snake Plant, Sanseveria, or Mother-In-Law's Tongue, there are very few indoor plants that are easier to grow. Snake plants are perfect for any home, apartment, or office. They thrive in low-light including fluorescent lights in windowless offices.

Pothos

Pothos plants, or Devil's Ivy, is the perfect houseplant for beginners. Pothos is one of the easiest houseplants that you can grow. This variety of indoor plant features dark green leaves splashed and marbled in shades of yellow, cream, or white. There are also variations with solid color leaves in bluish-green and neon yellow.

Shop the Best Indoor Houseplants for Beginners with Us!

If you’re looking to purchase the perfect beginner house plant for your home or office interior, consider Woodie’s approved collection of the best houseplants for beginners from Garden Goods Direct. Our experts include detailed, clear plant care instructions with every purchase so you’re set up with everything you need to keep your plant thriving for years to come. We also ship nationwide and take the utmost care with delivering your plant to your door.

Beginner plant parents aren’t only limited to house plants. There are trees, shrubs, and perennials that fall under this category! We’ve put together a comprehensive list of the best plants for gardening beginners along with planting and care instructions.