17 Low-Maintenance Indoor Plants - Easy to Care for Houseplants - HouseBeautiful.com
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Bringing your first houseplant home can be intimidating. There are endless varieties of indoor plants to choose from, and if you've never cared for a plant before, you might have no idea which one to choose. Factor in that some plants are much harder to care for and require a lot of attention, and it's even more of a challenge. If you want to spruce up your home with a little greenery but you're new to plant parenthood and want to stick to plants that are more forgiving and low-maintenance, here's what you need to know, from which plants to buy to how to keep them alive and happy.
According to plant resources Bloomscape, 1-800-Flowers, Costa Farms, and Urban Sprouts owner Jen Stearns, these houseplants are fairly easy to care for—no green thumb required, and no need to worry about them dying in a month despite your best efforts. You've got this!
Snake plants are still so popular for a reason: they're incredibly hands-off and easy to care for. "They don't need a ton of light, and they can handle quite a bit," Stearns told House Beautifulin 2019. "And they like to get really dry between waterings."
Put your spider plant in a bright, sunny spot, and it'll grow fast, but it can handle low light (and even continue to thrive in a windowless, fluorescent light-filled office!). It retains water well, so it'll survive a few missed waterings here and there. And it produces babies that you can pot and give to friends!
To keep this plant happy, place it in bright indirect light, water when the top inch of soil dries out, give it a little fertilizer every month (except in the winter), and try to keep it in a humid place. While it prefers to stay moist, it can handle a missed watering or two. Just watch out for yellow leaves, which could mean you're actually over-watering.
This trailing plant is one of the most forgiving houseplants out there. It can tolerate low and bright light, so you can put it just about anywhere in your home. For best results, water when the top inch or so of soil dries out.
Air plants are fun because you can display them in so many ways—on stands, in terrariums, and even in fridge magnets. They're also super easy to care for, since they absorb most of what they need from the air. Just give them a good soak in a water bath every few weeks (shake off excess water afterwards), and mist in between.
Also known as the Silver Bay Aglaonema, the Chinese evergreen plant has a pretty painted-look to its leaves, and it requires minimal effort to keep it happy. It needs at least a little bit of light and does not require a ton of water, so let the soil dry out between waterings to help it thrive.
Another Aglaonema, this bright pink and green plant is as striking as it is simple to care for. It can tolerate low light, but the colors will come out more in brighter, indirect light. Like the Chinese evergreen, they prefer to dry out between waterings and can handle the occasional missed watering.
It won't grow enough coffee to offset your daily Starbucks run, but in general, the coffee plant is an easy one to keep alive—and forgiving, too. Make sure it stays in a warm spot and gets medium light (low light is fine, but it'll grow slower!). "Their soil wants to get dry, and they're really dramatic, so if they do get too dry, they'll get really really droopy looking," Stearns says. "But it's okay, because as soon as you water it, it perks right back up."
Watering your succulents too much can cause them to rot, so they're a great plant option for super low-maintenance plant parents. Water them, at most, twice a month, and you're good to go.
ZZ plants have continued to get more and more trendy over the years thanks to how simple they are to maintain. Low light, bright light—it doesn't matter, the ZZ will thrive. Make sure its roots don't stay wet, and you'll have a happy plant on your hands. Its adorable spiky leaves are just a fun bonus.
Some anthurium varieties are more about the waxy, heart-shaped flowers (like the one seen here!) most people think of when they think of this plant, but others are more about the foliage. In any case, they're a great beginner plant. "Anthuriums are very hands off," Stearns says. "They will want to be watered, depending on the size of the plant, somewhere between once every one to two weeks with occasional fertilizing."
Monstera plants are beloved for their tropical look, and you might think they're harder to care for than they actually are. It can tolerate low light, but are much better off in a medium to bright (and more humid!) environment. Water when the top inch of the soil is dry.
This striped plant has the cutest name on the list, but beyond that, it's a good choice for beginners. Put it somewhere it can get medium to bright indirect light and plenty of humidity, and it'll thrive. This little guy prefers to be on the wetter side, too—you can let the top of the soil dry out a little between waterings so you don't over-water it, but in general, keep the soil a little damp.
The leaves of this plant hold water well, meaning they can bounce back from occasional missed waterings. Peperomia plants can handle just about any light level, so you can keep them on a sunny windowsill or in your office, whichever you prefer.
Bright filtered light is best for this lush palm plant, but it can adapt to low light if necessary. In terms of watering, make sure you avoid over-watering your parlor palm—you're better off keeping the soil a little too dry versus too wet, and you should water even less in the winter. Keep it in a warmer spot and give it the occasional misting for good measure.
Another trailing option, the wax plant, AKA Hoya carnosa, features thick, waxy leaves (hence the name!) and is easy to care for, so long as you've got a bright spot to put it in. Let it get plenty of light, and let the top inch or two of soil dry out between waterings, and you're golden.
Bamboo is another option, like air plants, that can actually grow without soil. Simply place the stalks in a vase full of water with pebbles or marbles at the bottom. And if your bamboo starts to get too big for its container, just upgrade to a new one with a similar set-up—no actual repotting required.
Brittney MorganAssociate Market Editor, House BeautifulBrittney Morgan is House Beautiful's Associate Market Editor, a noted land mermaid, and a Virgo with a penchant for crafts, red lipstick, and buying way too many throw pillows.
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