10 Easy Care Indoor Houseplants for Beginners
If you are looking for 10 easy care indoor houseplants for beginners, you have come to the right place! Welcome, babe. Stay a while.
Maybe you are like me and found yourself stuck at home during the pandemic and you wanted to bring some nature indoors.
I’m going to talk about my favorite easy care indoor house plants in my collection along with care tips for each of them. I’m sure you have seen a lot of houseplants for beginners list, but this list is coming from someone who is a self-proclaimed plant killer and someone who thought that she doesn’t have a green thumb.
Why Collect Indoor Houseplants?
My job has always been flexible and once the pandemic hit, I started researching easy care indoor houseplants to care for, but I actually wanted a fake one since I’ve always killed plants. Then came my birthday in May, and my husband surprised me with two huge bird of paradise and my mother sent me some air plants. And the rest is history.
They make me so happy and caring for them has given me confidence in taking care of living things. There’s so much to learn from them, and I feel like I’ve unlocked a whole new exciting world.
I’m not saying I’m an expert, but if I can do it, you can too!
Check out my other blog post for some houseplant care tips for beginners.
1. Bird of Paradise (Strelitzia Nicolai)
Like I mentioned above, I originally wanted a big fake tall plant as décor, and I must have talked about it excessively to the point that my husband bought me two Bird of Paradise as a birthday present.
I’ve searched so much about how to care for Bird of Paradise, but they are usually so conflicting.
Bird of Paradise are so gorgeous, and they thrive inside and outside.
Bird of Paradise has been so easy. Almost too easy because I just pretty much neglect it.
Lighting
One of my Bird of Paradise sits by my huge east facing window which gives it bright direct light for a couple of hours in the morning and bright indirect light the rest of the day. The other one sits behind my dresser in the bedroom by my southeast facing window. Bird of Paradise likes bright indirect light, but I know some thrive under lower light settings.
Watering
When it comes to watering my Bird of Paradise, I let the soil completely dry out then water it (just stick your finger in the soil about 2 inches down). Bird of Paradise are honestly so low maintenance and depending on the size of your plant, there is no perfect timing to water. For this indoor houseplant, I water mine around every 2 weeks.
2. Snake Plant (Sansevieria)
Is there really any easy care indoor houseplant list out there without Snake Plants as one of them? There’s a reason why, and it’s because Snake Plants are just so chill. You can put them anyway, neglect them, and they’ll love you.
Lighting
I have a huge Snake Plant about 20 ft from my east facing window and a small one sitting right by my southeast facing window. I feel like people think that some plants can really survive in low light to almost no light conditions, but all plants need light, people! Yes, it can tolerate very low light, but don’t stick it in basement with no windows.
Watering
I water my snake plants once a month. They really don’t need much. Snake plants hate wet soggy soil. When you get a snake plant, just forget about it, and it will thrive.
3. Heartleaf Philodendron (Philodendron Hederaceum)
Heartleaf Philodendron also known as Philodendron Cordatum is probably one of the prettiest plants. It’s super basic, but the heart shaped leaves really get me. It’s a classy looking plant that keeps on giving. This plant won’t stop growing, and I barely do anything to it. I love the Heart Leaf Philodendron’s color, the vining, the fullness, and it makes me so happy.
Lighting
My Heart Leaf Philodendron sits on a shelf about 20 ft from my east facing window among my other philodendrons. I would say they need at least a bright indirect light to medium indirect light.
The amount of light you give your plants usually determine the size of the leaves. The more light, the bigger the leaves will be.
Watering
I water my Heart Leaf Philodendron when the soil is completely dry. I feel like the majority of the plants I own are easy care indoor houseplants, but this plant just makes me happy since it’s so low maintenance and grows so fast.
4. Philodendron Brazil
The Philodendron Brazil is basically the same as the Heart Leaf Philodendron, but the variation and colors on this one looks like a freaking painting. It has a yellowish lime green and dark green colors which is reminiscent of the Brazilian flag.
Lighting
My two Philodendron Brazil are also on the shelf about 20 ft away from my east facing window. They are happy with bright to medium indirect light. Similar to the Heart Leaf Philodendron, they also grow so freaking fast. These are definitely great easy indoor houseplants that would also be nice as hanging plants.
Watering
Again, the Philodendron Brazil is similar to the Heart Leaf Philodendron and should be watered when the soil is dry.
5. Monstera Deliciosa
I feel like Monstera Deliciosa is the plant that every lifestyle influencer owns. I can’t blame them because they are so Instagram worthy and what’s not to love? They are so low maintenance and beautiful. Juvenile Monstera Deliciosa have these striking fat heart shaped leaves, but when they mature, they have the classic fenestrated leaves that you see everywhere. The leaves have actual holes, which is so fascinating.
The Monstera Deliciosa leaves are one of the most exciting to watch unfurl. Monstera Deliciosa don’t get fenestrated leaves until they are 2-3 years old, so watching your first leaves with holes unfurl is the most satisfying thing.
Lighting
I own two Monstera Deliciosas. One juvenile one and one older one. The young one sits directly by my east facing window, and the huge one sits directly by my southeast facing window. They love bright indirect light. They both get a couple hours of morning bright direct light.
The small one grows so fast and shoots out so many new leaves each week. I thought the small Monstera Deliciosa not having fenestrated leaves would bore me, but it’s growing so fast that I have a feeling that I will have to keep repotting. Exciting times!
6. Pothos
There is a reason why every plant person owns pothos. There are so many different kinds and they are so forgiving. They also thrive outdoors, and if you google the ones the live outdoors in Florida and other tropical places, you’d be surprise by house big they could get.
Pothos are classic easy care indoor houseplants that you need because they are pretty much available everywhere you go and online.
Lighting
Pothos can literally survive in any lighting (just not windowless rooms because again, all plants need some sort of light to photosynthesize). I have friends who have their sitting on top of their kitchen cabinets 50ft from a window and still thriving.
I would advise between bright to low indirect light. I had one that got a lot of direct light, and it actually got sunburnt, so be careful! Some of mine sit right by a southeast facing window and another located on a shelf close to an east facing window. I have another one in the kitchen counter which is about 30 ft away from an east facing window.
I’m telling you, Pothos are bad b*tches. You put them in a place where it might be hard to grow, but they’ll prove you wrong.
Watering
Same with all of my other plants, I let the soil dry before watering. I really find that letting the soil dry also prevents fungus gnats. I would say depending on the size, I water mine between 10 days to 2 weeks. A couple of my Pothos live in water instead of soil.
Some people even Pothos in their aquarium and they thrive like the majestic easy care indoor houseplants they are.
7. Money Tree (Pachira Aquatica)
I’m going to be honest, I struggled this one for a couple of weeks because a couple of the videos I’ve watched said that I have to keep the soil moist, which really was not the case for me. I also had to move this plant to so many places because the leaves kept drooping.
But no worries my friends, after some trial and error, I got you. I love the Money Tree’s braided branches and so far, it hasn’t made me a millionaire, but it definitely (eventually) became one of my easy indoor houseplants to care for.
Lighting
Mine sits away from my east facing window by a wall. My Money Tree did not like bright indirect light, so I would recommend putting it somewhere with medium indirect light. After moving this plant 3 different times, it started popping out so many leaves. Some people prune theirs, but I like the super full look, and I just let it grow as much as it wants.
Watering
Like I mentioned before, I originally watered mine every couple of days, which completely did not work for me, but now I water mine every 2 and a half weeks. I let the soil completely dry out and wait even longer. I found that the more I neglected it, the better. Just ignore it, and the Money Tree will love you.
8. Pilea Peperomioides
I love love love the Pilea Peperomioides before I even got my own. The first time I learned about them, I knew I had to get one. I was lucky enough to have a friend who already owned one and gifted me a little baby one.
It has many names: The Friendship Plant, The UFO Plant, The Chinese Money Plant etc. I mean, what’s not to love? The leaves look like little UFO’s.
This plant will not stop growing even if you tried. This is the fastest growing plant that I own.
Lighting
The Pilea Peperomioides loves super bright direct to indirect light. Mine sits directly in front of an east facing window and doesn’t stop giving me new leaves each week.
One tip about this one is if you want it to grow pretty straight and symmetrical, you should rotate it everyday or every couple of days or else you’ll have a wonky looking plant.
Watering
The Pilea Peperomioides is one thirsty plant I tell you, but they hate sitting in wet soggy soil. I let this one dry out between waterings and you’ll be able to tell if it’s thirsty because the leaves would also start to look sad. Such an easy care indoor houseplant!
9. Rhaphidaphora Tetrasperma (Mini Monstera)
A lot of people mistaken this guy as a type of Monstera since its nickname is mini monstera but no folks, it’s a Rhaphidaphora Tetrasperma. Ugh, this plant is so cute and satisfying. I just love the way it grows and vines. I bought it for aesthetic purposes without really knowing how to care for it. To my surprise, it’s so easy.
Lighting
This plant loves super bright indirect light, so my Rhaphidaphora Tetrasperma sits by an east facing window. It used to sit about 20ft away from this window, but it wasn’t happy with me. Once I moved it, a new leaf started shooting out the day after, no joke.
Watering
The Rhaphidaphora Tetrasperma is one thirsty little guy as well. So far, I don’t completely let the soil for this dry out. Once the topsoil is dry, I water it. The Rhaphidaphora Tetrasperma I own is still small, so I water mine every week.
10. Rubber Plant (Ficus Elastica)
I definitely have an attachment to the Rubber Plant. It’s one of those plants that is just so cool. The Rubber Plant that I have is the burgundy. It has this deep dark green color the midrib is a stunning burgundy color. The leaf texture is thick like rubber.
Lighting
It’s a super easy plant to care for even though it looks a bit intimidating. The rubber plant likes super bright indirect light, so mine sits right by an east facing window. The leaves will burn if you put them in direct light.
Watering
Just like all the other ones, let the soil dry between waterings!
Comment with your favorite easy care indoor houseplant and don’t forget to checkout my blog for some plant care tips.
1 Comment
Wow care of indoor plants tips is too good.I hope this will assure work.Thanks for this post.