Keeping plants indoors is a hobby that has been popular in the mainstream since the Victorian era when travel caused a boom in rare and exotic plant collection and cultivation. These days, most homes will have a plant or two and the hobby is rapidly growing in popularity especially since the lockdowns of 2020 and 2021. There are lots of benefits to having plants in the home. For example, plants are known to purify air, removing toxins and adding fresh oxygen to the space.
Not only are plants great for contributing to a healthy home, they can also help you to maintain a healthy mind. The act of looking after and enjoying plants has proven health benefits such as reducing our heart rates and blood pressure which has a calming effect. This ability to help us to manage and reduce stress can contribute to your overall well being levels, and can be a very rewarding experience in its own right.
If you like the sound of looking after plants in your home for aesthetic or personal reasons and are concerned about the amount of work and knowledge needed to keep your plants happy and healthy then you’ll want to look for low maintenance species. The following plants are known for being pretty bulletproof, even in the hands of a complete beginner, and will still give you all the benefits and enjoyment of a more complicated species.
Peace lilies
One of the most popular houseplants in the world, the peace lily doesn’t ask for much in return for sharing its beautiful foliage and flowers with us. The traditional peace lily has dark green, spear like foliage and pure white flowers, though there are some other colours on the market and even more choice if you choose the peace lily’s close relative, the calla lily. Something that makes the peace lily ideal for beginners is that it has a habit of throwing a tantrum when it needs watering, with the foliage and steps drooping dramatically. If you see this happen to your peace lily, you know it is time to give it a really good soaking before letting all the excess water drain away.
Tomatoes
While perhaps not a traditional houseplant, some types of tomato can be brilliant houseplants. Choose a compact bush variety and grow it using hydroponics for fresh cherry tomatoes all year round. Keep in mind that if you plan on growing your tomatoes indoors using this method, you will need to make sure you give the plants plenty of supplemental light in order for them to grow tasty mature fruits.
Snake plant
The snake plant, or sansevieria, is a very forgiving plant which makes it perfect for people who tend to neglect their plants. It doesn’t need watering often and can survive in relatively low light levels, so you can feel free to get one of these if you travel away from home fairly often. These stunning architectural plants look fantastic in a contemporary home but are equally at home with traditional interior design.
Monstera
This Instagram-friendly plant is not only beautiful to look at, it’s also surprisingly easy to care for. The monstera does well at a range of light levels and temperatures, but generally does well in bright, indirect light with a little more humidity. It does need the warmth of the indoors in autumn and winter, but will benefit from being left outside in the summer as long as you can keep up with the watering. With optimal care, the monstera will grow quickly and will display enormous, deeply lobed leaves. With more basic care it will grow more slowly and will remain more compact for longer. This plant does need something to sling onto for support so get one with a moss pole or other support structure unless you want it to trail and cling to your interiors.
Barrel cactus
The barrel cactus is probably the most low maintenance plant you could choose. It only needs very infrequent watering, prefers dry conditions and poor soil with very little moisture retention, and grows so slowly that you won’t need to repot it every year. The main challenge with the barrel cactus is to ensure it gets enough strong sunlight, and resisting the temptation to overwater it.