The humble houseplant is enjoying a prolonged moment of popularity, filling magazine pages and Pinterest boards with countless shades of green. Designers know a well-placed plant can completely change the ambiance of a room, making it more comfortable, breathable and stylish, and you’ll often see them used as the finishing touches for a space.
Plants also make ideal house companions because of their many air purifying qualities. With the amount of time the average North American spends indoors, particularly during those harsh winters, indoor air quality is top of mind and adding plants is a great way to make your time indoors happier and healthier.
If you’re just starting to work on your green thumb, give these houseplants a try and watch your little green friends thrive into a growing collection.
Monstera Plant
Dubbed the Swiss Cheese plant because of its intricate cutouts, this feisty little plant knows how to take care of itself, earning its latin name, meaning ‘monster’ because of its tendency to grow out of control. Monstera is not a plant of window sills or shelves, but instead makes a great focal point for drab corners in need of a lift.
- Sunlight: Gentle sunlight only.
- Watering: Let soil dry out between watering.
Bird’s Nest Fern
Although it retains the name, this fern is more like the cousin that escaped the small town in search of adventure. The way it’s leaves delicately unfurl and stretch from the center as it grows makes it a perfect centerpiece and it pairs well with wickers, macramé and other woven textures.
- Sunlight: Plenty of indirect sunlight.
- Watering: Keep soil moist. Mist fern if air is dry.
Alocasia Polly
Affectionately called Elephant’s Ears, these stunning houseplants are a work of art. With dark, jagged foliage exquisitely accentuated by thick white veins, they go wonderfully with greens, purples and silvers.
- Sunlight: Plenty of indirect sunlight.
- Watering: Water when top inch of soil is dry.
Pothos
Pothos, also known as Devil’s Ivy, may have an intimidating name, but it’s one of the easiest plants to care for. Pothos can grow in spite of near pitch-black conditions, and can handle both over- and under-watering.
- Sunlight: Indirect sunlight.
- Watering: Water when top two inches of soil are dry.
For more plant care tips and advice, see our guide to growing happy and healthy houseplants, and read up on our fool proof guide to planting veggies for the first time.
Image courtesy of Gardening Know How (Pothos).