A guide to choosing and caring for houseplants

Houseplants are the perfect way to bring nature, colour, character and style into your living space. Houseplants, however, do much more than this – they can actually improve your mental and physical wellbeing.

Written by

Sheila Frampton

Having houseplants around is a wonderful way to boost your mood and help you relax – and, if you have to stay indoors for any reason, having houseplants brightens up your living space.

Houseplants also create a healthier environment within the home, absorbing and removing indoor pollutants such as formaldehyde and benzene from the air, taking in carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen.

Today, keeping houseplants is becoming increasingly popular. Research reported by horticulture.co.uk reveals that keeping houseplants is becoming increasingly popular. In 2023, 46% of us bought a houseplant spending a yearly total of over £6 million. In 2022, 34% of houseplant owners said that looking after their plants improved their wellbeing.

Many of us, however, worry about keeping houseplants alive – and this isn’t age exclusive with 48% of people aged 25-39 are concerned about ‘killing’ their houseplants. This guide is designed to allay some of these fears and to provide some useful help and advice.

We have summarised our recommended houseplants into the following categories (click a link to jump directly to that section)

Best houseplants for sunny spots

Best houseplants for shady rooms

Best houseplants for bathrooms

Best pet-friendly houseplants

Orchids

Bonsai

Best small houseplants

Best medium houseplants

Best large houseplants

Repotting a houseplant
A Monstera plant
A group of different cacti and small plants

What type of houseplants should I choose?

The main priority when choosing houseplants is location – to ensure that your houseplants survive, you’ll have to suit the plant to choose the location you have in mind. It’s easier if you have a home that’s equally warm in every room but in so many homes, different rooms offer different temperatures and light levels.

The humidity also varies with bathrooms being more humid and living rooms being less humid, particularly in winter with the central heating on.

Sunny rooms with high light levels

In sunny rooms with high light levels, choose plants that really love the sun. A few of our favourites are listed below but there’s an excellent list of such plants on the Royal Horticultural Society’s website.

Hippeastrums – also known as Amaryllis

These are dramatic plants with huge flowers in shades of pink, red, green or white.  

They are bulbs, flowering at Christmas, dying back over the summer and regrowing in the autumn.

Hippeastrums

Aloe Vera

This succulent plant has striking, spotty leaves and is a well-known remedy for minor burns – just break off a leaf and squeeze the cooling gel onto the wound.   

Make sure to place your Aloe Vera in a sunny spot, particularly a south or westward facing window, if possible. 

Aloe Vera

Kalanchoe Blossfeldiana – Flaming Katy

This houseplant is known for its brilliant flowers which come in shades of red, pink, yellow, orange or cream and can last for several months.

Often found outdoors in tropical climates, Kalanchoe Blossfeldiana is known as a low-maintenance option in cooler parts of the world, such as the UK. 

Kalanchoe Blossfeldiana – Flaming Katy

Echeverias

These succulents come in a range of shades including powdery blues, purples, greys and green-and-yellow. 

When they are happy, echeverias will send us tall spikes of orange flowers.

Echeverias

Cacti

These are the ultimate sun-loving plants and there are hundreds of varieties. 

Do choose those that produce attractive flowers – and you might be surprised by how swiftly they grow.

Cacti

Ficus Benjamina – Weeping Fig

This evergreen shrub is a popular houseplant growing to 3 metres or more with ‘weeping’ branches and slim, glossy, pointed leaves. 

This plant is happiest when in a bright room with an abundance of light, although it is known for being particularly hardy, and accessible to beginner gardeners as well as those with a green thumb. Please do be aware, this is not a pet-friendly houseplant.

Ficus Benjamina – Weeping Fig

Best houseplants for areas out of direct sunlight 

Chlorophytum Comosum ‘Variegatum’ – Spider Plant or Spider Ivy

One of the most popular houseplants, The Spider Plant has narrow, evergreen leaves with white striped edges.    

It grows to about 2 ft tall but if you use it as a hanging plant, it can grow to a length several feet longer.  The flowers are a pale greenish white and form on stalks.

Chlorophytum Comosum ‘Variegatum’ – Spider Plant or Spider Ivy

Monstera Deliciosa – Swiss Cheese Plant

Swiss Cheese Plants are best in bright light but away from direct sunlight. 

This is a plant with glossy leaves which adds a ‘jungle’ feel to a room.  The leaves are heart-shaped when young but become perforated – giving them their name – as they mature.  

They are actually vines – in their native South America they grow up trees, clinging on with their roots.  In the average home, they grow fast and need room – they can reach 2m high and 2.5 m wide.

Monstera Deliciosa – Swiss Cheese Plant

Ficus Elastica – Rubber Plant

These are easy to grow evergreens with glossy leaves – there are a range of types. 

The Rubber Plant needs to grow in a bright room but out of direct sunlight.   Rubber plants flourish in areas with constant temperatures so keep away from radiators or draughty areas.

Ficus Elastica – Rubber Plant

Best houseplants for bathrooms 

Spathiphyllum Wallisii – Peace Lily

This is a popular, low-maintenance houseplant with glossy leaves and white families. 

They aren’t actually lilies but, like Swiss Cheese Plants are part of the arum family.  Peace lilies like warm, humid environments so flourish in bright bathrooms. 

The peace lily likes bright, indirect light but will grow in low light areas – though if it’s too dark, they will have difficulty flowering.  Flowers appear in early spring and each flower lasts up to four weeks.

Spathiphyllum Wallisii – Peace Lily

Nephrolepis Exaltata – Boston Fern

The Boston Fern is another houseplant that thrives in bright, indirect light with good levels of humidity but should be kept away from radiators or draughty spots. 

Like all potted ferns, it needs regular watering but is easy to grow and is a very hardy plant.

Nephrolepis Exaltata – Boston Fern

The best pet-friendly houseplants 

Houseplants brighten every room and there’s a huge choice but if you have a pet, some houseplants are toxic.

Cats, particularly, are partial to eating greenery. The charity ‘Cat’s Protection’ has produced a list of houseplants that are suitable for cat owners.  Spider Plants and Boston Ferns are amongst the range of pet-friendly houseplants. We recommend checking with a professional if you own a pet and would like to purchase plants for your home. 

Pilea Peperomioides – Chinese Money Plant

This is a low-maintenance houseplant that thrives in bright light and should be watered when the soil dries out. 

With its round leaves that can grow to 15 cm wide, it’s also known as the Pancake Plant.

Pilea Peperomioides – Chinese Money Plant

Schlumbergera – Christmas Cactus

This cactus gets its name because it flowers between November and January – so over the Christmas period –  and the flowers are usually red, white or pink but can be purple or yellow. 

Make sure the compost is kept moist but not soggy because it thrives on humidity. The plant flowers from November to January

Schlumbergera – Christmas Cactus

Areca Palm

This floor-sitting plant is a species of palm tree and has thick stalks and massive, upward leaves,  with a bamboo-like texture. 

Hardy and robust, the Areca Palm is easy to grow and pet-friendly but you have to make sure that you don’t overwater as the roots will rot.   The palm will grow in direct sunlight or filtered sunlight.

Areca Palm

Orchids

Orchids, which come in a wide range of colours and flower for long periods, are very popular houseplants and make delightful presents – indeed, you can find them in most supermarkets.

Most orchids need bright but indirect light so thrive on east or west facing windowsills.  Too much light will scorch the leaves so avoid direct sunlight – and, as tropical plants, orchids like high humidity so in centrally heated rooms will need spraying with tepid mist every two or three days. 

Miltonia or Pansy Orchid

These orchids get their names from the fact that they have ‘faces’ like pansies. 

These orchids do best in cooler temperatures and bright, but not direct, light.  They are able to cope with temperature fluctuations so a bright hallway could be a good spot for them.

Miltonia or Pansy Orchid

Phalaeonopsis or Moth Orchid

These are one of the most popular and widely available orchids. 

Easy to grow, they thrive in centrally heated homes – needing a minimum temperature of 16 degrees Centigrade.  Chose a spot with bright, filtered light.  They like humidity so do well in kitchens and bathrooms.

Phalaeonopsis or Moth Orchid

Bonsai

Bonsai or ‘tray planting’ is the Japanese art of growing and shaping miniature trees in containers – and taking care of a bonsai can be a bit of a challenge.

There’s a wide range to choose from – and the beginner species require less maintenance.  Indoor bonsai trees need plenty of light, humidity and constant temperatures and regular watering, feeding, repotting and pruning are essential.  Because they are grown in small pots they have fewer nutrients and water available so you need to check the soil every day to see if water is required but only water when the compost no longer feels damp.  Don’t let the soil dry out between waterings.  

Fertilise every week to two weeks with a specialist bonsai fertiliser.  In winter move the bonsai close to the window to get more light and further away from the window in summer to avoid leaf scorch.

Ficus Retusa and Ficus Benjamina are the best indoor bonsai for beginners being tolerant of lower humidity and light levels than most other bonsai – so need less care.



Our Favourite Small Houseplants

Airplants

These are quirky, tiny, houseplants that don’t need any soil.  Interestingly shaped and with some that have bright flowers, they grow slowly and can fit in any space.  They need to be fully emerged in water for about 15 minutes every week and then allowed to dry out completely before being returned to the planter.

Tradescantia – Spider Wort

This striking plant is compact with vivid purple and green foliage.  They do, however, grow quickly but it’s easy to take cuttings to give to friends and family.  The Spider Wort needs bright light and should only be watered when the soil is dry.  They can adapt to lower light levels so can thrive on a shelf out of the sun.

Fittonia – Nerve Plant

These plants have vein like leaf patterns and provide a splash of yellow, pink and red.  They grow up to six inches high but should be pruned if they grow too much. They enjoy a humid atmosphere so thrive in bathrooms but you can keep them in drier rooms if you treat them to regular mist sprays.

Airplants
Tradescantia – Spider Wort
Fittonia – Nerve Plant

Our Favourite Medium Houseplants 

Pink Calla Lily

With beautiful, funnel shaped flowers in pink, rose, lavender or violet, this is one of our favourite houseplants.  It grows up to 12-16 inches high and has long, tapered leaves in deep green, often with faint, white spots.  Keeping the plant warm and well watered will allow it to bloom for several weeks.  A word of warning, keep the lily out of reach of children and pets.

Pachira Aquatica - Money Tree Plant

This tropical evergreen tree is another popular indoor houseplant.  It doesn’t need a lot of watering as it stores water at the base of its stems. According to Feng Shui, with lucky five-lobed leaves and good fortune trapped within its trunk, a well-placed money tree will bring prosperity. It thrives in bright, indirect light and a temperature of between 12 and 24 degrees Centigrade but avoid direct sunlight which will scorch the leaves. It likes a humid environment so is ideal for bathrooms and, as it likes fluorescent lights, it’s good for office environments.

Pink Calla Lily
Pachira Aquatica - Money Tree Plant

Our Favourite Large Houseplants 

Schefflera Amata – Umbrella Tree

This is the larger leaf version of the classic umbrella plant.  It’s easy to care, needing medium to bright, indirect, light.  When watering, the soil should be thoroughly watered and the excess allowed to dry off.  It’s best to keep the plant fairly dry because wet soil causes root rot.   A word of warning, this plant can be harmful to people and animals so keep out of reach of pets and children.

Ficus Benjamina – Weeping Fig

This evergreen shrub is a popular houseplant growing to 3 metres or more with ‘weeping’ branches and slim, glossy, pointed leaves.   Weeping Figs should be placed in bright, indirect light – a few feet away from a window is ideal.   You will need to avoid draughty spots or locations close to radiators during the winter.  In winter, water when the top inch of soil feels dry but avoid letting the soil become too dry or too damp.  Try not to move the plant too much – it tends to drop leaves when it is disturbed but do rotate it occasionally if it starts leaning toward the light. Ficus Benjamina plants are toxic to pets, so should be avoided if you have cats or dogs in your home. 

Schefflera Amata – Umbrella Tree
Ficus Benjamina – Weeping Fig

Where is the best place to buy houseplants?

•     Online: There are so many online websites where you’re able to buy houseplants.  Take a look at houseplant.co.uk – a family run business and your houseplants are usually delivered within about 3 days.  Gardeners World has done some research for you and provides a list of their favourite online suppliers for various houseplants.

•     Your local garden centre: buying your houseplants from a local garden centre can be enjoyable – and you’ll be able to ask plenty of questions and choose a suitable pot to show your plant off.   You will be able to see the condition of the plant – look for lush green leaves and full growth.  When taking them home, wrap them well to protect them from sudden changes in temperature and when you get them home, acclimatise them to their new surroundings and avoid giving them too much or too little water.



How often should I water my houseplants?

As a general guide, most houseplants should be watered every one to three weeks but this depends on the plant species, the size of the plant, the type of the pot, the conditions in your home regarding sunlight and humidity and the rate of growth of the plant.  It’s best to monitor your plants and check online whether they need to be kept moist or watered when dry. 



When should I repot my houseplants?

Most houseplants should be repotted every two or three years in the next sized pot.    Signs that your plant needs repotting include:

•     Roots creeping out of the drainage hole is a sign that the plant that needs repot.

•     Plants requiring more frequent watering suggests that it is struggling for space because when the roots are overcrowded, there will be competition for the soil’s moisture.

•     Stunted growth and brown or yellowed leaves is often a sign that repotting is required.

•     Plants that overbloom – coming into flower several times a year – may need repotting. Restricted root growth often leads to a show of flowers – if you enjoy the blooms, you may decide not to repot.  

It’s best to repot in early spring when the plant is about to enter the growing season.  Choose the right sized pot with adequate draining holes and use a good potting mix – speak to your local garden centre or check on line.  Be careful when potting, damaging the fine root hairs will cause wilting, yellow or browned leaves and stunted growth. Take a look at the UK Houseplants website for tips on repotting

Watering a plant
Repotting a plant
Watering plants on a window sill

Do I need to clean my houseplants?

Yes!  Cleaning your houseplants not only improves their appearance, dust-free plants are healthier and more resistance to pests. 

They should be cleaned every 1-2 months. The easiest way to clean several houseplants it to pop them in the shower and spray them with lukewarm water.  Plants which are difficult to move or those with very large leaves can be cleaned by wiping the leaves with a damp cloth. Support the leaf from below with your hand to prevent tearing.  Rinse the cloth in lukewarm water to keep it clean.  Discover further advice on cleaning your houseplants here



How do I prevent flies being attracted to my houseplants?

Houseplant flies are a common problem and, whilst a nuisance, don’t pose a serious threat to the health of your plants.  Overwatering and poor drainage can create a suitable environment for houseplants to thrive so make sure your plants have proper drainage and are not sitting in water.  The following are a few ideas to try but there are plenty of websites offering advice.

•     Water less often as houseplant flies thrive in damp conditions so keeping soil drier reduces the possibility of flies.

•     Cover the surface of your plant’s compost with a 1 cm thick layer of gravel or ornamental glass pebbles to prevent flies from laying eggs in the soil.

•     Citrus spray is a natural repellent with germicidal properties that can help keep plants healthy. Mix one part water to one or two parts lemon, lime or orange juice and apply to the leaves with a spray bottle.

•     Sprinkle crushed mint leaves around your potted plants – the smell keeps the flies away.

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