Fifty shades of green: Do great things with indoor plants
Creating your green oasis: Best indoor plants for beginners
Forget flower power—focus on the power of pots. Houseplants are truly amazing. They improve the décor of your home at a tiny cost. They purify the air all around you. They are easier to care for than you imagine. They look incredible on Social Media. And they can lift your mood just by sitting next to you.
Perhaps you’re a late bloomer to indoor plants. Or perhaps you thought the only plants that could grow in your living room were couch potatoes. Well, think again. A little water, the right light, the occasional chat and you’re on your way to greener living.
In this beginners’ guide to houseplants, you’ll find information on how to start growing plants and caring for them. Plus, we have some suggestions on the best indoor plants for beginners. So let’s weed out any doubts you may have and get busy growing.
Inside info: Think about your growing environment
Gardening gloves ready? Take them off immediately. We’ve done most of the hard work for you and researched easy to grow plants. But, before we get into the best indoor plant for beginners, let’s look at some of the elements in your growing environment that will help your plants not just survive, but thrive.
Light
Nothing grows in darkness. The most important element for plants to thrive is the available light. Think of the green leaves on any indoor plant like tiny solar panels moving to capture the best light. Before choosing a plant, consider the light conditions throughout your intended room. There will be full sun by a window, but much less light in the corner of the room. Also, consider the artificial lights in your room—plants love LED and fluorescent lights that give off light while emitting very little heat.
Airflow
Just like us, plants need to breathe, but they just do it in reverse. How? During photosynthesis, plants breathe in carbon dioxide and then breathe out oxygen. To do this they need good airflow in a well-ventilated space. Good airflow also helps plants reduce excessive moisture in their soil. By giving your indoor plant room to breathe, then it will be producing plenty of oxygen to make your living and work areas healthier and happier.
Humidity
All plants love water. They’ll get it any way they can from their soil and also from the air around them. If the air in a room is too dry, then a house plant will have to get its water from the soil. Some plants will do particularly well in the bathroom where the air is very moist. In this beginners guide to houseplants, we will be recommending indoor plants that are easy to grow in mid-range humidity—that’s not too dry or too moist.
If you want to dig a little deeper into the soil nourishing your indoor plants, you’ll find some friendly and useful information here.
Cast Iron Plant: A hard act to follow
No prizes for guessing why this tough little indoor plant is listed in our beginners guide to houseplants. Cast Iron Plants are super hard to kill. They do well in low light, in low humidity, in a wide range of temperatures, and they can live for up to 50 years. If you are an absolute beginner, buy a Cast Iron Plant, take it home and neglect it.
Snake Plant: It won’t bite
Also known as Mother-In-Law’s tongue, these are exceptionally tough plants that thrive in difficult conditions. Snake Plants love lots of light, but they can get by on less if necessary. They don’t need much watering— but just be aware that they hate to be overwatered. You’ll find them in office and home offices alike because they thrive in both natural and artificial light.
SNAKE PLANTS LOVE LOTS OF LIGHT, BUT THEY CAN GET BY ON LESS IF NECESSARY.
ZZ Plant: Catch some ZZZs
Sit back, relax and take a nap. The ZZ Plant or Zanzibar Gem is another one of the best indoor plants for dummies that requires minimum care. This ultra-tough plant has thick, fleshy roots that store water, so they're more likely to die of drowning than thirst. It’s also happy in low light but prefers bright light to moderate indirect light and well-drained soil. The only watch out is to keep it out of reach of children and pets—its leaves are toxic if eaten.
Peace Lily: A piece of cake
This white flowering plant is definitely the most elegant to make our beginners indoor plants list. Easy to grow, it’s happy in a wide range of lighting conditions from artificial to natural. It only needs moderate watering and thrives in both air-conditioned and heated spaces. Just keep it out of reach of pets and children, and you’ll love the peace this indoor wonder brings into your home and life.
Give yourself the green light
These are just four of the best indoor plants for beginners. Some of them you’ll be able to find at American Express partners like IKEA. And if surrounding yourself with plants is not rewarding enough, always use your American Express Card and then use your Membership Rewards® points to grow your indoor collection. You can even use your points1 to get stylish pots at David Jones or Harvey Norman or gift cards for family, friends or even for your workmates (who are green with envy after spotting your plants on zoom calls).
Your pot of green at the end of the rainbow awaits you. You have just got to go out there and bring your rewarding little plant home.
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- To earn or redeem Membership Rewards points, Cards must be registered to the American Express Membership Rewards program, and be active and current in their payments. When paying with a combination of your American Express Card and Membership Rewards points, only the value applied to the Card is eligible to earn Membership Rewards points. Please visit the Membership Rewards website to view the full Terms and Conditions.