8 House Plants Perfect for First Time Plant Parents

Words by Gianna Sibal
Graphic by Heather Co

Don’t have the green thumb, but want to bring life-enhancing nature into your home? Being a house plant parent will probably do the trick for you! Not only do they bring natural color and aesthetic to your house, these plants will also improve the air quality in your home. 

So if you’re scared to take that leap, don’t worry! We’ve compiled a list of eight house plants that are easy to care for and will surely thrive well inside your home. Here are our fail-proof recommendations for first time plant parents:

8. Peace Lily

This plant doesn’t need much sunlight—they’ll survive in the shade, but they’ll bloom you a pretty flower if they get a little bit of vitamin D. As for watering them, once a week will do, and if you forget, they’ll be fine for at least ten days in the drought. Just water them before they reach dehydration!

7. Spider Plant

Other than the fact that they make the room more visually-appealing and that they work well as hanging plants, Spider Plants also work well with a once-a-week watering with moist soil! But unlike the Peace Lily, they require a brighter lighting condition to keep them thriving.

6. Aloe

This plant right here needs a lot of vitamin D. And as you might expect for a succulent—which are easy to care for—aloe prefers dry soil, so hydration only comes once a week as well. Fun fact: their long, pointed leaves can grow up to three feet, so they’re perfect for your interior beautification! Smaller varieties of this indoor house plant, like the aloe vera, are great in small and sunny spaces.

5. Jade Plant

The evergreen leaves of this plant will perk up your home and will definitely bring you good fortune. Often called ‘the friendship tree’ or ‘the lucky plant’, these are often gifted as housewarming presents. This indoor plant grows slowly—so they’ll live for a very long time if you take care of them, and can even grow up to five feet. Because Jade Plants are native to South Africa, they don’t require a lot of water and can tolerate dry and hot environment. Water them only when the soil is dry to the touch. Overwatering is very dangerous to this house plant, so be careful!

4. Lucky Bamboo

A famous house plant that grows in water, Lucky Bamboo isn’t actually a bamboo at all—the stems of this plant only resemble that of a bamboo plant, and has been part of the Chinese culture for thousands of years. This plant does great in bright light, but be careful not to expose it to direct sunlight. Don’t place this on a sunny window sill as the leaves will scorch. Your Lucky Bamboo will also do much better with distilled or purified water, and remember to change the water completely every one to two months!

3. Air Plant

These plants are the ‘soil-less wonder’ as they can grow and thrive without soil. However, this does not mean that they can survive with air alone. For starters, air plants need bright and indirect light, and as for water, you can soak them once a week for five to ten minutes, then gently shake away the excess water. Allow air plants to dry, which should take no more than three hours, because if your plant stays wet longer than this, it may rot. Try placing it in a brighter place with more air circulation for faster drying. Fun fact: air plants only flower once in their life. It marks the peak of their plant life cycle, but also the beginning of its old age.

2. Snake Plant

This famous house plant is most recommended for improving the air quality in your home. They’re not the soft, touchy-feely kind of plants, as their leaves are strong and bold, pointed and tough. Still, they’re very long-lived, and extremely drought-resistant—water it only every two to six weeks, and always make sure the soil is completely dry before thoroughly watering again. While these plants can also withstand full sun and handle low light, indirect sunlight is ideal for a Snake Plant.

1. Heart-leaf Philodendron

Now this plant is said to be harder to kill than to keep alive, and they’re very easy to keep healthy. Most popularly found in homes and offices, the heartleaf philodendron is a trailing indoor house plant that loves to snake down mantles or bookshelves—perfect as hanging plants or table plants as well. The dark green leaves form a heart where they meet the stem! This house plant is also extremely versatile; they’ll do fine in a range of lighting conditions, but when they receive medium and indirect light, they will grow faster and produce more leaves. As for watering, only do so when the upper half of the soil is dry.

 

Here’s a cheat sheet for you first time plant parents to save on your phones as a guide! With this, you can never go wrong with keeping your plants alive and well inside your homes.

 

So, for first time plant parents, we hope that this list will encourage you to bring that nature into your homes and to take that leap! These plants will be easy to take care of, and under your care, they’re sure to thrive and grow.

Are you a first time plant parent? Planning to be one? Share your experience with us!