The benefits of starting an indoor garden are plentiful. Indoor plants are one of the quickest ways to infuse your home with colour and personality, giving you an instant connection to nature and offering an array of health benefits, from increasing creativity and productivity to boosting your mood and improving sleep quality.
No space? No problem. You can still reap the benefits, whether styling houseplants on your windowsill or in a hanging planter, and even a dim corner can house many low-light houseplants. To kickstart your houseplant journey, we’ve compiled 36 of the best indoor plants, along with care tips to help them thrive.
Care level: Medium
Compact and vibrant, the pink polka dot plant is ideal for small spaces that need an infusion of colour. This tiny indoor plant thrives in high humidity with moderate to bright light. Place this variety in a greenhouse or terrarium for the best growing results.
Care level: Medium
With thick, etched leaves, the alocasia melo indoor plant is a nice structural alternative to trailing greenery. These leaves are darker in colour and love indirect light, as too much bright sunlight can burn the foliage.
Care level: Easy
An evergreen is always a good indoor houseplant, especially in the winter. This miniature Norfolk pine, a very common type of Christmas tree, is great for bringing a festive vibe into your home. This tree is very cold-hardy and loves medium light. Water it sparingly throughout the dark and cold months.
Care level: Easy
Actually a unique variety of prayer plants, this Calathea boasts stunning variegated leaves in green and white. With ample sunlight, the leaves will start to develop a purple-ish hue. Place this indoor plant in bright, indirect sunlight and watch the leaves rise and lower with the path of the sun.
Care level: Easy
Bay laurel leaves are green and glossy, all year long. Even in the depths of winter, this tree will provide a wonderful wash of colour. Bay laurels are famous for being very low maintenance in their care routines and love a pot just as much as they do the ground.
Care level: Easy
A beloved seasonal cactus, the Christmas cactus blooms in late December, not waiting for the warm weather of spring. Caring for this cacti is fairly simple, but this type is from the jungle rather than the arid desert, so it loves dappled light and plenty of humidity.
Read more: Christmas cactus care tips and how to make it bloom again
Care level: Easy
Lighter and paler than other snake plant varieties, the moonshine type has a silvery quality to the leaves. This indoor plant requires a similar care routine to the traditional snake plant, preferring medium to low-light environments and waterings every few weeks.
Care level: Medium
With vibrant fuchsia accents and rich green leaves, the purple passion plant is a stunning houseplant. This plant is fuzzy to the touch and quite thirsty, so be sure to water regularly. It loves medium, direct light, so in the winter, be sure to place it near a window.
Care level: Easy
The red Chinese evergreen is a beautiful indoor plant with variegated leaves in shades of red and green. With proper care —plenty of water and no direct sunlight — the plant will bloom waxy, white flowers.
Care level: Easy
The bird's nest fern is one of the easiest indoor houseplants out there. It has thick, glossy leaves that hold onto moisture and humidity longer than many other types of ferns. Give it bright, indirect light, and water it only when the top few inches of soil feel dry.
Care level: Easy
The prayer plant gets its nickname because the leaves fold up at night, which mimics the look of hands praying. It has distinctive dark brownish splotches on the upper surface of each leaf – this is at its darkest when the leaf is young, but becomes greener and paler as the leaf ages. This indoor plant is low-light friendly and ideal for plant beginners.
Care level: Medium
Named for its hole-filled leaves that resemble a slice of Swiss cheese, this indoor plant develops large, glossy leaves with the right care routine. The best environment for it is in bright, indirect sunlight with weekly watering.
Read more: Swiss cheese plant – the Instagrammable, easy-care houseplant that's perfect for beginners
Care level: Easy
The lush foliage of this indoor plant (Phlebodium aureum) prefers medium to bright indirect light, plenty of mist and humidity, and occasional watering. Because its full, feather-like leaves get longer as they grow, it looks best in a hanging planter.
Care level: Intermediate
The only thing that levels the Boston fern up from easy is its love of steam. Because it thrives in low light and humidity, it makes a great bathroom plant. Hang it in a corner, allowing its dark green fronds to drape down, and water it regularly — but only once the soil has completely dried out.
Care level: Easy
This waxy plant will grow trailing vines of white and green (and sometimes pink) leaves. Pet-friendly and non-toxic, it thrives in bright, indirect light with a watering every one to two weeks.
Care level: Intermediate
With leafless stems that look like literal corkscrews, this unusual indoor plant (aka Juncus effusus 'Spiralis') loves moist soil and indirect light. It can even thrive in a low-light environment with the occasional use of a grow light to aid with photosynthesis. In the right conditions, it can grow up to three feet tall.
Care level: Intermediate
Not just suited to the Mediterranean, an olive tree actually makes a great indoor plant. It loves a warmer, sunny climate (but not too much direct sun or it will scorch) and plenty of humidity. Prune it seasonally to keep it looking fresh, and you'll enjoy it for years to come.
Care level: Easy
You'll love how the leaves of a golden pothos seem to glow when the light hits them. Pothos plants are fuss-free: Keep yours in partial to bright indirect light, and water it when the soil is mostly dry.
Pro tip: You can easily expand your plant family by propagating these from cuttings.
Care level: Easy
ZZ plants (Zamioculcas zamiifolia) require less water than many other indoor plants. If you tend to neglect yours (rather than overwater them), you'll do well with it. It'll thrive in bright, indirect light, but it can also tolerate low light if you have a less-than-sunny spot.
Care level: Intermediate
Known for its dark green, glossy foliage, the rubber plant (Ficus Elastica Robusta) requires bright, indirect light. You should water it only when the soil is dry. Rubber plants have the added benefit of being one of the best natural air cleaners out there. Place it near your favourite seating area to reap the benefits.
13 vertical storage ideas that free up worktop space in small kitchens
Low-waste decorating ideas that feel chic, not makeshift
This 15-minute fix makes your hallway feel twice as big
Here's what to spend and save on at home
