Spring is the perfect season for giving your interiors a refresh, and there’s no better way to enhance and elevate your indoor space than with beautiful indoor plants.
But choosing which plant to bring home can be difficult, whether you’re a wannabe plant parent or the most green-fingered person you know. There are so many elements to think about, how humid your house is, whether a plant can be toxic for your child or pet, or the fact that you haven’t ever managed to keep a plant alive.
It’s important to know where to start, so here are our best-loved colorful indoor plants that are perfect for transforming your home into a lush, natural paradise. We’ve ranked them out of 10 for ease of maintaining, and made sure to mark which ones are safe to be around your little ones and pets. Keep reading to find your favorite.
Gloxinia
Can usually be found at your florist in late winter or spring, these cousins of the African violet produce stunning white, pink, red, purple and blue flowers. Keep the soil moist and the flowers will bloom for weeks. 5/10
A perfect addition for new plant parents. Barely needs feeding as it has adapted to survive on insects only. Keep the soil moist and in a humid environment where possible. 9/10
Tropical plants which can survive in low light but prefer indirect sunlight. Keep the leaves moist but not soggy. Provide plenty of drainage for this plant. 4/10
This sweet-smelling plant will keep the mosquitoes away (they hate the smell) so is perfect for the home as the evenings get warmer. Keep in partial shade where possible. 8/10
Lipstick Plant
Needs a lot of care to thrive indoors but is a beautiful tropical flowering plant. Needs light for the majority of the day in order to stay healthy and bloom. If your soil gets too dry then the petals will fall off. 3/10
Marimo Moss Ball
Lives in water and doesn’t need much light. One of the easiest plants to care for if you’re a brand-new plant parent as they only need their water changing every two weeks or so. 10/10
Kalanchoe
Long-flowering succulent that can be difficult to rebloom but is relatively easy to maintain. You just need to make sure you use a cactus mix when you pot or repot this large-blooming plant. 7/10
When exposed to light the leaves have a beautiful color palette, the cuttings grow so well you can even start this plant off in a glass of water. Grow rapidly in the spring (2-3 feet!) in the right conditions. 10/10
How to look after each plant
Now you know which plants will work well in your home, it’s time for the really important bit: how to look after them (or for some of us, how not to kill them!).
So whether you’re confident or not as a plant parent, we’re here to guide you through the care of each of our suggestions. From the right soil conditions to how much light each one needs throughout the day, we’ve got you covered.
Calathea (Zebra Plant)
The Calathea thrives in moist soil and humidity. If you don’t have a humidifier, place the pot on top of a saucer filled with pebbles and water, the humidity will travel up into the soil and into the roots. Ensure you’re dusting the leaves regularly, water often in summer and less frequently in the winter months.
Gloxinia
Don’t wet the leaves as they turn brown and die, so always water directly into the soil. Keep this beautiful plant in a room that stays at an average temperature of 16-24 degrees Celsius. Always keep the soil moist, and use a high-phosphorus liquid fertilizer every two weeks.
Monkey Cups
Very bright and direct sunlight is needed, they can feed themselves on insects so you only have to mist them with a fertilizer solution every so often. Ideally use them in a hanging basket as the ‘cups’ like to droop. Avoid leaving any standing water in the soil, so ensure you drain the pot all the way through when you’re watering this plant.
Peace Lily
You need to use filtered room temperature water to maintain a Peace Lily (they’re quite fussy!). Because they love humidity, they need regular misting or the pot needs to be placed on top of a saucer filled with pebbles and water. Keep them well away from cold draughty windows wherever possible. To encourage flowering, keep them in a well-lit area.
Bromeliads
Do not over water your Bromeliads as this can cause root rot, ensure the pot can sustain fast drainage as you need to keep the soil moist but there cannot be sitting water in the soil. Many Bromeliads have a ‘tank’ - where the leaves meet and form a small bucket - fill this regularly with rainwater as part of the watering process. Never use a metal container to water your plant as they are extremely sensitive to metallic chemicals.
Chamomile
Sit on a south-facing window where possible and water once a week. This is a very low-maintenance plant but it can attract very small pests like aphids and mealybugs, to keep these away just spray them with insecticidal soap. After 60 to 90 days, this plant can be harvested to make delicious tea.
Black Raven ZZ Plant
Because of the potato-like shape of the ZZ Plant, it retains water and is extremely drought-resistant (this means if you forget to water it, it won’t die straight away!). It doesn’t have many temperature requirements, but will suffer if conditions drop below 10ºC. Feed with houseplant fertilizer every two months between spring and summer.
Peperomia
Water sparingly, allow the soil to dry as low as 5 inches between watering, think little and often and only sprinkle water on the soil. Fertilize your Peperomia occasionally with a neutral houseplant food. Warm conditions and moist leaves will keep this plant happy, so a weekly misting should do the trick!
Lipstick Plant
Keep in a medium to bright spot, if it’s not getting enough light it won’t bloom at all, although you should avoid keeping it in too much shade. The ideal air and soil temperature needed for blooming is between 21-27ºC. Incredibly susceptible to root rot so ensure the soil is drained when watering.
Marimo Moss Ball
They grow in anything that holds clean water, even in the dark! Keep out of direct sunlight at all costs as they can turn brown. They’re native to lakes, always remember that their glass container will heat the water quickly, so ensure they’re kept in a cool and dark environment. If they’re floating, don’t worry, just squeeze them gently to pop the air bubble that’s likely to be the cause and they’ll sink to the bottom of the bowl.
Money Tree
The Money Tree really appreciates regular misting all year round so ensure it’s never standing in water. They don’t like being moved too often, so choose a spot with medium to bright light. Whenever you water this plant make sure you’re turning it so that you get even growth and leaf development. Make sure you’re watering it deeply but infrequently in case of root rot.
Kalanchoe
Need lots of light so keep them next to a sunny window, they can thrive in temperatures from 13-29ºC. Sensitive roots, so pot in a clay pot with drainage holes wherever possible. As it’s part of the succulent family you should pot your Kalanchoe with sandy or cactus mix soil. Only water this plant when the soil feels dry, but make sure you don’t wet the leaves as they’re more sensitive than the roots.
Pink Polka Dot Plant
Place near a south or east facing window, too much light will fade the leaf colors or scorch them. Water regularly, but you must make sure that the water drains all the way through the pot as this plant is very susceptible to root rot. Create a humid environment by clustering other plants around it or keep it warm and mist weekly.
Coleus
They love bright light but avoid midday sunlight, so place in a spot that gets bright morning light. The Coleus’ soil needs to be wet all year but don’t water this plant too often in the winter. Performs best at temperatures between 16-24ºC. Make sure you are pruning this plant as soon as the flowers bloom as they sap energy from the colorful foliage, if you don’t do this quickly enough the plant will die and reseed itself.
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