19 Best Indoor Plants That You Need

Love plants but live somewhere where they can’t be outdoors all year round? Me too. Even one small houseplant can make a world of difference especially for those of us in cold climates. It can be hard to know where to begin so let’s chat through some of the best indoor plants to get for your home!

I love plants and am a firm believer that they add so much to a home. There’s been studies that they boost mood, productivity, concentration and creativity.

There’s something for everyone when it comes to indoor plants! There’s low light plants, hardy plants, big plants and small ones.

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And you don’t need a lot to get going! A simple terracotta pot is very inexpensive and a propagated plant from a friend is a great way to start.

But do you need a grow light? I’ve been growing plants for over 10 years in Minnesota and have yet to get a grow light but there’s some as inexpensive as these LED grow lights from Amazon that can help your plants thrive!

Many plants remove toxins from the air and also increase the amount of oxygen in a room. I even have a post with 7 of the best plant for air purification that you can check out. The Snake Plant, number 6 below, removes 107 known air pollutants from the air AND it produces a ton of oxygen at night. It’s super easy to grow and a great plant for beginners.

Table of Contents

19 Best Indoor Plants

19 Best Indoor Plants That You Need

Here’s a list of some of the best indoor plants to add to your home!

1. ZZ Plant

ZZ Plant

Care level: Easy

Light: Low to High

Where to buy: Amazon, the Bouqs co., the Sill

The ZZ Plant is an amazing air purifying plant and super easy for beginners! This houseplant can live in low to high light rooms and needs to be watered every couple of weeks.

The ZZ is technically a succulent and super easy to grow!

Find all of my ZZ plant care tips here!

2. Rubber Plant

Rubber Plant

Care level: Easy

Light: Bright indirect

Where to buy: Etsy, Home Depot, Bloomscape

The Rubber Plant, formally ficus elastica, is a fairly easy plant that can grow to be 50 ft tall! If you’re patient enough it’s best to get these plants when they’re young so they have time to adapt to an indoor setting.

Keep them in smaller pots to keep them small or put them in larger plants to allow them to grow to super tall. These can be brought outside during the summer months.

Check out my Rubber Tree Plant Care Post!

3. Birds Nest Fern

Birds Nest Fern

Care level: Easy

Light: Low

Where to buy: the Sill, Bloomscape

The Birds Nest Fern is an easy to grow and maintain plant. It likes low to bright indirect light and should be kept away from too much bright sun (north or east facing windows are best).

This fun plant gets it’s name from the way it gets its new leaves. They look like tiny little bird eggs! This is a great beginner plant especially if you’re the forgetful type!

4. Pothos

Pothos

Care level: VERY easy

Light: low to high

Where to buy: Amazon, Urbanstems

The Pothos is my go to plant for new plant parents. This is the easiest houseplant to grow and it doesn’t mind if you forget to water it every now and again!

It does best in high light but can tolerate low light which makes it a good option for the office or darker rooms.

Here are all the different kinds of pothos to get!

5. Bird of Paradise

Bird of Paradise

Care level: Easy

Light: Partial to Bright

Where to buy: Bloomscape, Etsy, Home Depot

Bird of Paradise plants are impressive, large plants with giant glossy leaves! They’re incredibly easy to grow and can make a huge impact in any home.

We have 2 Bird of Paradise plants that have lasted years and multiple moves. If you want a large plant without having to tend to it too much, this is a great option!

Find 8 other large leaf plants!

6. Snake Plant

Snake Plant

Care level: VERY easy

Light: low

Where to buy: the Bouqs co., the Sill, Amazon

The Snake Plant is one of my favorite plants because it produces a ton of oxygen at night AND it removes 107 known toxins from the air!

Water when dry, about once a week. They’re very drought tolerant! These amazing plants are perfect for new plant parents because they’re incredibly hardy.

Find even more tips on my Snake Plant Care post!

7. Lipstick Plant

Lipstick Plant

Care level: Easy

Light: Bright, indirect light

Where to buy: Amazon, Etsy

The Lipstick Plants are fairly easy plants to grow. This fun plant also gives you some fun blooms that look like a tube of lipstick!

The vines of lipstick plants can grow to be very long so these are great plants for hanging baskets. They like a good amount of light and don’t want to be overwatered.

Overall this is an easy, forgiving plant to have in your home!

Check out my full Lipstick Plant Care Post here!

8. Spider Plant

Spider Plant

Care level: Easy

Light: Low to high

Where to buy: Amazon

The Spider Plants are a great beginner plant. They’re easy to grow and don’t mind being left alone in dark corners!

Aim to water these plants once a week or whenever they seem dry to the touch. Spider plants will produce babies when their roots get nice and bound so don’t transfer these to a bigger pot too soon or you won’t see babies from it!

Find more tips on my Spider plant care post.

9. Goldfish Plant

Goldfish Plant

Care level: Medium

Light: Bright, indirect light

Where to buy: Amazon

The Goldfish Plant is a gorgeous blooming plant. These plants like bright light but don’t like direct sun. Keep their soil wet in pots with drainage holes. These plants don’t like to be dried out completely.

These plants work best in hanging pots since their stems can grow long, hanging down.

Find my full Goldfish Plant Care Post here.

10. Monstera Plant

Monstera Plant

Care level: Easy

Light: Bright to Medium

Where to buy: the Sill

The Monstera plant is my one of my absolute favorite plants! It’s easy to grow and maintain, it has the most amazing leaves and is easy to propagate!

These plants (often called the Swiss Cheese Plant) do best in pots with drainage holes and like a good amount of filtered light. Monstera plants need a lot of room to grow so be sure to put them in a spot where they won’t get bumped frequently!

You can find even more tips on my Monstera Plant Care post! And check out this post for multiple ways to propagate your monstera along with step by step instructions and video!

11. Fiddle Leaf Fig

 Fiddle Leaf Fig

Care level: Moderate

Light: Bright indirect

Where to buy: UrbanStems, the Sill, Bloomscape

The Fiddle Leaf Fig is a looker! This plant is one that you’ll see all over Instagram and Pinterest. It’s tall and when it’s growing well, it’s beautiful!

We have 2 Fiddle Leaf Fig plants and have discovered they can be quite temperamental! Once you find the perfect spot for sun and the perfect amount of water, they’re usually pretty easy however it can take a while to hone in on what these plants like!

We’ve had our best luck in south and west facing windows and ensuring they don’t get too dried out.

Learn more about this amazing plant on my Fiddle Leaf Plant Care post!

11. Aloe

Aloe

Care level: Easy

Light: Medium

Where to buy: Etsy, Amazon

If you’re clumsy (like me!) and find yourself with scrapes and burns, the Aloe plant is for you! If you ever get injured just cut off a piece of aloe and put the inside gel directly on cuts and burns.

In addition to being an instant medication, this easy to grow plant is a fun addition to any home with it’s spiky shoots!

12. Peperomia Plant

Peperomia Plant

Care level: Medium

Light: Bright, indirect

Where to buy: Etsy, the Sill

I recently got my first Peperomia plant and fell in love! This fairly easy to grow plant has ornamental leaves that add some contracts to most houseplants.

These plants like medium to bright light and don’t like to be overwatered. It’s non-toxic for cats and dogs.

Find my full Peperomia Plant Care Post here.

13. Chinese Money Plant

Chinese Money Plant

Care level: Medium

Light: Bright, indirect

Where to buy: the Sill, UrbanStems, Home Depot

The Chinese Money Plant is growing in popularity because of it’s fun round leaves and the fact that it sprouts so many babies, making it a great gift!

These plants are relatively small, most not growing larger than 18 inches. Pileas don’t like to be overwatered and can get root rot fairly easily. It’s better to underwater than overwater!

Check out my full Pilea plant care post here!

14. Air Plant

Air Plant

Care level: Medium

Light: Bright, indirect light

Where to buy: the Sill, Amazon

Air Plants are really unique, fun plants that will liven up any space! Because they don’t need soil, housing them is a bit different than a regular plant.

Air plants don’t like direct sunlight so keep them in a sheltered (but bright!) spot. To water them, simply pace them in a sink submerged for about 30 minutes. Let them dry upside down then return them to their home. You can also mist them in between waterings during drier months.

15. Peace Lily

Peace Lily

Care level: Easy

Light: Low to high

Where to buy: Amazon

Peace Lily grow great in lots of bright sunlight but they can also tolerate low light making them a great houseplant for most homes! Water your plant a lot at once and then let them dry out in between. Usually you’ll need to do this about once a week.

Peace lilies are susceptible to root rot so be sure to have a container with a drainage hole. These plants are very hardy and forgiving so newbies, try this one!

16. Maranta (aka Prayer) Plant

Maranta (aka Prayer) Plant

Care level: Easy

Light: Low to medium

Where to buy: the Sill, Etsy

The Maranta gets its name because of how it folds its leaves in during the evening. This plant comes in a variety of shapes and colors and is one of the most highly-decorated foliage found in nature!

Maranta plants like filtered or dechlorinated water the best. The easiest way to do this is to fill your watering can overnight and water it the next day. This is one of my favorite plants!

17. Lucky Bamboo

Lucky Bamboo

Care level: Easy

Light: Bright, indirect

Where to buy: Amazon, Etsy

The Lucky Bamboo is a unique plant in which it can survive in just water alone – no soil! Often times these plants come in pots that are just water and rock. All you need to do is ensure the roots are covered at all times.

These plants are said to bring good luck and fortune and are incredibly hardy! Lucky Bamboo plants can run for under $10 to up to thousands depending on how the intricately braided, twisted and curled their stalks are.

Check out my lucky bamboo plant care post for even more info!

18. Hedgehog Aloe

Hedgehog Aloe

Care level: Easy

Light: Bright to Full Sun

Where to buy: Bloomscape, Amazon

The Hedgehog Aloe is a great beginners plant! It’s very forgiving making it a perfect first time plant or a gift for a busy mom/professional/person!

It has fun spiky stems that produce coral-red flowers in spring and late summer. It needs very little water and can do wonder outside during the summertime!

19. Calathea Plant

Calathea Plant

Care level: Easy

Light: Medium to Bright

Where to buy: the Sill, Bloomscape

The Calathea is in the same family as the Manatra. These plants also are often called ‘prayer plants’ because of the fact that they raise and lower their leaves from day to night as a part of their circadian rhythm.

They like medium to bright light but are able to tolerate low light. Water them about once a week or more often if they get more light.

Check out my Calathea Plant Care post here!

And there you go! Some of the best indoor plants for your home! Which one do you own? Which one do you want?

If you need some bathroom plants, check out this post for 15 of the best bathroom plants!

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  • Jen

    Jen got her first plant in college from her mom and the rest, as they say, is history! She's owned hundreds of plants over the years and loves learning how to grow each one. She believes everyone needs to own at least one plant in their home and loves sharing her knowledge with others.

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