Top 5 Easiest Houseplants For Beginners

If you want to green up your space, but you don’t know where to start, this list is for you. These are the top 5 easiest houseplants for beginners. If you are just starting out, or if you scare even fake plants, these will be your best friend! Give them a try, I’m sure you’ll be living in a lush green space in no time.

Picking Houseplants

What makes a houseplant easy to take care of?

Plants in general all have certain things that they need to survive.

Soil, light and water are the basics.

So what would make a plant easier to take care of than some others?

Well, some plants can grow in less than ideal situations. Some plants need constant care and very specific conditions, while others can pretty much be left for a bit and they will do fine. Those kinds are my favorite. Its hard enough for me to take care of myself, start adding picky plants into the mix and one of us will give out first.

So the trick to finding the perfect houseplant for you is to figure out how much time and energy you have to take care of one.

Do you want to babysit a plant or do you want to be able to set it and forget it for a little while? Obviously you can’t completely forget about them, or they will eventually die… but you don’t have to spend every single day doing something for your plant.

Also, think about how much light you have. Different plants need different types of light. So that is something important to think about.

And finally, consider your space. How much space do you have for a plant? Do you have a shelf or some floor space? Are you going to hang it? Think about this before you decide on something.

A side note: Some houseplants are toxic to cats and dogs, and some are even poisonous to humans. Look up any plant you are thinking of getting to make sure it would hurt anyone. Of course, if you still want it, that’s on you. Just make sure no one eats it, and wash your hands after you touch it. PSA complete.

Easiest Houseplants

Snake Plant

One of my favorite houseplants. This one if pretty indestructible.

It grows straight up so if you have a tighter space, like a corner, that you want to add some greenery to, this is your best friend.

It does well in different lighting conditions, but it prefers partial shade, or indirect light. I basically make sure that it gets some filtered light from a window. But I don’t let it get direct sunlight. That can burn the leaves. It can survive in pretty low light conditions, so don’t be afraid of grabbing one of these guys for your home.

As for water. This plant is used to very dry conditions, so if you are the type of plant mama that forgets to water your plants (it happens to all of us, no worries) then this plant is for you.

The snake plant doesn’t mind being forgotten for a bit. Just make sure you don’t water it too much. That will kill it faster than forgetting to water it. There is such a thing as too much love with this little guy.

Let the soil dry out between waterings. Stick your finger in the soil a couple inches deep, if soil sticks to your finger, its still fine on water, but if it feels dry, go ahead and give it a bit of love.

These plants grow really well in containers, so you can put them pretty much anywhere. On a shelf, or dresser. On a tabletop or on the floor next to your bed or desk. It is super versatile and won’t take up much space if you don’t want it to.

You can put them into larger pots if you want more of a statement. They can grow up to 6 feet tall. Perfect for a floor plant. This really is one of the easiest houseplants for beginners.

Spider Plant

This houseplant is a pretty cool one. It grows little plantlets when it is healthy and happy. So you can have your own endless supply of baby spider plants. Give them away as gifts, or keep them for yourself. The choice is yours.

This plant reminds me of a lion’s mane when it is well taken care of. I love the aesthetic. It adds a lot of visual interest to a space. You can leave it on a shelf or table if you want, but it looks the best when it is hanging.

For light, the spider plant can handle different types. Much like the snake plant, I would keep it out of direct light so you don’t burn the leaves. I wouldn’t put it in a spot that doesn’t get any light either. It wouldn’t be too happy with that. Pick a spot that has a happy medium. Some light, but nothing too direct.

Make sure to water this one more in the summer and less in the winter. It would also like a good spritz of water on its leaves every once in a while.

The spider plant takes a little bit more care and attention than the snake plant, but it is still beginner friendly. If you want an eye catching plant to start your collection, this is a great one to pick.

Lucky Bamboo

Another one of the easiest houseplant for beginners is definitely lucky bamboo.

Now I’m not saying this is the perfect plant, but I am saying that I had one and I completely forgot about it because it was on a pretty high shelf. I mean, I really forgot about it. That sucker hung on for dear life. I finally remembered it and gave it water and it seemed to live forever.

The best thing about this plant is the fact that you can plant it in anything. Use soil if you want, or you can get a vase with pebbles and just some water. Make sure to use distilled bottled water if you go that route. That’s how I planted mine, and it loved it.

As for light, I would aim for bright light with this one. So just keep it out of dark corners and you should be fine.

There is a reason this is such a popular plant for offices and other professional buildings. Its super easy to take care of, and attractive.

Pothos

Pothos is one of my favorites.

Not only do I love the way it looks, but it is basically indestructible. It is called Devil’s Ivy for a reason.

Don’t let that name scare you off though. It is called that because it really is amazingly hard to kill.

You are more likely to love this plant to death than to kill it by neglecting it.

On that note, make sure you let the soil dry out in between watering. You can rot the roots on this plant if the soil never gets to dry out.

For light, give it bright and indirect light. It will do fine in other lighting conditions too, even in just fluorescent lights… so it would be great in an office space.

It is important to mention that this is a toxic plant, so keep it away from kids and pets, or adults that may have a tendency to nibble on surrounding foliage… I don’t judge.

Pothos is a trailing plant, so you have a couple of options for this one. You can leave in on a table or plant shelf and just let it go, or you can keep it pruned so it doesn’t grow all over the place. You can also hang it and it would look great.

If you decide to let it trail off and do its own thing, make sure you untangle it every once in a while. A little shake will do it.

It is also really easy to propagate, so you can have lots of little plants to give away, or keep for yourself.

ZZ Plant

These amazing plants are basically tolerant of everything.

This is another plant that you can neglect a little bit and it would do just fine. I wouldn’t even worry about watering it too often. Maybe once every couple weeks… just when the soil is bone dry.

It can handle different light types, so yet another great office plant.

It does like some humidity though, so if you don’t live someplace where it is humid all the time, like I do… then maybe get a small humidifier just to keep it happy.

This is another plant that you shouldn’t be eating… so keep it away from any nibblers.

I really can’t talk enough about how easy this plant is to take care of. And it has such a unique look.

It really deserves to be on this list of the easiest houseplants for beginners. You would be hard pressed to find another awesome houseplant like this one.

Save this for later!

I really can’t stress enough how easy these plants are to take care of. If you really want to have some greenery in your place but are afraid you would kill anything you get your hands on, definitely try one of these out.

And some of these plants even have a bonus to them… they can help to purify your air! Cool right?

I actually have another post about different air purifying plants, if you are into that kind of thing.

Do you have a favorite houseplant?

I know I can’t seem to get enough of them.

Soon my house will end up looking like a jungle if I’m not careful.

Let me know if you have a super easy plant that I didn’t mention. I would love to know about it.

Maybe we can share some houseplant decorating ideas!

Until next time,