The Benefits of Finding The Best Houseplant For You
The best houseplants add a great aesthetic and some extra depth to your home décor, but that’s just the start of their benefits. Plants have been proven to improve air quality by removing common pollutants and toxins and can seriously boost mood and improve daily focus.
Choosing houseplants with the right level of maintenance for your lifestyle also means you can enjoy the meditative, stress-reducing hobby of tending to them. From pruning, watching them sprout new leaves, to reaching summer blooms, there’s always something to look forward to when tending to houseplants.
Finding exactly the right houseplant for your home and lifestyle is essential. A houseplant that fits you can bring enjoyment, a brighter home, and better wellbeing – and it doesn’t have to be complicated. Let’s explore some of the best houseplants available for your home.
Monstera
Native to the rainforests of Central America, the trendy Monstera plant has boomed lately – with broad, lush green leaves, and almost as easily grown as ivy, it’s become increasingly popular. The Monstera is capable of flowering small white flowers, and a sunny windowsill with partial shade is the perfect spot to watch your new monstera plant thrive, and add a jungle feel to your office or living room. They can reach up to 3 foot in height and 3 foot wide and will do well with weekly watering – but do ensure drainage holes are maintained. The Monstera is unfortunately toxic to some pets, so best kept away from furry friends!
Lily
Lillies are one of the most recognisable plants, with a soft, sweet, and elegant scent. Their air-purifying properties help filter out mold spores and household chemicals, whilst creating a beautiful atmosphere in your home. The Lily can grow up to 20 inches in height, and does best in full sun with loamy, moist, and well-draining soil. Lillies should be watered regularly, whenever the soil becomes dry to the touch
It’s important to note, however, that lillies are highly toxic to many animals – so worth leaving out of your indoor jungle if you have cats, dogs, or rodents at home.
Succulents
Succulents and cacti are the perfect houseplant for low maintenance plant guardians, as they take minimal pruning and watering. Coming in range of species, from brightly coloured leaves to impressive flowering varieties, starting your succulent or cacti family today could be your favourite project this summer.
Succulents need ocassional watering that soaks the soil and can be left to dry out between waterings. During the winter months, watering once a month will suffice. As desert plants, they do best in bright, full sunlight. Given enough room, they can grow massively!
Ferns
Ferns add an instant fresh flourish to your home or office space, and are pariticularly suited to humid, wet areas like the bathroom for optimum growth. It’s lush, dangling fronds and broad green hues allow an instant lift in mood, and add a splash of colour to your space.
Doing best in partial sun or shade, ferns can grow up to 3 foot tall and 24 inches wide given time and quality care. Be sure to keep the soil moist, but not soggy – ferns will happily supp up the water and humidity from your shower but do make sure to let the space air out after to manage moisture levels.
Eucalyptus
If you like the idea of houseplants for the bathroom, the eucalyptus may be another strong choice for you. With a fresh eucalyptus scent that can help open the airwaves, boost your immune system, and help your feel refreshed after your shower or bath thanks to the boosted scent release with humidity.
With a fast growth rate and low maintenance care needed, the eucalyptus can be one of the best houseplants for a fast return with minimal input. However, this is another plants that can be toxic – the bark, leaves, and sap are toxic to both animals and humans.
Given full sun, and weekly watering with access to a humid space such as a bathroom or conservatory, your eucalyptus should thrive!
Lemon Plant
With fresh – and delicious! - citrus fruits and charming white flowers, a lemon plant may be a lesser seen houseplant, but you’d be wrong to pass up on it. With lemons reaching up to 9 inches long under the right conditions, you’d could be investing in some extra kitchen ingredients with this choice of houseplant, too!
The lemon plant thrives but in full, strong, hot sunlight with partial shade and need warm conditions year-round. Watering should be consistent, aiming to the keep the soil moist but not soggy. Do note, however, that lemon peel – along with other citrus fruit skin – is toxic to dogs and cats.
Palms
Best placed in a wide-open space with mixed lighting levels throughout the day, palms can be a beautiful centrepiece in your home – growing up to 10 feet tall and 5 feet wide in certain conditions!
Palms are also surprisingly low maintenance, only requiring watering approximately one a week, and are relatively sturdy with these conditions provided with plenty of space.
Exact conditions vary on individual varieties, but bright light with dappled shade is usually best, whilst maintaining a slightly dry but not solid soil.
