Top 12 Houseplants for Beginner Plant Parents

The Dragon Tree was actually our first ever houseplant and ignited our initial love for caring for indoor plants many years ago. Native to Madagascar, it’s a timeless plant that brings elegance and style to every room. Not only are they really easy to care for, making them perfect for beginners, but they’re also great air purifiers so are a nice option for bedrooms. 

You’ll have a hard time trying to kill a Dragon Tree as they are pretty drought-tolerant and forgiving when it comes to light, temperature levels and humidity so it’ll adapt well to every spot in your home.

Although they can reach up to 6 metres in their natural outdoor habitat, they’ll only ever get to about 1.5/2 metres when grown indoors (and even this will take years and years) so you don’t need to worry about it getting too big to handle.

Find out more in our Dragon Tree care guide.

The bold and striking leaves of the Snake Plant make it stand out wherever you put it! Not only are they slow-growing, but they transcend upwards so are great for small spaces or that corner you never know what to do with. They have some of the sturdiest leaves or any houseplant, and their sharp leaf tips have given the plant the nickname of mother-in-laws-tongue!

When it comes to care, Snake Plant are super easy to look after, they can adapt to a range of light levels (are great low light plants but can also deal with bright direct sunshine), prefer dry soil and don’t need much attention in the way of misting or repotting etc. So if you want a low maintenance, sturdy houseplant, then the Snake Plant is your perfect match!

Find out more in our Snake Plant care guide.

There are hundreds of Air Plant varieties for you to fall in love with, all with relatively similar care requirements. If you haven’t already guessed from the name, Air Plants are pretty different to most other houseplant types as they don’t grow in soil. Instead, all they need is regular misting and the occasional bath to survive!

Native to areas across Central and South America, Air Plants need warm temperatures and high humidity levels to really thrive which makes them great plants for terrariums. But don’t think this is the only way to grow Air Plants, because with a little bit of care and attention to their environment, you can grow them in most homes with no problems so are great for beginners and plant experts alike.

Find out more in our Air Plant care guide.

Believed to bring good luck, the Lucky Bamboo is the ideal houseplant for those wanting to bring a little bit of greenery indoors but don’t quite know how or don’t want to care for a super fussy plant. The Lucky Bamboo thrives off being neglected and as long as they have enough sunlight and some warmth, they’ll happily live for a very long time. You can choose to grow them in either well-draining soil or a vase filled with water. The latter is great for forgetful waterers as there’s no risk of them drying out!

You can continue the gorgeous swirls on your Lucky Bamboo plants by simply rotating them every once in a while. The plant naturally grows towards the sunlight so you can use this to create the twists.

Find out more in our Lucky Bamboo care guide.

There are probably more Cactus species than we could possibly count in the world, which makes them one of the most unique and popular houseplants to keep. On top of that, they are normally incredibly easy to maintain, easy to get hold of, make great gifts and can be good starter plant.

Bright lighting conditions, minimal watering and low humidity requirements make them one of the best windowsill plants you can have. Plus you only have to repot them every few years due to their slower than average growth. However, as I’m sure you can imagine, they’re not the best houseplants to have around pets or children as some species can have quite nasty spines.

Find out more in our Cactus care guide.

A staple of many homes, the Yucca is one of the most popular houseplants and you’ll often see them around offices, shops and restaurants too! They’re super easy to care for so are perfect for all plant parents. Sometimes large plants can seem quite daunting but these are a breeze to look after and rarely throw up any real issues. They were very popular in the ’70s so are a great way to get a little bit of vintage style in your home.

As they mature, Yucca plants can grow about 2 metres in height so make it the perfect feature plant for your space. They are very slow-growing though so if you don’t have as much space, a smaller plant won’t outgrow the room very quickly.

They are very low maintenance and can adapt to most light levels, temperature and humidity levels but unfortunately, they are toxic to keep that in mind if you have pets or small children.

Find out more in our Yucca care guide.

Also known as the Zanzibar Gem, the ZZ Plant is a great low-maintenance houseplant for the minimalists out there. Adored for their dark green glossy oval leaves, we recommend this one for those who maybe don’t have a great track record of keeping plants alive, but also for anyone looking for something smart and stylish to spruce up their home. They are very adaptable and will deal well with some bright but indirect light, as well as shady dark corners of your home.

The ZZ Plant is quite slow-growing so you won’t see new stems popping out all of the time. It’s important to note that they grow bulb-like roots called rhizomes so will need quite a large pot to really thrive and grow. This also means they are drought tolerant as they store water in their rhizomes.

Find out more in our ZZ Plant care guide.

Spider Plants are the perfect plant for the less experienced plant parents as they are super easy to care for, grow pretty rapidly, and produce an abundance of spider babies which can be propagated in just seconds.

The best thing about Spider Plants is that you would really have to try to kill them as they adapt to and survive in most environments and don’t mind being a little neglected. They even show you when they need more water by going quite light green. But after a little bit of water, they spring back to full health in minutes.

As your plant matures, you’ll start to see it sprouting little spiderettes which you can choose to remove from the plant to create new Spider Plants. They really are the gift that keeps on giving.

Find out more in our Spider Plant care guide.

Believed to bring luck, Jade Plants are one of the most popular succulent varieties and we really recommend them for anyone wanting some greenery in their home without needing to give it too much attention. Jade Plants are best known for their oval-shaped leaves and strong stems which become quite woody as they mature.

When it comes to caring for your Jade Plants, the top two things to remember is to give it a spot that gets ample sunshine throughout the day as well as making sure the potting mix has fully dried out before watering again as they are susceptible to root rot if you’re not careful. Jade Plants are quite slow growers though (which is what you’re sacrificing for the easy care routine) so even if the environment and care routine are perfect, they may only grow a few inches per year.

Find out more in our Jade Plant care guide.

Also known as the Donkey’s Tail Plant, these incredible succulents are adored for their delicate leaves that dramatically cascade out of the pot. Native to Mexico and Honduras, they are forgiving to the forgetful waterer as they store water in their leaves (this also makes them quite sensitive to overwatering so be mindful about that) and just need a nice warm sunny spot to be happy so are perfect for that sunny windowsill!

Their easy care routine does come at a cost, however, as the Burro’s Tail grows pretty slowly, even in summer. Their stems can often reach around 20-25 inches but it’s really important to handle the Burros Tail plant carefully as the stems break off with just the slightest touch. Luckily they enjoy being root-bound so you shouldn’t have to repot it very often and you can really easily propagate any stems or leaves that fall off. They are also non-toxic so great for homes with small children or furry friends.

Find out more in our Burro's Tail care guide.

Also known as the Inch Plant, we haven’t yet come across a faster-growing or easier to propagate houseplant. Native to the tropics of Mexico and South America, these plants offer something different with their purple and silvery leaves.

Growing these indoors helps keep their growth more contained whilst still having a bit of a wild side. Caring for these plants is also super easy as all they need is ample light and moderate water. They are quite forgiving though so won’t give up straight away if something’s a little off.

These plants are great for hanging planters or when placed on shelving so you can really make the most of those incredible vines. They can be mildly toxic though so you’ll want to keep them away from pets.

Find out more in our Inch Plant care guide.

If you find that you are often killing your houseplants and you can’t seem to figure out why, then the Chinese Evergreen is definitely the one for you. Native to South-East Asia, they are so hardy that they’ll grow and thrive in basically any home so it’s the perfect beginner plant.

Chinese Evergreens have incredible leaves, full of splashes of white, silver or pink depending on the particular variety. They are quite slow growing though (as most hardy plants are), so don’t expect a lot of new growth every year.

Find out more in our Chinese Evergreen care guide.