I’ve always thought that plants make a home. They bring personality, life and a calm quality to a room and let’s face it, they look great!

They’re also a great accessory for when you don’t know what to do with a space or corner in a room and can be beneficial to our health.

If you are looking at adding plants to your home, but don’t know where to start, here are some low maintenance house plants for your home.

There are a huge number of plants to choose from, it can feel a bit overwhelming if you have no knowledge of what house plants are easy to keep.

Plants can add colour, pattern and life to a cold dark corner and many plants can help purify the air. This can help us sleep at night a great cleanser to all the pollutants and dust from everyday life.

A lot of people tell me that they’ve never had a plant in their house and the main reasons are –

• They don’t know how to look after them
• They’re not green-fingered and often kill them
• They don’t know what plants are easy to keep
• They attract spiders or insects (they don’t. No more than any other item in your home)

I can assure you that I am not a plant expert in any shape or form. But somehow, I’ve managed to keep them alive and I’ve gone from having 3 plants when I moved into our house, to around 40 and counting!

Here is a selection of easy to care for house plants which I have in my home. If I can keep them alive, you can too!

Low Maintenance house plants

Below are some of the easiest plants to care for in your home and are great house plants for beginners.

They don’t mind a bit of neglect and can cheer up any dark corner in your home

Peace Lily

An easy and low maintenance indoor plant has to be the Peace Lily. They consist of dark green leaves and white “flowers” (although they look like flowers, they are actually white leaves).

I find this plant the easiest to look after as it will tell you when it needs watering, no joke! They are far more tolerant of under-watering than over-watering, so you shouldn’t water on a schedule.

In fact, I wait until the leaves start to droop before I water which is a great reminder! It also helps remind me that I need to water the other 39 plants in my home too!

Spider Plant

Another fabulously easy to care for house plant, I absolutely love spider plants. My first plant came from my Mum in the form of a “baby” from one of her plants and it’s grown into a bit of a beast!

They are very robust and can take a lot of abuse, which is great for any newbie indoor plant enthusiast.

They like a light room but prefer cooler temperatures. As the light increases over the spring months, they can flower and produce babies (or spiderettes!) which makes it easy to propagate more plants.

I currently have 5 in my house and that number is growing! If you are looking for the perfect low maintenance indoor plant, look no further than a spider plant.

Boston Fern Houseplant

The fern is a must-have houseplant in my eyes. I love the way it grows and trails over a shelf or cupboard and it is constantly reinventing itself!

They are a little more difficult to look after however! They’re a little bit more fickle than other low maintenance indoor plants so you do have to keep your eye on them and not give them too much water.

They like to be in a cool place, with no direct light and high humidity. I find that they thrive in my bathroom and kitchen!

The best way to care for these plants is to make sure the soil is always damp and to spray them with water once or twice a week.

This is more important in the winter when we tend to have our heating on and the air can get very dry.

Areca Palm

These are quite expensive plants, so a lot of people purchase them when they are small and watch them grow to over 7 feet! I bought one that was just over 3 feet and has grown considerably since then.

I love the tropical and botanical feel these plants give and look resplendent in any room. They are a fabulous addition to any home and an easy house plant for beginners.

They need bright, indirect light (the leaves will start to brown if you put them in the sun) so place them in a bright room away from a window.

They like to stay slightly damp so water them enough that the soil stays damp in the spring/ summer months and slightly drier in the cooler months.

Mother-In-Law’s Tongue or Snake Plant

This is a hugely tolerant plant, so a great house plant for beginners. It is a slow grower and very good at being forgotten about.

They can thrive in low light and drought, but you will be rewarded if you look after them.

Don’t put them in direct sunlight and water them just enough so that the soil becomes dry in between.

In return, they will help keep the air in your home clean and remove toxins!

Dragon tree houseplant

The newest addition to the household is another palm-like plant that gives a tropical feel to a room. The dragon tree can also grow up to 6 feet tall, but you can trim the top off if it gets out of control.

It loves average room conditions, not too hot, not too cold and as with most plants, out of direct sunlight.

Just do not overwater as this can cause the roots to rot.

Calathea Mix (Zebra plant)

This is the hardest plant to look after, but it has to be my favourite! I love the “zebra” texture of the leaves and the fact that the leaves are almost a red/brown colour underneath.

When we first put this plant in our bedroom, we kept hearing “shuffling” noises (well, I did. Mr B was snoring his head off as usual) and I realised it was the Calathea moving its leaves at night.

The plant needs water, but the water needs to be able to drain so as not to cause root rot. If there is a lack of water, the plant leaves will begin to curl. It is really good at telling you when it needs watering!

Calathea also likes high humidity and low light, especially in winter. So make sure you have a mister to hand to keep it looking healthy!

I have found whilst caring for my plants that it is all trial and error. The plants in my house get moved around often and I find that some will prefer certain rooms to others.

I try to stick to a routine of watering them the same day every week (so as not to forget), but I always check how damp the soil is first to make sure I’m not overwatering them.

But the best advice? Always keep them out of direct sunlight!

Plants aren’t the only way you can bring the inside out! I have several faux plants in my house and the quality these days can make you believe you have the real thing, without all the trouble!

Bringing the outside in

And finally, if I haven’t convinced you to go out and buy a few low maintenance house plants today, you can always introduce the outside into your decor.

We are lucky enough to have bifold doors in our kitchen and on a sunny day, there’s nothing better than opening the doors and letting the garden become an extension of the kitchen.

This room used to be painted white until recently when I decided to go green and paint it Cool Pine by Valspar and add shelving with plants on it.

It now feels very homely and calming and has become more of a “garden” room than a kitchen.

For the finishing touches, I added a few botanical print cushions and artwork and always like to have a fresh bunch of flowers on the table.

I don’t think you have to be green-fingered to look after plants. Start with the low maintenance indoor plants, such as Spider plants and Peace Lilies and see how you get on.

To give your house that true Bringing the Outside In, find natural colours (green obviously being my favourite) and let as much light in as possible.

More on Plants…

Houseplants – It’s Time to Bring the Wonderful Outside In

Bringing the Outside In Part 2 – Artificial Plants

Mel x