House plants for the complete beginner

Ooh, there are so many good ones!! Cactuses and succulents are very hardy. Generally they are quite small when your buy and grow slowly and they usually like sunlight so they’re good for windowsills. Sanseveria (mother in law’s tongue) is a bigger succulent and a favourite of mine. Pothos is a lovely trailing plant that grows quickly in summer and is very easy to care for. Spider plants are also very difficult to kill. Rubber plants are small trees with beautiful big leaves that can grow quite tall and so can have a big presence. Also very easy to care for.

The quickest way to kill a plant is overwatering. The roots rot and the plant dies. Especially in winter, most plants can go a week or more without water. Certainly all the ones I’ve listed above.

Go to a garden centre or plant shop (not the supermarket/diy store) and you should get good advice on what will work for your situation. If you’re in Dublin, Plant Life us a fabulous shop. Enjoy!!

Absolutely agree spider plant is the beginner's best option, you would struggle to kill one and its easy to see when they need watering - which is not too often - they go a bit pale and translucent looking. Tradescantia is another very easy one, especially zebrina which has nice purple/red stripes. Mother in Laws tongue also easy, as mentioned. Begonia Rex is colourful and dramatic but easy - if it needs watering it will wilt, but pick up when watered. I have a very droopy looking one on a window ledge at the moment that needs a drink! The most common orchids you see - phaleanopsis - are surprisingly easy too and will flower for 5 or 6 months, then start again after a rest.

If you avoid the fig plants (ficus) and be careful with ferns (some of them will grow in dry conditions, some need very careful watering), most of the plants you buy in the supermarket/garden centre displays are easy enough.

Agree re spider plant. Also money or jade plant. Again very difficult to kill and requires little enough watering. Very easy to grow from cuttings if you know someone who has one.

I gave up eventually, too many issues with the darned plants!

I now have a collection of these.... you cannot kill em! (I am being tongue in cheek, but they are quite nice and not noticeably false either).

https://jysk.ie/homeware/decoration/artificial-plants

Peace lilies are also a good idea. You know when they need to be watered as they get a bit droopy. A few hours after watering then they perk up beautifully. Also supposed to be good in a room where you are using a computer, cleanses the air.

Great post- and to add, the Sanseveria is a tall, thin plant so works really well in apartments (big plant with a small footprint). Fleshy plants like succulents and cacti just need some watering- other plants need misting also to stay in really good conditions (mimics humid warm countries) so maybe take on the former first and eventually get some that need a bit more care. Maidenhair fern, Jews Ear, are lovely plants that fall into the latter category.

I would just say succulents need Really Good Light! You might think you have good light but the plants might not agree! So please don't get discouraged if the succulents do not thrive. I put mine outside each Summer to keep them going. They get a bit etiolated each winter even so.

I find houseplants generally can be tricky. I've killed a spider plant AND two geraniums (both supposed to be v easy) but have an asparagus fern that is happy out practically in the dark (supposed to be hard).

So I'd say buy a few and see how you get on. If you can try and figure out if you're windows are northish or southish and if northish, buy plants for shade.

Agree on aloes, have one a neighbour gave me in 2007! Also have an aeonium which has survives well inside but grows like hell when it spends the Summer outside. Added bonus, every time a bit gets knocked off you just stick the broken piece in soil and boom, you've another plant!

Wow, gorgeous pots! Where did you get them?

Good luck with the plants, this thread is inspiring me to get a few and see if I can keep them going - I'm alright at outdoor stuff, but indoors I've never got to grips with properly.

I can only speak from personal experience but it seems to shorten rather than prolong the lifespan of plants it is applied to and I was always careful to use the correct amount according to the manufacturers instructions. Now, I use only lukewarm water.

How far off are the decorative pots in size? Sometimes the plastic pot won’t fit inside the decorative pot but the internal dimensions of both are very similar. If that’s the case, I’d say you’re ok to repot.