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Best Plants for Beginners

It can be intimidating to bring home a houseplant if you’ve never cared for one before. You don’t want to accidentally choose one that is finicky and needs a lot of attention if you aren’t confident in your growing skills.

Don’t worry, though! Many houseplants are great for beginners and will help give you the confidence to take on more challenging plants over time.

What Makes a Plant Suitable for Beginners?

When looking for plants to bring home, you want to choose ones that are known to be hardy and easy to grow. It’s best to start with low-maintenance houseplants, and after you get some experience and feel more comfortable, you can move on to plants that require more care.

The best plants for beginners have the following characteristics:

They are tolerant of various sunlight conditions and adapt to different environments.

They tend to prefer their soil to be slightly drier, so they can handle if you miss a watering here and there or don’t remember to water regularly. Some of them will even tell you when they need watering — when their leaves “droop,” it’s time to give them a drink.

They have low fertilizer needs, but will tolerate fertilizer applications if you do remember to feed them.

They don’t need constant pruning to keep them looking neat and tidy.

They have low incidence of disease problems.

They tend not to attract insect pests, including spider mites and fungus gnats.

Some of the Best Plants for Beginners

There are many fantastic plants to choose from, ranging in size and looks. You can choose from gorgeous vining plants that create long, draping stems, plants with large attractive leaves, or smaller plants that sit nicely on a bookshelf or end table.

The following is just a small collection of low-maintenance, easy-to-grow plants, but they’re a great starting point:

Peperomia

Spider plant

Wandering Jew

Cast-iron plant

Fiddleleaf fig

Madagascar dragon tree

ZZ plant

Parlor palm

Golden pothos

Areca palm

Heartleaf philodendron

Snake plant

Dragon tree

Ponytail palm

Bromeliads

Aloe vera

Jade

Echeveria

Prayer plant

Swiss cheese plant

Polka-dot plant

Best Plants for Bathrooms

We put plants on our kitchen windowsills and use them to add greenery and soften the decor in our living rooms and bedrooms. But many people don’t think about adding them to their bathrooms, which is a shame. The bathroom is a great location to grow different plants and take advantage of the high humidity.

Aloe Vera (Aloe barbadensis)

Aloe vera is one of the most common succulents worldwide. Many people grow them in the kitchen if they burn themselves cooking, but they are good to have in the bathroom, too, if you are prone to razor burn.

Arrowhead Plant (Syngonium podophyllum)

Also known as a goosefoot plant, the arrowhead gets its name from its arrow-shaped leaves. It needs protection from direct sunlight, making your bathroom an optimal location if it only receives diffuse sun exposure.

Asparagus Fern (Asparagus densiflorus)

Asparagus ferns are members of the lily family and have long stems densely covered in short needle-like leaflets. Their cascading stems grow 3 feet long, making them perfect for a hanging basket.

Chinese Evergreen (Aglaonema spp.)

The Chinese evergreen, or aglaonema, is a low-maintenance plant that loves lower light conditions. Its dark-green foliage comes in various colors to suit any decor: plain green, speckled, blotchy, and even variegated.

Ferns

Ferns love moist, humid air, so they are fantastic to grow in bathrooms. Some commonly grown ferns are the Boston fen, sword fern, maidenhair fern, button fern, and bird’s nest fern.

Lucky Bamboo (Dracaena sanderiana)

While lucky bamboo aren’t actual bamboo plants, they are popular in Asian cultures. They are believed to bring good luck into a space, and their pliable stems allow the plants to be shaped into exciting designs.

Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum wallisii)

Peace lilies tolerate lower light conditions and produce delicate white calla-like flowers in spring and summer. Peace lilies are great for the bathroom because they love a warm, humid environment and are excellent at air purification.

Philodendron (Philodendron spp.)

The philodendron comes highly recommended to even those with the blackest of thumbs. Vining types are usually grown in hanging baskets or trained to grow up a support structure.

Pothos (Epipremnum aureum)

Pothos plants have an incredibly laid-back nature, making them perfect for beginners. They tolerate low light and don’t mind if you forget to water them.

Snake Plant (Sansevieria trifasciata)

The snake plant or mother-in-law’s tongue is perfect for bathrooms where natural sun exposure is low. Its low-maintenance needs and striking appearance make it a great addition to your bathroom’s decor.

Spider Plant (Chlorophytum comosum)

A spider plant is another great option for a hanging basket or to sit on a plant stand in your bathroom. The naturally higher humidity in the bathroom helps prevent tips from browning, keeping the plant looking beautiful.

Best Plants for Bedrooms

In many cases, people choose plants for a room of their home solely based on aesthetics. When it comes to your bedroom, you can get additional benefits by selecting plants that look nice and help improve the space.

Air-Purifying Plants

It’s known that better air quality means we feel better overall. But what most people don’t know is that the air inside our homes is much lower quality than the air outside, especially in spaces that don’t have open doors or windows to let in fresh air.

A great way to improve the air quality in your bedroom is by adding plants known for filtering carbon dioxide and harmful chemicals out of the air. These plants take in gases through their stomatal openings, hold onto the toxins, and release oxygen.

Some of the best air-purifying plants:

Azalea

Bamboo palm

English ivy

Gerbera daisy

Golden pothos

Peace lily

Red-edge dracaena

Snake plant

Spider plant

Plants That Release Oxygen at Night

For even better air quality and oxygen levels at night, look for plants that have adapted their photosynthesis process when you’re sleeping. Hence, they exchange gases at night and photosynthesize during the day.

To explain further, they take in carbon dioxide at night, store it inside their cells, and then close the stomata to prevent moisture loss. During the day, they use the stored carbon dioxide for photosynthesis, producing oxygen that they hold inside cells until it’s cooler at night when they open stomata and release it.

Plants that give off oxygen at night:

Aloe vera

Areca palm

Peace lily

Snake plant

Spider plant

Tulsi

Plants with Calming Scents

Aromatherapy is a highly regarded practice for improving mental and physical health, especially for relaxation and sleep-related issues. Research has proven that when specific scent molecules enter your body, they affect the brain’s emotional center and trigger the release of chemicals such as dopamine, serotonin, and even melatonin.

If you suffer from insomnia or poor sleep, adding plants with known calming fragrances can help relax your body, soothe your nerves, and improve sleep quality.

Plants with calming fragrances:

Gardenia

Jasmine

Lavender

Peppermint

Plants to Help Reduce Noise

Putting plants in your bedroom is another great way to reduce distracting noises that can keep you awake or disrupt your slumber once you fall asleep. The soft stem and leaf tissues on plants and even rough bark on the trunks of certain trees all have the natural ability to absorb and dampen sounds.

Some of the best sound-absorbing plants:

Areca palm

Baby’s tears

Ferns

Fiddle leaf fig

Monstera

Norfolk Island pine

Peace lily

Rubber plant

Weeping fig

Choosing Container Colors for Indoor Plants

Indoor plants are a fantastic way to add to your home’s decoration. Their foliage color, leaf shape, and texture can help soften the hard lines of furniture and add brightness to a space. Containers can also be an important part of your decor.

You can add to the aesthetic of your home using your potted plants in many different ways:

Opt for Monochrome Color Themes

One way to decorate is by staying with a monochromatic color scheme. A monochrome color combination is where you take a single hue and use it for everything, or you take one and choose different variations in tones, shades, and tints of the color.

For example, you can choose dark blue, royal blue, and sky blue containers. Or, if your wall color is dark blue, use the other two shades for containers. This combination helps to simplify busy designs in a room and creates a harmonious look that is visually appealing.

Choose Complementary Colors

Choosing complementary colors is where you take the color wheel and create color combinations with specific spatial relationships. These colors highly contrast and make a bold design, yet they are also cohesive.

Using the traditional red, yellow, and blue color wheel, the complementary pairs of colors are directly across the wheel from one another: red-green, blue-orange, and yellow-purple. If you want to use three colors, choose a main color from the wheel and then use the colors on either side of its complement. Or, you could always go the tried-and-true route and stick with the traditional pairing of black and white.

When using multiple color containers, pick one of the hues as the main color and then highlight it with its complementary color. The main color like this helps keep the color scheme from becoming too overwhelming.

Metallic Containers as a Neutral Accent

Metal containers are also a fantastic way to add to your decor. They are available in various finishes and meld seamlessly into a space, regardless of your decorating style.

At one time, fashion “rules” were against mixing different metals, keeping one finish or type of metal consistent throughout your decor. That meant that you chose brass, copper, chrome, silver, or gold and carried it throughout the home. The trend today is to break this old design standard and mix and match finishes. So go ahead and incorporate more than one type of metal in a room, as long as you enjoy the look.

Other Options to Consider

How to Accent Different Rooms with Indoor Plants

There are many different ways to incorporate plants into your home, accenting your decor and bringing greenery inside. Whether in the bedroom, kitchen, living room, or bathroom, you can get creative with plant placement.

Bedroom Nightstand

Your nightstand or end table is a great spot to add a small plant like a succulent, African violet, or cyclamen. Place potted plants in various sizes and colors at the sides of a large window, balcony door, or a reading bench where they can access plenty of sunlight. Huge monstera plants can add drama when tucked in an empty corner or next to a dresser.

If you’re having trouble sleeping, add a lavender plant, jasmine, or gardenia close to your bed. Their calming scent will help improve your sleep.

On Top of Kitchen Cabinets

Vining plants like philodendron, pothos, or something with a graceful, arching shape like a peace lily or spider plant make a great addition to your kitchen. If you’re short on space, hang them from the ceiling or put them on top of a kitchen cabinet or the refrigerator so they can drape over the side.

Living Room Corners or Shelves

If your living room has a stark, empty corner, fill the space with a tall, narrow plant like a ficus, bamboo, indoor pine, or palm. Their simple, upright structure will keep them from taking over and overwhelming the room while introducing color and texture.

Another idea for your living room is to hang geometric shelves in metal or wood to hold smaller plants. The foliage color against the shelf texture is stunning.

Bathroom Counters or Edge of the Bathtub

Putting plants in your bathroom will instantly give it a more luxurious and spa-like feel. If space permits, you can stage houseplants around a large soaking tub to create a relaxing oasis or hang a basket with a vining plant in the shower.

Smaller bathrooms with less open space benefit from a potted plant or two on the sink vanity or hang floating shelves on an empty wall for extra space.

Benefits of Putting Plants in Specific Rooms

One of the great things about plants is they can be beneficial in different rooms of your house. Many people use them strictly for decor without realizing their other benefits:

Better Sleep at Night

Having plants in your bedroom helps you sleep better, so you get a more restful sleep.

Fresh Herbs in the Kitchen

Growing plants indoors has many benefits beyond having fresh herbs within reach.

Air Purification in the Main Living Space

The air quality around us dramatically impacts our overall health and how we feel daily. Indoor air quality is considerably lower than the air outdoors, especially when it isn’t mixed with fresh air. Adding houseplants to your space can significantly improve the air in your home.

Reduce noise distractions: Plants have the natural ability to absorb sounds, buffering some of the background noise that occurs in many homes and reducing distractions.
Boost creativity: Studies have shown approximately a 15% increase in creativity when people have natural elements like plants in their workspace.
Better memory retention: Stress and anxiety impact both short- and long-term memory. Memory retention improves up to 20% when research subjects are close to plants.
Increased ability to concentrate: There is a direct correlation between carbon dioxide levels and your brain’s ability to think clearly. When plants reduce the carbon dioxide in the air, you can focus better on your work for extended periods.

Improved Mental Focus in the Home Office

It can be challenging to achieve the same productivity working at home as you do in a typical office setting. Adding houseplants to your office space can help.

Filter toxins: NASA research has proven that plants play a pivotal role in improving air quality. They help reduce carbon dioxide and filter harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs) like benzene, carbon monoxide, ammonia, formaldehyde, and xylem out of the air.
Increase oxygen levels: During photosynthesis, plants use their leaves to absorb carbon dioxide from the air to create food. They then release oxygen that living organisms breathe.

How to Improve the Lifespan of Floral Arrangements

All good things must come to an end, and that includes your floral display. But that doesn’t mean you have to say goodbye before it’s time. There are steps you can take to promote the lifespan of cut flowers to make them last days, even weeks, longer than you would otherwise expect.

1. Clean the Vase

Long-lasting flowers start with clean storage space. Wash each vase with diluted bleach water before beginning to remove bacteria that could quickly turn the water scummy. A drop or two of chlorine bleach in the water can help keep it microbe-free.

2. Remove the Lowest Leaves

Leaves submerged in water will rot quickly, so it’s best to trim them before setting up the display. However, keep thorns intact on roses, as removing them creates wounds that leak sugar and provide an access point for bacteria.

Immediately before placing stems in water, cut off the bottom inch at a 45-degree angle. This maximizes the amount of water they can take in to help them stay as fresh as possible.

3. Choose Your Display Space Carefully

Where you put cut flowers will dramatically affect their lifespan. Ideally, you want them in a cool, dark place that’s away from drafts and direct sunlight. Keep them several feet from windows and out of direct contact with AC or heating vents.

4. Water Immediately and Frequently

Keep cut flowers in water as much as possible, both while you’re arranging them and immediately after they make it into the vase. Warm (but not hot!) water works best, as it encourages quicker intake up the stem.

Replace all the water in your vase every three days, or whenever it starts to look cloudy. You may want to reclean the vase at this point as well. If you’re using flower food, make sure you add some back into the fresh water.

Floral foam requires a slightly different treatment. Pour water over the foam every few days to keep it moist, or let it soak in a basin of water.

5. Keep the Stem Clean

When you’re changing out the water, inspect each stem and make a fresh diagonal cut an inch from the bottom. This ensures it can draw in plenty of water and keeps the stems looking their best.

6. Remove Wilted Flowers

Some flowers will start to show their age sooner than others. Remove wilting blooms as soon as you see them, as they will release a ripening hormone known as ethylene gas. This will speed up the life cycle for your other blooms and cause them to wilt just as quickly.

Note: Fresh fruit also produces ethylene gas and causes the same effect. Keep floral arrangements away from the kitchen (or at least fruit on the kitchen counter) to ensure it doesn’t get affected.

By following these six tips, you’ll get as much time with your cut flower display as possible. By the time it finally wilts, you’ll likely feel inspired to start designing a new one.

Design Elements for Flower Arrangements

Place a bunch of flowers in a vase, and they are almost guaranteed to look lovely. That’s because plants on their own are beautiful to look at. But is it art? If you want to elevate your arrangement to professional status, then it’s essential to follow these design elements.

Line

With floral arrangements, “line” is the visual path your eye follows along the design. They don’t need to be tall and straight — floral lines are often curving or zigzagging and may include a single stem or a variety bunched together. You want the line of the arrangement to link the spaces between two points to guide the eye over the design in pleasing ways. It helps the piece feel cohesive.

Color

Color is one of the most essential elements for setting the mood of your arrangement. It provides life and personality to each piece, and the right colors can make even poorly arranged flowers seem visually pleasing.

As you plan an arrangement, think through colors that work together within the bouquet and in the larger space. This will help the display look grounded and cohesive.

Form

Defined as the shape of the individual components within an arrangement, the forms within it need to combine in interesting ways to have a successful bouquet. You want them to look cohesive without being monotonous.

Flowers should stand out on their own while still appearing to be part of one or more prominent designs. It’s a tricky balance, but getting it right will elevate your arrangements to professional levels.

Space

Florists need to think through both positive and negative space within their designs. Oftentimes, the areas without materials can have just as much of a visual impact as the parts with plant material. Ikebana designs are a classic example of utilizing negative space.

Texture

Memorable floral arrangements will highlight textures that either contrast or complement each other. Think about the surface quality of each element. Rose petals offer a luxurious velvety texture, while zinnia and marigolds give off soft, fuzzy vibes. Adding some greenery will further boost the texture range.

Pattern

Defined as a repeated combination of line, form, color, texture, or other design elements, patterns can add a sense of intentionality to a floral arrangement.

Size

As the measurement of the amount of space an arrangement takes up, size is a design element that’s often an afterthought. However, the wrong scale between elements in a bouquet, or worse yet, the arrangement and the space where it’s displayed, will make it look out of place. You need to think through the size and proportions of each element to ensure everything is visually pleasing at a glance.

Fragrance

Finally, scent is an underrated element in floral design. Choosing blooms with powerful fragrances ensures the arrangement will impact two of the five senses and create a more powerful impression on those who experience it.

The 6 Flower Types for Floral Arrangements

Floral arrangements may differ from each other, but most are made from the same basic elements. Each type of flower or foliage falls into a specific category that serves a purpose within the arrangement. These categories include line, form, mass, focal, filler, and greenery.

Line Flowers

These tall, noticeable blooms are made up of single stems with many blossoms in a row. They add shape and a vertical element to the arrangement, and they tend to draw your eyes upward to create a flowing movement throughout the arrangement. Larkspur, snapdragons, and delphinium are all popular choices.

Form Flowers

Typically large, colorful, and visually distinctive, form flowers draw your eye to the arrangement and keep your attention. Irises, calla lilies, and orchids are all popular examples. Since they tend to be high impact, it’s best to follow a “less is more” approach to ensure they stay balanced with the other elements in the arrangement.

Mass Flowers

Big, bold, and beautiful, mass flowers add weight to the arrangement. Most are round and full-faced, with a single large bloom on the stem. In fact, these flowers have enough standalone impact that they are often used on their own. Popular choices include roses, sunflowers, lilies, tulips, carnations, zinnia, and many more.

Filler Flowers

As the name implies, filler flowers fill in the gaps in arrangements to keep them looking lush and finished. They tend to be small, with clusters of blooms on each stem, and add volume, texture, and color. Think of filler flowers as background characters that offset and enhance the flowers taking center stage. Some top choices include baby’s breath, Queen Anne’s lace, carnations, thistle, spray roses, and more.

Focal Flowers

Similar to mass and form flowers, focal flowers immediately draw your attention. They tend to be large and on a single stem. Most arrangements need only two to three types of focal flowers. Choose from traditional choices like mums, anemones, peonies, and dahlias.

Greenery

Using only flowers can make an arrangement feel uninspired. To add extra visual interest, consider adding some greenery. Not only will this plant material add a lushness to the bouquet, but it helps support the larger blossoms and gives the eye a calming place to rest, so you don’t become visually overwhelmed. You can add as much greenery to the arrangement as you want — in fact, some consist entirely of it.

Take time to appreciate the understated elegance of fresh foliage, and you won’t miss the flowers. Some classic choices include eucalyptus, dusty miller, myrtle, ivy, ferns, and more.

Where to Source Your Flowers

Determining where to source your flowers for homemade arrangements can be a challenge. Few people have a massive garden at their disposal for picking them fresh. That means you’ll need to make a plan for securing the blooms you need. Otherwise, you’ll find your arrangements are severely limited.

The good news is there are likely multiple options available to you for getting fresh flowers, no matter where you live. One or more of these strategies will surely be a winner to ensure you get what you need.

1. A Local Nursery

By far, the best place to get fresh flowers you aren’t growing yourself is from a local nursery. Not only will this save on shipping costs, but it ensures that every bloom is fresh and likely to withstand the rigors of setting up your flower arrangements.

Many nurseries will offer deals for regular or bulk orders, and you’ll likely be able to inspect all the merchandise before ordering to get exactly what you want.

2. Order Online

If you have a preference for exotic flowers or need specific varieties on a regular basis, then buying flowers online is the easiest option. Just note that you’ll pay a premium for rush shipping to ensure they arrive in decent shape, and even then, their lifespan will be limited.

3. Your Own Garden!

For the ultimate convenience, consider growing your own cut-flower garden filled with your favorite varieties. Starting a flower garden takes less space and effort than most people believe. With regular maintenance, you can guarantee you have a steady crop of flowers throughout the growing season.

We have an entire book dedicated to growing cut flowers. That’s an excellent resource for starting your personal garden. In the meantime, here are some main points to keep in mind:

Grow a mix of annuals and perennials to ensure there’s always something coming up.
Keep the beds well weeded to limit competition for nutrients.
Deadhead spent flower blossoms to keep plants blooming all summer.
Grow a variety of colors, textures, and sizes to maximize visual interest in your arrangements.

4. Grow Them Indoors or in a Greenhouse

If you have the space available, it’s possible to grow a few varieties of cut flowers indoors. Marigolds, geraniums, and African violets tend to respond well to indoor conditions, and they provide blooms for weeks at a time.

Make sure you keep them under plenty of light. South-facing windows work well for most varieties, but adding supplemental grow lights is always a good idea.

5. Consider Foraging

For those willing to get creative, the natural world offers ample inspiration for flower arrangements. In fact, some arrangement styles, like ikebana, rely on found objects for their free-form design and lack of rigid structure.

So get creative with what’s around you! Evergreen boughs, bare stems, wildflowers, and even weeds can add lots of visual complexity to your arrangements, and the materials are available for free.