10 best indoor plants for beginners
Want a greener home but worried you'll kill everything? Start with plants that practically look after themselves. These ten houseplants are famously hard to kill. They forgive missed waterings, cope with imperfect light, and still look fantastic.
Short answer: if you want one plant that is genuinely hard to kill, buy a snake plant or a ZZ plant. Both cope with low light, dry air and weeks without water. And the thing most likely to kill a beginner's houseplant is not neglect, it is overwatering.
1. Snake plant (Sansevieria)
Almost indestructible. It tolerates low light, dry air and weeks without water. In fact, overwatering is the only real way to harm it. Its tall, architectural leaves suit any room. The ultimate beginner plant.
2. Pothos (Devil's ivy)
A trailing vine that grows happily in bright or low light and tells you clearly when it's thirsty (the leaves droop, then perk back up after a drink). Brilliant on a shelf or hung up to trail.
3. ZZ plant (Zamioculcas)
Glossy, deep-green leaves and a cast-iron constitution. The ZZ stores water in its roots, so it shrugs off neglect and dim corners alike. Water only when the soil is fully dry.
4. Spider plant
Fast-growing, cheerful, and it produces baby "spiderettes" you can pot up into new plants for free. Happy in most light and very forgiving. Safe around pets, too.
5. Peace lily
One of the few easy plants that flowers indoors. It even droops dramatically when thirsty and bounces back within hours of watering, so it tells you exactly what it needs. Tolerates lower light.
6. Aloe vera
A handy succulent that wants a sunny spot and very little water. Bonus: the gel inside its leaves soothes minor burns. Let it dry out fully between drinks.
7. Rubber plant (Ficus elastica)
Big, glossy leaves and an easy-going nature make this a great first "statement" plant. Give it bright, indirect light and water when the top of the soil dries.
8. Heartleaf philodendron
Another trailing favourite: lush, quick-growing and very tolerant of low light and inconsistent watering. Almost impossible to discourage.
9. Chinese evergreen (Aglaonema)
Patterned leaves in greens, silvers and even pinks, and it's perfectly happy in shade. One of the most forgiving plants for darker rooms.
10. Cast iron plant (Aspidistra)
Named for its toughness. It survives deep shade, draughts, irregular watering and general neglect: the plant for the forgetful or the truly dim corner.
The one rule that keeps beginners' plants alive
Notice a theme above? Nearly all these plants prefer to be under-watered rather than over-watered. The most common way beginners lose a houseplant is drowning it with kindness. Always check the soil first. If the top few centimetres are still damp, wait. Our guide to watering shows you exactly how.
Beginner houseplant questions
What is the easiest indoor plant for a complete beginner?
The snake plant. It tolerates low light, dry air and weeks without water, and the only reliable way to harm it is to water it too often. If you have killed houseplants before, start here.
What are the best indoor plants for a low-light room?
The ZZ plant, cast iron plant, Chinese evergreen and pothos all cope with genuinely dim corners. Low light does slow their growth, so expect them to stay much the same size rather than fill out, and water less often, because compost in a dark room stays wet far longer.
Which indoor plants are safe for cats and dogs?
Spider plants, calatheas and parlour palms are the safe picks on this list. Snake plants, pothos, peace lilies and aloe can all be toxic if chewed, so keep those out of reach or skip them entirely if your pet is a nibbler.
How often should I water indoor plants?
Not on a schedule. Plants drink according to light, warmth, pot size and season, so a fixed weekly routine will overwater them in winter and underwater them in summer. Push a finger into the compost instead and water when the top 2-3cm is dry.
Why do my houseplants keep dying?
Almost always overwatering. Soggy compost starves the roots of oxygen and they rot, which looks confusingly like thirst: the plant droops, so people water it again. Check the soil before every drink and the majority of beginner losses disappear.
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