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Whether you’re new to plant parenthood or a seasoned pro with dozens of plant babies in your care, everyone can always use another easy houseplant in their family. There are plenty of staple easy houseplants (shout out to the pothos, snake plants and peace lilies of the world) so I want to take a moment to shine a light on some less common, not basic houseplants.
Let’s just start that there is no one-size-fits all guide when it comes to easy houseplants. What makes a plant easy for one person might make it high-maintenance for another. For example, if you are notorious for forgetting your green friends and never watering them, you shouldn’t get a plant that requires constantly moist soil.
For me, almost any houseplant is easy to care for once I do a little research into their light, soil and water needs. The only plants I seem to consistently kill are Echeverias and super high humidity plants like Calatheas and Alocasias. So with that, let’s discuss into these five green girls.
1. Euphorbia Lactea (aka Mottled Spurge)
When I first became a plant mom I was only into leafier more “jungle” plants. Overtime I started to broaden my horizons and secured myself a lovely trio of Euphorbia Lactea from Niche (my fave plant shop in Boston).
Despite what a lot of commoners think, it’s not a cactus. Euphorbias are their own genus that fall in the Shrub family of tropical plants. I love its arm-like branches and the unique patterns. There is also a “crested” version, which is even funkier looking (peep it here). My dream is to one day own a Euphorbia Lactea White (aka grey ghost). If you spot one, please alert me immediately.
One thing to watch out for on Euphorbias (in addition to the spikes along the stem) is the white sap that comes out when cut or damaged. It looks (and dries) like glue and can be very irritating to your skin. Simply wash it off thoroughly and you should be good.
Care Instructions:
- Light: Direct to bright indirect light for the entire day.
- Mine does well on in front of a southwestern window
- If you have a “ghost” or lighter version, don’t put in direct light as it could burn
- Water: Let dry thoroughly before watering deeply. They don’t like to stay dry as long as cacti.
- Pet Friendly: No
2. Scindapsus Pictus (aka Satin Pothos)
Despite the common name, Satin Pothos are not pothos at all. Scindapsus Pictus falls in the Scindapsus genus, which is under the same Araceae family as a pothos, but is a separate plant all together. While this plant isn’t wildly hard to find in the garden section of Home Depot or Lowes, it’s far less common than all the pothos varities.
I find the velvety, dark green leaves with silvery spots to be much more beautiful than a standard pothos. Scindapsus Pictus grow quickly and produce lovely vines, which make this great for high shelves or on the edge of tables/stands.
Care Instructions:
- Light: Medium to bright indirect light
- Mine does well in front of a northeastern window
- They can tolerate a wide range of light (as long as it’s not direct) but might lose some variegation in lower light settings
- Water: Water deeply once the first couple of inches of the soil dries out
- These plants don’t like to be kept in soggy soil
- They’ll “tell” you when they’re ready to be watered by starting to wilt or droop
- Pet Friendly: No
3. Tradescantia Zebrina (aka Wandering Jew)
In the wild, Tradescantia Zebrina is a ground-covering succulent. Indoors, it makes a lovely vining plant with uniquely variegated leaves. The green and purple color combinations are such a nice compliment to other plants.
Like the Scindapsus Pictus, Tradencantia Zebrina vine quickly and nicely. This makes them perfect for shelves, table edges and hanging planters.
Care Instructions:
- Light: Medium to bright indirect light
- Mine does well a few feet removed between a southwestern and northwestern window
- They can tolerate a wide range of light (as long as it’s not direct) but might lose some variegation in lower light settings
- Water: Water deeply once the first couple of inches of the soil begins to dry
- These plants prefer to be kept slightly moist, but don’t like to be kept in soggy soil
- They’ll “tell” you when they’re ready to be watered by starting to wilt or droop
- Pet Friendly: Yes
4. Guiana Chestnut (aka Money Tree)
I feel a bit self conscious about adding the Guiana Chestnut to this list as it’s become more popular in recent years, but alas. Here it is. I wanted to have a tree on this list for any of you who want a plant with a lot of height.
Guiana Chestnut comes in a variety of sizes, which means you get one to be a table plant or one to be a large floor plant. They often come as a set of 3-5 braided trunks, which makes them slightly different to look at than all of your vining or super bushy plants.
Care Instructions:
- Light: Medium to bright indirect light
- Mine does well a few feet removed between a southwestern and northwestern window
- Water: Water deeply once the first couple of inches of the soil begins to dry
- Pet Friendly: Yes
5. Peperomia Prostrata (aka String of Turtles)
Last but not least, Peperomia Prostrata. The cutest plant of the bunch (in my opinion), Peperomia Prostrata gets its common name from its leaves , which look like turtle shells. Can you get any more fun than that? I think not!
Fun fact, Peperomia Prostrata are super hard to photograph because their leaves are teeny tiny. But anywho. Mine has grown quite consistently over the past year, but it doesn’t grow too large too quickly. You can buy larger plants, but I like starting small and watching it grow over time.
Care Instructions:
- Light: Medium indirect light
- Too much direct light has burnt a few of my leaves, so I moved them a couple feet away from the window
- Water: Water deeply once completely dry
- Pet Friendly: Unclear, I couldn’t find any information on this.
So, all you plant moms and dads, there you have it. Five of my favorite easy care houseplants for a little green inspiration. If you have any recommendations, pass them along. I’m always on the lookout for new plant children.
