Whether you want something tall, medium sized, big leafed, small leafed, sharp leafed, air-purifying or to create a bit of a ‘wow’ statement… we have you covered. The only problem you might encounter is deciding which one or several of these fantastic house plants to buy for your home.
Fiddle Leaf Fig
Whether you want something tall, medium sized, big leafed, small leafed, sharp leafed, air-purifying or to create a bit of a ‘wow’ statement… we have you covered. The only problem you might encounter is deciding which one or several of these fantastic house plants to buy for your home.
Snake Plant
The Snake Plant is great for the beginner, or those who want easy maintenance. It’s a phenomenally forgiving plant, actually in a reasonable context it’s nigh on indestructible. This is down to their adaptability to a vast array of growing conditions because they are succulents, which means they store water in their leaves, and this in turn contributes significantly to what makes them resilient to neglect. They are also very shade tolerant. Furthermore, Snake Plants grow upwards which makes them particularly good for smaller spaces. They are a great choice for any home.
Rubber Plant
Despite the name, this plant is real. It is so named because its sap can be used to make rubber. It’s also quite retro as it has been popular since Victorian times, but there are newer varieties around now too. The rubber plant is recognised by its large, oval-shaped, glossy looking leaves. It is very low-maintenance, and as it filters airborne toxins is one of the best air-purifying indoor plants you can have. The typical height can be up to two metres. While vertical growing, it can get a bit unkempt and scraggly over time so will benefit from some light pruning occasionally. Note: wear gloves because the sap is very sticky.
Lemon and Lime Draceana
The Lemon and Lime Dracaena is one of the more statement creating indoor plants on our list. The lovely yellow and green striped leaves are perfect for drawing the eye and adding character, but if that doesn’t do it then its size surely will: they can grow past 1.5m tall. Do not let the height put you off though, as it’s quite a neat plant in the sense that the leaves grow off a very thick and sturdy stem in what looks like an elegantly arranged rosette. It needs a moderate level of light and is a beautiful way to brighten up any room in your home.
Kentia Palm
The Kentia Palm plant, with its slender divided leaves that fan outwards are perfect for adding an elegant touch of the exotic to any space. The Kentia Palm is slow growing too and will take a little bit of extra care and attention over time from you, but the positive is that you’ll be rewarded with a beautifully sculpturesque plant that makes for a real statement in any room. When we say a little extra care and attention, we mean it. This pretty plant is still relatively low maintenance and can tolerate shady conditions, drier air, and a little bit of neglect.
Yucca Elephantipes
Now here’s one that wants a lot of sunlight. Yucca’s are desert plants, so it needs it. Yucca’s are characterised by their thick trunk-like stems, and long, angular, immaculate, sword-like leaves that grow in a kind of rosette and arch upwards. Because they come from the desert, they are particularly efficient at storing water, so it only needs watering now and again. A Yucca or two would add extra impact to a well-lit room or conservatory.
Olive Tree
If you’ve seen a real olive tree, you’ll know they are pretty unsuitable for indoors. However, thanks to the cultivation of dwarf varieties, even indoor gardeners can enjoy raising this attractive plant. The lovely dwarf olive tree has a rounded head of small, delicate looking leaves. It grows to be about two metres tall and will produce olives even while growing to its full height. Perfect if you want to add a sense of the Mediterranean around your home. It’s quite tolerant of hot conditions and likes full sun. It will need more regular watering than many of the other large indoor plants on our list.
Calamondin Orange Tree
Wouldn’t it be cool, and quite an interesting focal point in your home, to grow your own fruit? Well, we can happily tell you that you can! The Calamondin Orange Tree can survive inside your home, produce small oranges, and produce a lovely citrusy scent. The fruit can be quite tart and can even replace a lemon in recipes. It has lovely glossy green foliage and makes for an overall pretty addition to any space. Keep this one in full sun, it loves it, and the more sun it gets the more fruit and foliage it will produce.
Money Tree
Not to be confused with the Jade ‘Money’ Plant, the charming Money Tree (Pachira Aquatica) has a central trunk of stems that braid together reaching the top where it forms five lobed leaves. This braid characteristic is said to lock in the good fortune the tree brings, indeed, according to the Chinese Feng Shui the Money Tree creates positive chi and brings prosperity and good luck. The stems at the top of the plant can be fragile so it might be best placed in an area it won’t accidentally be damaged. It’s quite a fast-growing plant, likes a bright room, and generally does very well indoors. Oh, and it’s great for air-purification too.
Jade Plant
Jade Plants are attractive plants, almost like a bonsai tree in the way it grows with its miniature trunk and branches. It’s a succulent too, which means it retains a lot of water in its leaves. That means you don’t have to spray or water it too often. Also known as the ‘money plant’ as according to the Chinese Feng Shui it brings good luck, wealth, prosperity, and good fortune. How about that? A welcome addition and nice talking point for any room. It’s leaves are quite juicy and thick, oval-shaped, and often a deep jade green colour, sometimes with hints of reds at the leaf edges. Easy to care for and just need to be in a bright room. It can reach over two metres, but it grows very slowly so it will take years for that to happen.
Parlour Palm
Another Palm for the list, and that’s because they are just so popular! The Parlour Palm is a great indoor plant. It has all the elegant, tropical characteristics of a palm, with its densely packed, bright green leaves and slender stems, and great air-purifying qualities, better still it is very, very, easy to care for, possibly one of the easiest. If low maintenance is a significant requirement for you of any large indoor plant, then you will not go wrong here. It’s fairly shade tolerant but bright, indirect light will encourage more growth and even some small yellow-ish flowers to bloom.
Umbrella Plant
A well-known house plant with great dark-green and gold colours on its leaves. The leaves are arranged around the stem in an umbrella-like shape, which leads to its common name. The number of leaves increases as the plant ages giving it a fuller look. It has great air-purification qualities so it would be perfect for a stuffy room. Just make sure it gets plenty of bright but indirect sunlight though. Umbrella Plants are quite resilient, if they have been neglected for a while and the leaves begin to fall off it can recover well with care.
