How to Choose a Houseplant

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A houseplant is any plant that can be grown in an ordinary room. Houseplants can be hardy or tender but well-adapted to withstand average house conditions—dry atmosphere, warm and sometimes uneven temperatures, and often inadequate light.

The best spot for a houseplant is a room that gets sunlight, and the best position is nearest the window, but there are a few houseplants that can grow in low light.

Houseplants do best in a pot that is well-drained set in a saucer that permits excess water to seep from the pot into the saucer rather than lying about the roots of the plant. As moisture evaporates from the saucer it helps create a moist atmosphere that most plants need.

Houseplant Success

Here are four things houseplants need to grow and thrive:

• Enough water. Houseplants usually need watering once a week. They need just enough water to wet the soil and seep a bit through the bottom drainage hole.
• Enough light. Light is needed for plants to metabolize water and nutrients. Bright to medium light is what most houseplants need; this is sunlight that comes through a window to several feet into a room. Houseplants need 12 to 16 hours of light and 8 to 12 hours of dark each day.
• Enough heat and humidity. The optimal temperature for most houseplants is 60 to 75°F (16 to 24°C) during the day and a temperature drop at night of 5 to 10°F (3 to 6°C)—lower temperatures and darkness at night allow houseplants to rest. Related to temperature is humidity. Houseplants are almost always tropical in origin; in addition to warmth, they want humid air—not dry air that flows from a heater or air-conditioning vent.
• Enough nutrients. Houseplants need nutrients but not a lot. They especially need feeding during their active growing and flowering season. At three- or four-week intervals they should receive liquid food, a complete fertilizer meaning a near even dose of nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium—10-10-10 for foliage plants, 10-15-10 for flowering plants.

How to purchase a houseplant

• Decide where the plant will grow. Decide if you want a flowering plant or a foliage plant. If you need more than one plant make a list of the number of flowering and foliage plants needed. Determine the size plant needed for each spot.
• Estimate the amount of light where the plant will grow. Is the spot bright, muted, or dark? Flowering plants require more light than foliage plants. If the spot for the plant is away from the window, you will need a plant that can tolerate low light.
• Shop where houseplants are featured. Shop at a garden center or nursery that makes houseplants a specialty, where there is a wide selection, and where sale associates can offer advice.
• Examine the plant carefully; does it look healthy? Is the color good? Does it have a pleasing shape? Is there new growth? Are the leaves free of damage and pests? Look over the selection of plants; if all of the plants look healthy that is a good sign they have been cared for. If some look wilted or stressed, exercise caution when you select your plant.
• Is the plant potbound?  Are roots growing through the drainage hole or over the edge of the pot? Choose a plant that is not potbound.
• Choose the size plant you want. If you need a large plant for the spot you have in mind, then select a large plant—and spend a little more money. Waiting for a plant to grow to the size you want can take months, even years.

Easy-to-grow houseplants

Common Name	Botanical Name
Aloe	Aloe spp.
Arrowhead vine	Syngonium podophyllum
Artillery plant	Picea microphylla
Asparagus fern	Asparagus densiflorus
Bamboo palm	Chamaedorea erumpens
Cape primrose	Streptocarpus
Chinese evergreen	Aglaonema commutatum
Devil’s ivy	Epipremnum
Dracena	Dracaena spp.
English ivy	Hedera helix
Ficus	Ficus spp.
Fishtail palm	Caryota mitis
Hoya, was plant	Hoya spp.
Japanese aralia	Fatsia
Lady palm	Rhapis excelsa
Living-vase plant	Aechmea
Old-man cactus	Cephalocereus senilis
Peperomia	Peperomia spp.
Philodendron	Philodendron spp.
Ponytail palm	Beaucarnea recurvata
Snake plant	Sansevieria trifasciata
Swedish ivy	Plectranthus australis
Sweet olive	Osmanthus fragrans
Umbrella plant	Schefflera
Wandering Jew	Tradescantia zebrina

Houseplants for very warm, sunny rooms

Common Name	Botanical Name
Bromeliads	varies
Cactus	varies
Crown-of-thorns	Euphorbia milii
Grape ivy	Cissus
Hoya; wax plant	Hoya spp.
Jade	Crassula argentea
Kalanchoe	Kalanchoe
Nerve plant	Fittonia
Ponytail palm	Beaucarnea

Houseplants for cool, sunny rooms

Common Name	Botanical Name
Artillery plant	Picea microphylla
Asparagus fern	Asparagus densiflorus
Cactus	varies
Christmas cactus	Schlumbergera
Clivia	Clivia miniata
English ivy	Hedera helix
Swedish ivy	Plectranthus australis

Houseplants for cool, moderate light rooms

Common Name	Botanical Name
Cactus	varies
Citrus	Citrus spp.
Japanese fatsia	Fatsia
Spider plant	Chlorophytum
Umbrella plant	Schefflera

Houseplants for low-light rooms

Common Name	Botanical Name
Cast-iron plant	Aspidistra
Chinese evergreen	Aglaonema
Dracaenas	Dracaena spp.
Fishtail palm	Caryota
Lady palm	Rhapis excelsa
Philodendron	Philodendron spp.
Snake plant	Sansevieria

Houseplants for steamy bathrooms

Common Name	Botanical Name
Cape primrose	Streptocarpus
Coleus	Coleus spp.
Croton	Codiaeum
Ferns	varies
Flamingo flower	Hypoestes
Hibiscus	Hibiscus rosa-sinensis

Houseplants that absorb indoor pollutants

Common Name	Botanical Name
Bamboo palm	Chamaedorea
Dracaena	Dracaena spp.
English ivy	Hedera helix
Peace lily	Spathiphyllum
Philodendron	Philodendron spp.
Pothos	Epipremnum
Snake plant	Sansevieria
Spider plant	Chlorophytum

Houseplants harmful to kids and pets

Common Name	Botanical Name
Caladium	Caladium
Clivia	Clivia
Croton	Codiaeum
Crown-of-thorn	Euphorbia milii
Dumb cane	Dieffenbachia
English ivy	Hedera helix
Ficus	Ficus spp.
Fishtail palm	Caryota
Flamingo flower	Hypoestes
Peace lily	Spathiphyllum
Philodendron	Philodendron
Pothos	Epipremnum
Swiss-cheese plant	Monstera friedrichsthalii