The Best Plants for Right Now
Whether you’re in quarantine or just having trouble deciding how to start your plant collection, these soothing houseplants will make you feel great right now.
Being around and taking care of plants can be deeply relaxing and soul-affirming. I love looking around my home (or in the homes and businesses of my clients) and seeing them sitting cheerfully in the windows, pruning off their dead leaves, and soaking the soil with water and fertilizer. I know I’ve provided something for my quiet companions, and it makes me feel good.
The meditative act of cleaning their leaves is something that is helping to distract me from our current socially distant world. As someone who’s prone to anxiety, I’m so grateful to have the outlet of taking care of my plants.
The plants in this list are maybe not going to be quite what you expect. I’ve sourced plants that are not only relatively easy to care for, but which can help foster some of these feelings of relaxation.
Whether you’re completely new to plants or a seasoned pro, this list is for you! I’m eager to hear about what works for you, why you love plants, and what you think of the below. Comment on this article or reach out on social to let me know!
I’ve broken them down into three categories:
Easygoing - easy care plants that will let you make a lot of mistakes and still feel great about your plant parenting
Giving - air purifying plants, and ones with leaves that are fun (??) to clean, so you can enjoy being up close and personal with your green babies
Splashy - plants that make a big visual impact in your space. I dare you to stop staring. You’ll feel proud to have these in your collection!
ALOE VERA
Easygoing, Giving
We don’t have any succulents on this list, so I wanted to make sure to include the succulent that does the most for you around the house. Not only do aloes clean your air, you can break off a stem and use the sap inside to heal burns and cuts. The habit of aloe vera is strappy and spreading, and they can add some drama to your space while staying relatively small.
Light: They really need direct, bright light from a south- or east-facing window
Water: Keep soil slightly moist. In winter it’s ok to let the soil surface become dry before watering again.
Other: These will produce pups when they’re happy, which you can use to make new plants!
Image: Planting Man
LADY PALM
Giving, Splashy
I love lady palms!!!! I feel like these are super underrated or maybe they’re about to hit the big time, but these are one of my favorite houseplants. Check out these stats:
tall and elegant like a Fiddleleaf Fig yet low maintenance (ideal!)
thrilled to live indoors in varying light and temperature conditions
tolerant of human mistakes
versatile - they match any style!
Their biggest drawback is that they tend to be more expensive than other houseplants, but you get so much out of them, it’s worth it.
Light: Indirect morning light is best. Otherwise, set it back from a bright window and use a sheer curtain.
Water: Deep soak the soil and then let the surface become dry before deep soaking again.
To deep soak: submerge the pot in a tub of water until no more bubbles come to the surface. Allow to drain. OR, using a deep saucer or tub with 4 or 5 inches of water inside, let the plant soak up water until the TOP of the soil feels damp to the touch. You may have to add more water until this happens. Allow to drain.
Other: Lady palms purify your air! Their wide leaves are also easy to wipe down.
MONSTERA
Giving, Splashy
The plant king of the jungle, Monsteras are stunning, dramatic, and fun to care for. The larger ones can be trained up poles or across shelves, and the smaller ones come in an array of interesting leaf shapes and sizes. My personal plant goal is to get a whole bunch of these suckers and put them all over my house - you should do the same. Warning: Highly Addictive Plants!
Light: Medium to bright light. They love a bright room best.
Water: Water only when the top of the soil is dry.
Other: The huge leaves on some Monstera varieties are a dream to clean, and their high gloss finish will have you staring and admiring for weeks to come. Not to mention, the cut leaves look great in a vase.
PHILODENDRON SELLOUM
Splashy
There are a million gorgeous Philodendrons available out there, and any of them will add some serious jungle vibes to your space. This one is a favorite of mine because it’s easy to find, easy to care for, and has huge, gorgeous leaves with rippled edges. It makes new leaves all the time, and there’s nothing as rewarding as seeing a new leaf coming out!
Light: Medium light - it’ll be happy in any bright room of your home of office. A little more tolerant of brighter light than shade. In darker spaces it can get more sparse - we want this thing full and going crazy so give it some sun!
Water: Let the soil surface dry before watering again.
Other: I only classified this one as a splashy plant, but it actually fits the other two categories as well. It’s pretty straightforward to care for. The large leaves are satisfying and easy to clean, and they look great cut in a vase on your kitchen table or desk.
Image: Planterina
PONYTAIL PALM
Easygoing, Giving
I love buying these in little tiny 3” or 4” pots because they’re so ADORABLE, but they’re really dramatic in a large size - think 12”+ pot! These can go quite a while between waterings - woo hoo! They have a great form that is unlike any other plant. These are wonderful as houseplants because they don’t like humidity - most homes are on the dry side.
Light: Bright, bright, bright light! They’re adaptable to slightly less light but don’t like shade.
Water: Less is more! When the top of the soil is dry, wait another few days to a week to water. In winter, water even less.
Other: These do really well when they get cleaned. Bonus for you, the curly, strappy leaves are really fun to run your fingers through. Wipe down the leaves with a damp cloth when they start to get dusty. It’s easy and satisfying.
POTHOS (DEVIL’S IVY)
Easygoing, Splashy
Easy to find but available in a zillion colors and patterns, these are one of my favorite choices to add low-maintenance drama to my designs. They do great in a pot on a table, and are spectacular trailing out of a hanging basket or window box.
Light: Medium to bright. Tolerant of dimmer light but may not get super full.
Water: Tolerant of being a little dry. Water when top of soil is dry.
Other: Easy to propagate from cuttings! Allow this plant to drape and hang from a high shelf - you’ll be glad you did!
SNAKE PLANT
Easygoing, Splashy
These are SO low maintenance, they always look great, and they add some serious flair. They’re available in lots of size and color variations and are easy to find in local stores and online.
Light: Bright, indirect light is best, but they’re tolerant of nearly any lighting conditions
Water: Keep soil evenly moist. Tolerant of drying out, but don’t let them get bone dry. They hate being very wet.
Other: When they begin to pack their pot you can easily divide them into multiple clumps and replant! It’s also possible to root leaves from cuttings.
SPIDER PLANT
Giving
A classic for a reason, spider plants are a gateway drug for a lot of people into true plant obsession. They do well in nearly any indoor situation, either in a pot or as a hanging plant. Their grassy, variegated foliage adds a pop of sass to a corner, and their endless supply of pups means you can practice propagating to your heart’s delight.
Light: Bright to medium light
Water: In warm weather, keep soil evenly moist - do not alloy to dry out. In cooler weather, let soil surface dry before watering.
Watering is the trickiest part of growing these. They are generally very tolerant of over- and under-watering. If you see brown leaf tips, trim them off and switch to filtered or spring water to avoid this in the future.
Other: Raise those pups!!! Go crazy experimenting with different light, water and soil conditions, sprout their roots in glasses of water, and fill your whole house with spider plants. Bonus: Friends love spider plant gifts! They are also awesome air purifiers, so the more the merrier!!
Image: Ansel and Ivy
ZZ PLANT
Easygoing
Just get one already!! If you have one get a few more. Seriously. These plants are tanks. The only thing you can do to kill them is give them too much water or I guess completely ignore them for like a year. They look great anywhere, with a spreading habit and fern- or palm-like leaves that feel kind of like a succulent when you touch them.
CASE STUDY: My cousin had one in her office with NO WINDOWS. She told me she hadn’t remembered to water it in a month or two, but that it was just as healthy and happy as the day she got it.
Guys. While I wouldn’t recommend this be your care routine (eventually even your ZZ will die in these conditions), this is a truly low maintenance plant.
Light: Prefers bright, indirect light, but will tolerate darker areas.
Water: Allow the soil surface to dry between waterings.
Other: When these get really thick and full, their dark green foliage looks awesome anywhere. You can buy them in little baby sizes all the way up to 14” floor plant size.
Whew!!!
What do you think??
Do you have or have you ever had one of these plants?
What about plant care makes you happy? I’d love to hear about it!
And please keep me posted if you decide to adopt one of these beauties! I’m available for free any time on our Wild Violet Hotline, or book a Plant Chat with me and we’ll talk about ALL of your plants! Click the links for details.
In the meantime, please stay safe and sane and well. Can’t wait to see you all out in public soon!
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