Plant Picks: My Favorite Plants For Beginners

Hi Everyone!

Alrighty friends…lets talk plants!  I’ve received tons and tons of messages and requests asking to write a post on plant care and I’m here to day to deliver.  If you follow me on IG then you’ve likely already seen this information, but it doesnt hurt to have it here in a super accessible place as well.  This one is for all you folks who really want to bring home your first plant baby, but you’re terrified you’ll kill it.  Or maybe you already have a few plants and want to add to your collection.  Or maybe you’ve not had much success with keeping plants alive in the past, but the way your determination is set up…you won’t rest til you crack the code.  Whatever your reason for being here, I got you boo!

As most of you know, I love plants.  They are one of the things that make our home so special to me.  Im really fortunate to say I have a green thumb, but my love for plants was not always the case.  We had lots of plants around when I was growing up and when I ventured out on my own I wanted nothing to do with them.  My mother tried for YEARS to get me to bring plants into my home and I never would.  Until one day I did, and that was the beginning of my love affair with them. I’ve enjoyed adding to my plant family ever since….and I truly treat them like family. They all have names and they get plenty of individual attention like my actual human babies.

So this post is going to be my picks for the best plants for beginners or the plant fearful.  These are all INCREDIBLY easy to care for so, yes, EVEN YOU can not only keep it alive, but get it to thrive. A few of them even like a little abuse or neglect!  There will also be some that are small space super stars and are great options for an empty corner or whose size will work for those short on square footage.

1: THE SNAKE PLANT aka MOTHER IN LAW’S TONGUE

This guy is one of the absolute BEST plants for beginners. Its super hardy, doesn’t require alot of attention, can handle low light situations like a boss, and is great for small spaces. You want to water a snake plant sporatically as needed.  It doesn’t need a lot so be careful not to overwater. This is a plant that keeps on giving as they are easy to propogate, and they put off baby stems that can be split from the mother and replanted to make more plants. This is Snape, he’s a new addition to the family and he will live on my bookshelf in a low-lit corner.

2: PEPEROMIA

This is Pepa my peperomia. This is another really great plant for beginners.  Peperomia come in lots of varities (Im holding out for a watermelon peperomia) and are very easy to care for.  They need nice indirect light and water when the soil feels dry. I wouldn’t put it in a dark corner, but it also doesnt need to be directly in front of a window.  This one sits on top of my refrigerator.

3: POTHOS

This is Priscilla!  The pothos is hands down the easiest plant of all, in my opinion. They are literally indistructible. It can handle a dark corner, a bright room, humidity, dry air, seriously its a rock star.  I also love the pothos for a small space becuase they are perfect for hanging planters, which means it doesnt have to take up surface or floor area.  The pothos is a vine and it can be so striking trailing down a wall or across a bookcase.  I’ve seen these plants literally come back from death!  If you forget about it and the leaves get sad and droopy and the soil is rock hard, just put it in the sink or shower and give it a good deep watering.  Within an hour you will see the leaves perk up again! I have two of them.

The pothos is also incredibly easy to propogate.  Just take a cliping and stick it in water and within a few weeks it will root.  Just plant that and you’ve got another plant.

4: RUBBER TREE/RUBBER PLANT

Say hello to Ruby!  I absolutely love a rubber tree plant guys.  I adore the deep showy leaves and the red colored stems.  The rubber tree is a great option for beginners because its also really easy to care for.  Give it a nice bright (but not blaring bright) spot and water every two weeks or so and its good to go. The rubber tree can get really tall so I wouldnt say its super great for tiny spaces, but if you have a little area of floor space in a corner near a window this would be a great option to pop in it. The rubber tree plant is also IDEAL for a covered porch or patio.  If you live in a temperate climate they can thrive outdoors year round.  I have Ruby on our porch and she’s loving it! I’ll bring her in in winter because we get frost at night, but then she will go right back outside in spring.

5: ZZ PLANT

Meet Ziggy!  Ziggy is the man, yall!  The ZZ plant is literally RIDE OR DIE.  You can straight up ignore the hell out of it and its still gonna love you.  Its also really great in low light. I MAY water him once a month or so, if that.  If  you are someone who is super busy, travels often, or are on the go a lot but want to have something living in your home the ZZ is your plant! Its the perfect starter plant.

6: DIEFFENBACHIA /TROPIC SNOW/DUMB CANE

This is my sweet Diggy.  Diggy is in recovery right now, because I accidentally had a little mishap.  I dont wanna talk about it.  Just know that this plant is a survivor, which is why it makes my list of great starter plants.  Keep it watered. Give it decent light. That is all.

7. SPLIT LEAF PHILODENDRON/MONSTERA

This is my Martha girl.  She’s named after my grammy.  I just love this plant guys.  This is one of those plants that LOOKS waaaaay harder to care for than it actually is.  This plant will give you confidence!  People will be like “omg what a gorgeous showy plant, you must be a plant genius!” and secretly you can be like “little do they know!”.

Dont be intimidated by this plant friends  Its very very easy.  This tropical beauty likes water so keep the soil moist (not sopping wet) and give it light.  Surprisingly, this plant does well in low light as well so you dont have to have a ton of light to keep it happy.  I would mist it occassionally too just go up the humidity with it.  This plant gets big, so I wouldnt say this is the best option for a small space, but you can certainly make it work.  I love this guy in a bathroom too.  If you have a window so it can get some light it will thrive in a bathroom.  Your hot showers will provide welcome moisture for it.

And last, but certainly not least Im gonna throw in a bonus plant here:

8: FIDDLE LEAF FIG

This is Fiona.  She is my absolute pride and joy.  She was my very first plant baby and thats why Im putting her on this list.  I mean, aside from the fact that she would be pissed if I didnt include her.  But seriously.  Alot of people are scared to death of the fiddle, and with good cause.  They are notoriously finicky. BUT, they are actually really really easy once you understand its needs.  People always ask me how Ive been able to keep her alive and healthy. Heres how..

The number one killer of the fiddle is OVERWATERING.  People tend to really love these plants to death….literally. They dont like as much water as people feel the need to give them.  I water Fiona maybe every two weeks, depending on the time of year. The best way to determine when a fiddle needs water is to stick your finger in the soil. If the first inch deep is dry it needs water.  If its damp or moist, wait a few days and check again.  Also the fact that this plant goes into dormancy for part of the year really throws people for a loop too.  They assume because its just chilling and not putting out new leaves that its dead.  NOPE.  Its dormant.  Let it be. Continue to water it as usual. Typically it needs less water when its dormant.  The other key to a healthy growing fiddle is feeding it.  I feed Fiona every other watering when shes not in dormancy.  Once it goes dormant, stop feeding until its next growing season. My fiddle  sits in a north facing window and she LOVES the bright indirect light.

I genuinely believe anyone can keep a fiddle alive and thriving.  But you have to be patient and not too helicopter plant mom/dad with it.  Ive had Fiona for over 6 years and she was tiny when I got her.  About 6 months after I brought her home she got a weird disease and lost all her leaves. I didnt give up, and neither should you. She’s now touching the ceiling and just received her second major pruning in years. Shes happy and Im happy!

Ok, so there you have it friends.  Those are my picks for great plants for beginners, or experienced plant parents alike. Another thing to remember is to give yourself grace and patience.  Just like with human babies, you’ll learn as you go and you won’t always get it right.  Also wipe down the leaves of your plants every once in a while.  You’d be surprised how much dust they can collect.  Keeping the leaves clean allows for maximum light absorbancy, which leads to healthy plants.

Now, my design bestie, Carmeon is talking plants from her perspective today too!  She has lots of beautiful plants including this GORGEOUS lady, Jungle Queen:

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Yall trust me when I tell you this plant is MASSIVE.  It stands taller than me.  I was in awe when I saw it in person during my visit to Memphis in January!  Head over to her blog to meet her other plant babies and hear how she cares for them.

Until next time friends….

*For more plant tips and tricks you can check out my highlights on IG titled “plants”. I share lots of video there.

 

Posted By: Shavonda Gardner · In: interiors, thecottagebungalow