6 Houseplants That Are Perfect for Beginners
6 Houseplants That Are Perfect for Beginners [Updated for 2026]
Houseplants have taken over our homes, and honestly, I love to see it!
Every year, more people fall in love with greenery, and it’s so easy to understand why.
Houseplants instantly brighten a space, lift your mood, reduce stress, and can even boost your focus and productivity.
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With this surge in popularity, many new plant parents feel excited but unsure where to begin.
Choosing the right plants can feel overwhelming, especially when every home and lifestyle is different.
That’s where my guide to houseplants for beginners comes in!
Let’s explore six houseplants for beginners that are easy to care for, shall we?
The Perfect Houseplants for Beginners
Moth Orchid
A Moth Orchid plant, also known as Phalaenopsis, is one of my favourite house plants!
Not only is it a stunning plant to have on display, it’s also fairly easy to take care of Moth Orchids.
I mean, it must be since even I can keep it alive without help from my gran (who is a master gardener by the way).
The Moth Orchid blooms up to twice a year, sometimes for 4 months at a time.
This means you could have bloomage for up to 8 months out of the year or if you’re lucky you could have bloomage the full year round.
It’s low maintenance so there’s not much you could do wrong here.
These plants like to be potted in proprietary orchid compost which is available at most gardening centres and home improvement storer, or you can get it online – Orchid Potting Mix.
So it’s not hard to find.
They also prefer to be planted in clear pots as their roots are attracted to light.
Plus, this helps you when it comes to watering your plant to make sure that the compost is completely dry before you add any more water to your plant.
As these orchids are drawn to the light, you should keep them in a well lit room but not directly in the sunlight to avoid burning.
In the colder months like winter, make sure they are getting plenty of light, I find mines thrive on a west facing window.
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Money Tree Plant
If you are looking for a low maintenance plant but don’t fancy an orchid, then a Money tree plant is a great go to.
They are easy growing, don’t require direct sunlight and are said to bring good luck and wealth with it!
These plants can grow to around 6 feet and make lovely additions to the home with their beautiful green leaves.
Money tree plants tend to do well in bathrooms because they like the humidity and steamy environments.
Grans Top tip for looking after your Money tree
You can use a cotton ball to wipe down the leaves, my gran puts it under the tap and then squeezes out excess water, then wipes the leafs. However she has stated you can also do it with Neem Oil.
I remember we had one in our old house (our current bathroom isn’t big enough sadly) and we had it for years.
It was thriving and the leaves were always a beautiful deep shade of green.
This plant also likes deep watering, but not too frequently. It’s best to water it when the top 2 to 3 inches of soil are dry.
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Peace Lily
Peace Lilies, much like the Moth Orchid, have flowers that bloom and are a beautiful feature within the home.
It has rich green leaves and beautiful white flowers that make this an attractive plan for beginners.
This plant enjoys a humid environment and likes moist, well drained potted soil but is sensitive to its environment.
Fluctuating temperatures can affect it and it doesn’t like to be over-watered.
- Psst – I’d recommend this spray: GardenNova Proffesional Peace Lily Spray Fertilizer Mist for Home Gardening – it’s sooo good!
As Peace Lilies thrive on a forest floor, they enjoy dappled sunlight and consistent moisture.
So, when you are caring for your Peace Lily keep feeds consistent, your soil moist, don’t over water and use water that doesn’t have fluoride.
Filtered water seems to work best, and you should keep them away from cold rooms or rooms with a draft as they enjoy the tropical environment.
So I know this doesn’t sound like an easy to care for plant so far, but it is.
I’m currently keeping 2 alive, so if I can do it, anyone can!
Although it’s good for beginners, I would say it’s better for a beginner who has more time for keeping up with the routines.
Snake Plant
Snake plants make for great beginners plants as they are low maintenance, easy to care for and can withstand a lot!
With snake plants you will find that they like the light but are able to survive in low light if they have to.
They’re also a tough plant and are pretty hard to kill, so this makes them one of the best for beginners.
When caring for your snake plant, make sure that the compost is dry before you water them again.
Much like the Moth Orchid, they don’t do well with over watering and almost do better if you sort of forget about them, at least that’s my experience.
When watering, try to avoid the leaves and go straight to the compost.
And if you can, choose a free draining soil mix, a succulent and cactus one works well as it prevents it from being waterlogged.
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Succulents
Succulent plants are great for people like myself who are terrible for forgetting to water their plants.
For me, a succulent has to be my favourite because they are extremely low maintenance, don’t require much feeding and do well when left alone.
When caring for a succulent it’s best to make sure that they have well drained soil so that it doesn’t stay moist and they need to be placed in a bright spot.
Succulents can do well in direct sunlight if it’s not a baby plant.
It’s also best to rotate your plant often so that it can absorb the sun from different angles and can end up leaning toward the sun. So, rotating can help keep it standing straight.
Also, you should water the soil directly and make sure the soil is completely dry before watering again.
Spider Plant
Spider plants are one of the easiest plants to keep.
It’s a great starter plant for those who are looking to try their hand at looking after house plants because they are extremely low maintenance and can grow their “offspring” on their own.
This means you can gain other plants to display without having to go out and buy more.
These plants tend to grow better in hanging planters as their leaves grow out and down, creating the spider leg effect that gives it its name.
Grans Top tip for looking after your Spider Plant
When they start growing their offspring, it’s best to cut them off and repot them. This way they will grow into a whole new plant you can display.
You don’t need direct sunlight for it either and it can perform well when on a shelf or on a table.
They are also adaptable to their environment meaning you can put them in almost any room and they will still grow.
You just have to water them to keep the soil moist and if it’s dry, it’s time for a feed and they do need some light so keep them somewhere that isn’t completely devoid of light.
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Final Thoughts on Houseplants for Beginners
I absolutely love these 6 houseplants and have experience with each of them, which is why I chose them to feature.
Because if it can keep them alive, I’m pretty sure anyone can!
What plant will you get first?
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Thanks for sharing, I have had issues with houseplants over the years as they don't like the cold and have died due it been to cold or over watering or not watering at all, great tips 🙂
Nic
Looking after plants is my newest and most fun hobby, I have a few cactus and some herbs which are great for cooking, going to be getting myself a snake plant next they look so cool! xoxo
Great recommendations! I got a succulent from IKEA awhile back and part of it managed to die, I have no idea why – I'm guessing I overwatered it for the first few weeks I had it. Love your ideas, will definitely look into more plants as I want to have more on my balcony 😊 <
I had houseplants before, but since lockdown my collection has grown (no pun intended) drastically. Another easy one I would suggest is Aloe. A friend gave me one of hers about two years ago, and it just keeps growing. It doesn't seem to care if I over water it, underwater it, where it is and I tend to re-pot it in whatever potting mix I happen to have. I just doesn't seem to care what I do to it, and it's constantly making new babies for me!
Em x
I've got spider plant, snake plant and peace lily in my room. Waiting for my peace lily to bloom!🙂
Oh my god I love the look of your blog! I just had to say that. I also want to say that my peace lily is not doing so well. I didn’t know they liked humid environments and my apartment is rather dry (as most apartments are) and it’s really suffering this winter. The leaves are just slowly drying up. I don’t know what to do for it. Any advice?
Ah, I wish I was green fingered, I do like a succulent and orchids, keeping the orchid alive is downfall 😂
I have a house full of money trees, all offshoots of one original. Mine don’t look like your picture though, they’re succulents. So easy to grow and gift.
Lovely post and VERY accurate, I have all of these plants apart from the Orchid which I killed 😢
Maria x | themarize.com
I am terrible at keeping my plants alive – I’ve found my snake pant to be the easiest to look after, as you say!
Thanks for the tips 🙂
I think this summer, I will try my hand at gardening. Money tree plant seems a good idea to me. Thanks for sharing. 😊🌱