My 11 Best and 6 Worst indoor plant list + some BONUS tips!
I’ve been growing my little urban jungle for well over 8 years now. Both metaphorically and literally speaking (gotta love a Dad humour right?) 🌿✨
So! I noticed people come to me for plant advice and thought I’d go over some of my favourite house plants. Given there is a wide range of indoor plants on the market. But! Not all of them are that great for your space. A lot comes down to light, water and humidity.
It’s not always your fault when your plant babies don’t make it. A lot of it is environmental things you can’t control that much. Because of this, I think its best I cover what I believe to be the best and worst indoor plants to grow in amongst your home to reduce this from happening.
Note - I'm based in Melbourne Australia. So A low humidity, coolish climate. So I’m going to be relating these points based on my current environment. If you’re in NSW double your humidity and heat levels tbh. Tropical plants are a lot easier to grow there as it relatively similar to that of the environment a lot of indoor plants originate from.
I believe humidity is a HUGE! factor when it comes to indoor plants, given most of them are inherently tropical. Also, some plants prefer a lot of airflow than others. So suit a balcony more than a room. We’ll get more into that with each plant.
I have covered the popular classics you already know with some bonus tips to learn more about them. Along with some plants you may have never heard of.
So let’s go!
11 BEST indoor plants;
#1 Pothos - Devils Ivy
These guys are great!
They’re super easy to grow, propagate and grow easily in low light and low humidity environments.
Also, they don’t like to be watered too much. The best way to know when to water them is to feel their leaves. When they’re firm and spring back out if you try and lightly fold them, then it's all good. When they start to feel rubbery and soft and fold easily. Water those bad boys!
And make sure the water runs through the pot they’re in and completely flushes out. No water leftover in the pot. The roots will become waterlogged and it’ll drown.
Make sure they’re watered, but not sitting in water.
When/ if they start to become Viney and not lush on top. Wrap one of the vines around the top in the soil. The aerial roots will take root in the soil and grow from there. Quick and easy fix. Also prune them back to encourage new growth and denser foliage.
You can propagate them in water or in soil super easily too. The little brown nodes near the leaves on the vine can grow roots. So just cut the leaves into single pieces with the brown piece attached and stick them in water and watch them grow! Then after about a month plant them in the soil.
#2 Ficus - Fiddle leaf fig
Great plant. Very popular.
However, temperamental! They don’t like to be moved around a lot so once they seem happy and growing in one spot. Seriously, don’t move them.
I like to move my other plants around a lot but I know that if I move a fiddle leaf I’m going to get leaves browning and falling off. Don’t overwater them either. No drowning!
Just wait for the soil to be dry and then water them.
Wipe the leaves if you have time and get rid of the dust. Or an easy method is to just chuck them in the shower and have the shower hose the leaves down.
if you want the plant to be dense, pinch the new buds that start to grow. Snap them off and it’ll make the plant push out new leaves rather than extend higher up. Depends on what style you like.
#3 Ficus Alii
I like this ficus. Really popular in the USA atm.
They can get them as big as fiddle leafs over there. But we’re yet to get them like that here.
They look like little gum trees. Spear like leaves in a dark rich green shade.
You can have them grow into small trees or be shrub like. See reference shot.
I have platted the small trunks together to create one thicker trunk and to make the stems grow together and grow out like a tree.
#4 Spathaphlyim - Peace lily - 3 varieties
There’s 3 types - The classic small shrubby type, the taller medium size and the banana leave larger style.
Great plant for beginners and to have in darker parts of your home.
don’t underestimate the beauty of these little guys. People who suck with indoor plants don’t want to have them, but in reality, they need them given their tolerance to cluelessness 😂
#5 Monstera Delicosa
Super easy to grow and maintain.
They cope with being over watered or under watered.
They adjust to you and their environment - thank god 😂
They’re super easy to propagate. They grow little brown nodes like the devil's ivy where you can cut just underneath it and put them in water and watch them grow roots and then pot in soil after a month or so.
I love to make numerous cuttings and have them in a vase of water. It's like a gorgeous living vase of green foliage.
#6 Peperomia
Easy temperament. Easy to water and they grow in well-lit areas.
They don’t like low light and winter cope.
So keep them in bright light. Like bright morning light that hurts your eyes but not like scorching orange afternoon sun.
#7 Xanadu
Prefer to be outside. They just don’t like still air.
They don’t like the be over-watered either.
So they’re temperamental. I love how they’re bushy and cute shaped leaves.
#8 Bird of paradise
Quick growers.
Like bright light. Need lots of water, fertiliser. - greedy little things.
The roots grow quite quickly so become root-bound. So transplanting into larger pots becomes a regular thing.
#9 English Ivy
Very different from the classic tropical nature of indoor plants.
This European weed like vine grows pretty well. It's hard to get it bushy though.
You have to prune it back a lot. It grows reasonably fast but takes a while to get it to a place where you want it to be.
Easy to look after. Look great in urns, hanging baskets.
#10 Philodendron erubescens
Super easy to look after. Looks great. Grows quickly.
Fast leaf turn over. I like them.
last forever and ever! Always look cute. Do well in low light areas. Great size for desks and side tables.
#11 Rubber plant.
Prefer to be outside. You can try and grow them inside near a large window but they like airflow.
They just like to be outside. So better on balconies.
They can handle direct sunlight and not being watered so that’s always a plus.
Given you’ll forget about them a lot of the time. They’ll hang in there.
6 Not so great indoor plants
#1 Umbrella tree
Prone to root rot. Overly sensitive.
They can handle low light but overall I just don’t like how they’re not built to last a long time.
#2 Calathea
I feel like all my friends love these plants. And they’re soooo sensitive!
Flimsy, easily overwatered. They just die!
They’re like a bouquet of flowers kind of plant. So if you want one for a month. Be my guest but after that, they’re a goner.
#3 Chinese Money Plant
Straggly after a while and prone to pests.
They look cute for a little white. A nice little bulbous plant.
They don’t like a lot of water. They grow scraggly.
And once they start to go downhill they take forever to get back into shape!
So.. Id give this one a miss tbh.
Their infamous trend ‘plant of the year’ status is over anyway so I would bother with them anymore.
#4 Philodendron Cordatum - Heart leaf
So slow at growing! Sooooo slow! Annoyingly slow.
They are easy to look after but they frustrate me how slow they are.
They most likely need highly humidity. Other people seem to have luck with them so maybe I got a dud but!
I don’t recommend it based off my personal experience.
#5 Philodendron - Hope plant
Super annoying - oh these guys just hate being indoors, low humidity, not too much water, but not enough water, they just are made in greenhouses to look amazing and just go downhill until you chuck them out into the garden and leave them alone and then go wild.
Just ditch the idea that they can grow well inside and in a pot.
#6 Maidenhair fern
Another bouquet kind of plant.
Will last a month or so and then have a very slow death that will make you feel bad whilst it happens.
Too much maintenance. Just don’t put yourself through it honestly.
EXTRA TIPS
WINTER WATERING -In Winter, the plants essentially go into hibernation. So water a lot less. Maybe every 18-20 days? depends on how long it takes for the soil to dry out. Mine take forever in winter and last thing I want is the plants to become water logged and the soil turns to mud and its just not good!
SUMMER WATERING -In Summer, try and water every 10-12 days. You want to stretch it past 7 days because the plants are more likely to push out some new growth within those 4 to 5 extra days of dryness. it gets them growing quicker.
FERTILISER - Use a fish emulsion liquid fertiliser every now and then on all your indoor plants. They love a good feed and will thank you for it by pushing out A LOT more growth. But keep a balance. Sometimes too much fertiliser can burn the leaves etc. So maybe every second water give them a feed. Stick to fertilising in Summer.
FLOWERING PLANTS - if you have flowering plants, use a high potassium liquid fertiliser along with the regular fish emulsion to get them flowering more.
SOIL MIX - I have noticed a drastic improvement by incorporating charcoal stones and a mix of cacti soil mix and regular potting mix. Essentially you need to allow there to be larger stone like grains so the water doesn’t sit in the pot. You want some soil to soak up the water, and some parts to just wash straight through it if that makes sense.
PRUNE YOUR PLANT - Cutting a plant back in spring allows them to grow out thicker and longer. If your plant is too long and viney. Cut it back. You have to in order for it be more dense. If you like it long then cut it back a little bit so its not AS straggly. It’s like a haircut. Cut off those dead ends.
PLANT NOT DOING SO WELL? - my top tip is to take it outside and put it on your porch or balcony. Somewhere in medium shade/part sun. Allow the plant to breathe and live in a climate its more use to (being outside not cramped up indoors)
That’s all for now!
Hope you found this helpful! I know indoor plants can be a task and a half. But not always. When you get the right plants for your light, humidity and space, you’ll be on the way to one gorgeous urban jungle :)
Until next time, check out some of my other posts below!