Houseplants enrich our lives by bringing the beauty of nature into our living spaces. They brighten up our homes, improve air quality, and help reduce stress and anxiety.
But with so many indoor plants available, we’re often spoilt for choice. To help you select your next houseplant, we’ve been researching plants that can thrive indoors with minimal maintenance.
Here are our top three houseplant picks, along with some ideas for indoor gardening if you have a conservatory.
Houseplant #1: Spider plant
The spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum) is popular with indoor gardeners because it’s low maintenance and can spruce up any room that gets some – but not too much – sunlight.
A potent air purifier, the spider plant helps eliminate smells and fumes from rooms, which makes it a particularly good choice in kitchens.
Native to coastal South Africa, spider plants can flourish under a variety of conditions and grow to 12 inches tall or more.
They produce narrow, strappy leaves from a central point. The foliage may be solid green or have white or yellow stripes. Small white star-shaped flowers grow at the ends of its stems.
Caring for your spider plant
Indirect sunlight is best for spider plants. Too much sun will cause the attractive white streaks on the leaves to fade. Too little sun, and the leaves will wither and turn yellow. Water your plant once a week.
Houseplant #2: Madagascar dragon tree
Another timeless indoor plant classic, the Madagascar dragon tree (Dracaena marginata) can be seen in many living rooms across the UK. And with good reason.
Like the spider plant, the Madagascar dragon tree is one of the easiest plants to grow and maintain indoors. It’s also a good natural air purifier.
The Madagascar dragon tree is an exotic evergreen shrub. Its dark green sword-like leaves are edged with a reddish tint, and they form a striking canopy over elegant woody stems of varying sizes.
With a similar look to palm tree plants, the dragon tree is ideal for creating a focal point and a sense of the outdoors in tight living room spaces.
The plant looks impressive from the time it’s about 12 inches high, and can eventually grow to over five feet tall.
Caring for your Madagascar dragon tree
The Madagascar dragon tree requires little maintenance. It likes some shade – direct sunlight can damage its foliage. Avoid overwatering – just keep the soil slightly moist – and water less during winter.
Houseplant #3: Prickly pear cactus
Cacti are low-maintenance, drought-tolerant houseplants that come in a variety of shapes, colours and sizes.
The prickly pear cactus (Opuntia) has more than 200 different species, some of which make excellent houseplants that add flair and style with dramatic impact.
Native to Mexico, prickly pear cacti can grow from 12 inches to five feet tall, with evergreen foliage and flat-stemmed spines.
Varieties of prickly pear cacti commonly grown as houseplants in the UK include:
Polka dot cactus/bunny ears (Opuntia microdasys), with oval pads and tufts of small golden spines.
Many-spined prickly pear (Opuntia polyacantha), a spreading cactus that can grow to a height of around 16 inches.
Caring for your prickly pear cactus
Put your prickly pear cactus in a spot that gets as much light as possible but shield it from strong, direct sunlight in the summer. Water your plant moderately whenever the soil is dry. Limit watering during autumn and winter.
Best plants for conservatories
Having a conservatory means you can expand your indoor plant collection dramatically. Many fabulous plants flourish in conservatory conditions and add an exotic feel.
Here’s our pick of the best plants to grow in your conservatory:
Chilean bellflower (Nolana paradoxa Blue Bird). A striking alternative to petunias, the Chilean bellflower will reward you throughout the summer with a profusion of bright, sky-blue trumpet-shaped flowers with a creamy yellow centre.
Bird of paradise (Strelitzia reginae). Distinctive electric-blue and neon-orange flowers and large blue-grey paddle-shaped leaves on elegant stems.
Bougainvillea Scarlet O’Hara. Also known as San Diego Red, Bougainvillea Scarlet O’Hara has a strong vine-like habit, with clusters of deep magenta leaves that look like flowers.
Mandevilla Hybrid Pink. Showy, compact climbers with large, colourful, trumpet-shaped pink flowers with a yellow centre.
Waxflower (Hoya bella). A bushy perennial with richly perfumed white flowers with pink centres.
Cape leadwort (Plumbago auriculata). A vigorous evergreen climber with beautiful blue flowers for months on end.
Pitcher plant (Sarracenia). Perennial carnivorous plants that grow best in a conservatory when their container is placed in a tray of rainwater.
These plants are a great way to brighten up your indoor space and can give you flowers even in the coldest months of the year.
