Easy to care for indoor house plants

Our shop turned into a bit of a jungle over the past year as we began to stock indoor house plants.

Indoor house plants have become really popular recently due to reports that many plants have air purifying qualities (Peace Lily, Spider Plant, Ficus Plant and Aloe Vera to name a few!) so are perfect for the home or office. They also reportedly stimulate creativity, reduce background noise and even reduce stress levels – we could all do with a bit of that right?

But it can be quite tricky deciding which ones will thrive in any given environment, so I thought I’d jot down a few tips on some indoor house plants that are easy to care for.

Easy to care for indoor house plants

Epipremnum (common name: Devil’s Ivy)

Possibly the most popular trailing plant because they have stunning variegation on their leaves, they are fast-growing and can handle low light and a bit of neglect.

Sansevieria (common name: Mother-in-Law’s Tongue)

These structural plants are so easy to look after. They grow in next to no light, require hardly any water and are pretty happy to just sit there looking pretty!

Spathiphyllum (common name: Peace Lily)

With its beautiful green foliage and occasional white flowers these plants actually communicate with you when it comes to care. They will wilt when thirsty and you can almost see them perk up before your very eyes once they’ve had a little H2O. They also grow in low light.

And if all else fails…get a cactus! Very minimal care needed with those guys…

How much water do indoor house plants need?

The most popular questions we get about plants is about watering, so here are a few tips that we use for general indoor house plants:

Use your finger to feel if the soil is wet at least 2 inches below the surface. If it’s dry, you can add water— a normal water glass full will be great, unless it’s a very large or very teeny-tiny pot. If your soil is wet at the surface, you can hold off watering. If you’re unsure whether it needs water I would say ‘don’t’ – usually the plant will show signs of needing water.

Each plant has different needs so it’s definitely worth doing your research first and getting to know your plant.

For cacti, I would refrain from watering in winter months and only give a small amount during summer months along with some feed.

If you’re worried that you have majorly neglected your house plant and that it’s looking very sad, dry and wilting then the best way to try to revive it is by putting a couple of inches of water into a saucer/container to allow it to drink up from the roots. Leave it there for about an hour. You should then see an improvement before continuing to water weekly/when required.

The most common reason indoor plants die is due to over watering – this drowns your plant. Use the finger test above to avoid letting your plant get too drunk! Oxygen sits around soil and if it is too wet it won’t be able to breath. Let the plant dry out before you continue with a healthy watering routine.

Fresh plants breathe life into a home like nothing else. If you’d like to add one or two to your home, browse a small selection on our online shop. We’re always on the lookout for unusual and obscure plants so keep checking our website for updated stock.