The Best Indoor Plants For Beginners

If you want lively indoor décor, then houseplants are for you! Even if you don’t think of yourself as a green-thumb, Moon Valley Nurseries is here to help you become the plant parent you’ve always wanted to be. Indoor plants not only add a living touch to your space, they purify the air, and even boost your overall mood!

What factors should you consider when picking out indoor plants? Light, water, and nutrients are the three biggest variables! While every houseplant has unique requirements, selecting adaptable and resilient varieties can result in a thriving, robust indoor garden. Below are some our favorite houseplants for beginners!

Top Houseplants For Beginners

Spider Plant

Spider plants are popular, resilient houseplants known for their unique, arching green leaves with white or yellow stripes. Spider plants are easy to care for, making them an ideal choice for all plant enthusiasts. They love bright, indirect light but can also tolerate lower light conditions. Spider plants have the ability to purify the air by removing toxins such as formaldehyde and xylene.

Golden Pothos

The Golden Pothos is an excellent choice for various indoor settings, from hanging baskets to high shelves, where its trailing vines can elegantly cascade down. Its adaptability to different light conditions, including low light, makes it a favorite among novice and experienced plant enthusiasts. Moreover, this plant is known for its air-purifying qualities, removing common household toxins and improving indoor air quality.

Monstera

Monstera plants, commonly known as "Swiss cheese plants," are tropical houseplants prized for their large, glossy leaves with unique splits. Native to the rainforests of Central and South America, Monstera species like Monstera deliciosa thrive in bright, indirect light and require well-draining soil to flourish. As a climbing plant, it often produces aerial roots that allow it to attach to nearby structures, mimicking its natural habitat.

Rubber Plant

Rubber plants (Ficus elastica) are popular indoor houseplants known for their glossy, dark green leaves and impressive growth potential. Rubber plants are relatively easy to care for, requiring bright, indirect light, moderate watering, and well-draining soil. They can tolerate times of neglect, making them an ideal choice for busy plant owners. Additionally, they are known for their air-purifying qualities, removing toxins like formaldehyde from the air.

Prayer Plant

Prayer plants (Maranta leuconeura) are beautiful, low-growing houseplants known for their colorful, patterned leaves with shades of green, red, and purple. Prayer plants get their name from how their leaves fold up at night, resembling hands in prayer. Prayer plants prefer indirect light, making them ideal for indoor spaces. Beautiful foliage and unique movements make prayer plants a popular choice for plant lovers searching for a low-maintenance houseplant.

Cordyline

Cordyline is a striking, tropical plant known for its vibrant, colorful foliage and ability to add a bold, exotic touch to indoor and outdoor spaces. They feature long, narrow leaves that come in a variety of colors, including rich shades of green, purple, pink, red, and yellow, sometimes with variegated patterns. These plants thrive in bright, indirect light and prefer well-draining soil with regular watering.

Ficus Benjamina 

Ficus benjamina is a popular indoor plant with arching branches and glossy, lance-shaped leaves. Native to Southeast Asia and parts of India, this evergreen tree can grow rather tall indoors, reaching heights of 3 to 6 feet, but can be pruned to maintain a desired size. Ficus benjamina thrives in bright, indirect light and is known for being a resilient plant. Ficus Benjamina requires relatively low maintenance, occasional trimming, and proper watering to ensure healthy growth and a beautiful appearance.

Fiddle Leaf Fig

The Fiddle Leaf Fig (Ficus lyrata) is an excellent indoor plant appreciated for its large, glossy, deep green leaves that add a tropical feel to any space. Native to West Africa, this tropical plant has become a popular choice in modern homes due to its unique, upright growth and attractive foliage. Fiddle Leaf Figs can often grow to heights of 6 feet or more indoors, making them ideal as focal points in living rooms, entryways, or offices.

Audrey Ficus

The Ficus Audrey, also known as Ficus benghalensis 'Audrey' or the Banyan tree, is a popular houseplant with large green leaves and a white trunk. It's native to India and Pakistan, where it's considered sacred. The Audrey Ficus is known for its upright growth habit and can grow quite tall, making it an ideal "focal point" plant for your home or office space. With proper care, including bright, indirect light, well-drained soil, and regular watering, it can thrive indoors, adding lush greenery to any environment.

Peace Lily

Peace lilies (Spathiphyllum) are gorgeous, low-maintenance houseplants known for their vibrant white flowers and glossy, dark green leaves. Peace lilies thrive in shaded or low-light conditions, making them ideal for indoor spaces. They are also known for their ability to purify the air by removing harmful toxins like formaldehyde, benzene, and trichloroethylene. In addition to their air-purifying benefits, their beautiful white blooms make them an ideal choice for home and office décor.

Majesty Palm

The Majesty Palm, native to Madagascar and loved by many as an indoor houseplant, is a slow to moderate-growing palm that can grow to be a medium-sized palm that looks great alone on the lawn or under a canopy of taller trees! Many people call them by their botanical name, Ravenea rivularis, and their attractive, tall upward-arching green foliage will add a touch of the tropics whether indoors or out! Palm trees and backyard retreats go hand in hand.

Dragon Tree

Dragon Tree, a member of the Dracaena family, is a diverse type of plant known for its unique appearance and ease of care, making it a popular choice for homes and office spaces. With over 40 species, Dracaena plants vary in size and shape but usually feature long, narrow leaves that are often green, variegated, or striped with shades of yellow, red, or white. Dracaenas thrive in bright, indirect light and are a relatively low-maintenance plant requiring moderate watering. Dracaenas have air-purifying abilities, helping to remove common indoor toxins like benzene, formaldehyde, and xylene.

Bring life to your home with the indoor plants listed above and enjoy added benefits like fresher air and a lifted mood. Explore our houseplant varieties on our site, or visit select locations and shop in person today!