The Benefits of having Houseplants
Contrary to what many might say, having plants IS a form of self-care! Plants offer many psychological and even physical benefits. Having plants throughout your home actually helps to purify the air. There are specific benefits that individual plants can offer such as some plants helping remove mold from air or others that can fight harmful toxins.
Physiologically, plants help improve mental illnesses. Research has proven that plants reduce stress, increase people’s mood, and even lesson symptoms of depression, PTSD, and ADD/ADHD. Plants also increase things like productivity, creativity and concentration!
Amazing, right?? But trust me, I understand the stress of spending your money on something that you think will only bring more stress if it dies! I’ve been there. Thats why you can’t be all willy nilly buying any pretty plant you see. Let’s start out with some very easy but very rewarding plants…
8 Easy, Rewarding Houseplants
- Golden Pathos
- Spider Plant
- Peace Lily
- Snake Plant
- Nerve Plant
- ZZ Plant
- Chinese Evergreen (Aglaonema)
- Chinese Money Plant (Pilea)
Golden Pathos
The golden pathos is a beautiful plant that’s great for beginners. It is equally easy to care for and rewarding and it was one of my first plants for that reason! It can be grown in low or bright light and it grows very quickly, trailing long vines that make it a great hanging plant.
It’s also very easy to propagate. Just trim off some of the vines and put them in water for a few weeks until they grow more roots. Then you get to repot them so you can have more pathos all over your house! It also makes a great gift. It’s actually encouraged that you prune it now and then to promote more growth, so you’ll want to do this anyway. It’s a win win.
To see specific care instructions, for this easy plant check out this blog.
Spider Plant
This is another fast growing, rewarding plant! It’s also tolerant of many differing conditions whether you have lots of sunlight or hardly any at all. this plant will start to trail down and grow mini spider plants that you can propagate and make into new spider plants. This is another great choice for beginners who are trying to work on their green thumb and want to build up their collection houseplants.
For specific care details, check out this post.
Peace Lily
This was another one of my first plants because of its ability to thrive in various conditions. The peace lily is great starter plant! This plant is found in many homes because it’s hard to kill and also helps remove toxins from the air. It can be so rewarding as every so often it grows a white lily from all the green leaves. It thrives in any condition but when it has the right amount of light and water, it will produce many lilies making it a beautiful addition to your home.
For specific care instructions, look at this post.
Snake Plant
You’ve probably seen this plant in offices, at restaurants, or even in malls. That’s because this plant is very hard to kill even if it receives virtually no light. The snake plant comes in many variations and sizes but they all generally grow straight up and have thick sturdy leaves, making it a unique addition that contrasts typical plants. This plant does well with little water so it’s great for the new planter who may forget to water it now and then.
For the specific care instructions, check out this blog.
Nerve Plant
I love the nerve plant because it brings some color and texture into your home! It tolerates low light and bright locations and also grows pretty fast from my experience. The best part of this plant is that is doesn’t like a lot of water and it will tell you when it’s thirsty! Yes, it will actually begin to droop down and flop over, which might concern a newbie planter but don’t fret, it’s not dying!. It is actually very rewarding to watch the plant perk all the way back up shortly after you water it. This plant makes a great desk plant because it’s not too big and adds a nice pop of color.
To learn how to care for the nerve plant, check out this post.
ZZ Plant
This is another very popular starter plant because it is so tolerant. It’s pretty hard to kill this plant but it adds beautiful, rich greenery into your home! It will do well in many lighting conditions, making it a great plant for beginners living in an apartment who might not have good natural light. This is also another plant that doesn’t like too much water and can manage if you forget to water it from time to time.
Check out the specific care instructions here.
Chinese Evergreen (Algaonema)
I love this plant because, just like the nerve plant, it brings you some color!! Usually vibrant, colorful plants tend to be a bit more temperamental but these ones are so easy to care for. This plant stays fairly small but produces beautiful, large leaves that are spotted with green and pops of color throughout. They come in many different colors but i have a pink one like the picture above. It handles many lighting conditions but if you have it in brighter light, it will produce more vibrant colors.
Check out the care for this plant here.
Chinese Money Plant (Pilea)
The last plant on the list and another one of my favorites. This plant is so unique and easy to care for. It creates these beautiful, bouncy and round leaves. The only thing to worry about with this plant is regularaly rotating it as the leaves will actually move themselves towards the sun light. This can be fun to watch as time goes on and you see how actice your plant is. These are also another great plant to share! They produce little pups that you can remove and repot on their own to have more plants or give away to friends and family.
For the specific care instructions, check out this post.
Enjoy Your Rewarding Houseplants!
I hope this post was helpful for all you new plant parents. Now go out and get yourself some starters and see how rewarding it is! Remember how many positive effects there are to having houseplants and if you go with these easy options, you shouldn’t have to worry about killing them. You’ll love watching them grow and even sharing them with your friends and family!