5 stunning easy care houseplants to boost your wellbeing

Many studies show that growing and nurturing houseplants in your home improves your wellbeing. If you don’t have a garden, you can gain lots of the benefits of looking after plants, but indoors. So you’ve less need for wellies and don’t have to deal with getting covered in mud. What a win!

Even if you do have a garden, scattering house plants with fabulous foliage around your home will encourage you to stay interested in plants, even in winter when there’s little to be done in an outdoor space.

Perhaps you’re one of the many people now working from home? Most of us don’t have the luxury of a purpose built office, but it’s helpful to create a desk area that’s conducive to focus and creativity. One of the easiest ways to brighten up a dark little nook is with a houseplant.

Do indoor plants really help?

There are lots of health benefits to keeping plants in your home, and especially around your desk. Gazing at leafy fronds while you’re thinking can almost trick your brain into believing you’re outside. 

Sitting down and staring at a computer screen for long periods isn’t great for humans, but cherishing some house plants will encourage you to get up and move around more.

Small indoor gardening jobs like these will give your brain a rest from your work, allowing your creativity to flourish—just like your plants.

• – Watering and misting – though less in winter
• – Removing any dead leaves to allow more fresh new growth
• – Rotating plants so they have better access to light

Why should there be plants around a house?

Mainly because you like the look of them. Much like enjoying art and an attractively decorated space, the visual impact of luxuriant houseplant foliage is hard to beat.

If your home is overlooked, houseplants will help with privacy. You can easily create a living screen of taller, bushier plants that’ll prevent passers by looking into your space. Peace lily and parlour palm would be great for this.

Running the central heating dries the air in your house, which can then cause dry eyes and lips, blocked noses and sinuses, and generally leave you feeling a bit rubbish. Most houseplants gently increase the humidity of your home, leaving you feeling much fresher.

If you have a very bright room, growing light loving houseplants near a window will filter the dazzle and cast a soft forest-like tranquillity to your space.

Some easy care potted plants will develop baby plants. Separating them is very simple, so you’ll have more plants. Keep them for yourself, or give them away—what could be lovelier than free plants?

If you grow pelargoniums, bringing them into the house for winter will boost your indoor plant collection.

1. Pilea (Chinese Money Plant)

My gateway house plant. Being more confident with outdoor plants than indoor ones, I needed to start with an ultra low maintenance house plant. And pilea peperomioides is just the ticket. 

Look at those gorgeously smooth and rounded leaves—aren’t they wonderful?

Pilea will grow in most light conditions from very bright to pretty gloomy, and will withstand haphazard watering.

2. Ivy

A top air purifying plant that will even clear VOCs (volatile organic compounds) and carbon monoxide from your home. Pretty garlands of heart shaped leaves will tumble gracefully out of their pot. 

An ivy will love a more low-lit room to thrive, and enjoys frequent watering, though not so much in the winter.

They grow pretty fast too, so don’t feel bad if you need to lop a bit off—they won’t mind. 

3. Peace lily

Such a patient and tolerant plant for a neglectful plant parent, as I have been on occasion. Peace lilies are great for a bold statement in a room, with their glossy sword-like leaves and elegant white flowers.

Medium light levels are fine with this beauty, although not too dark if you’d like some flowers. Humidity will help them feel at home, so have some fun with a mister. 

4. Fishbone cactus

One of the easiest potted plants to look after, fishbone cactus wiggles its way gaily up in the air, sometimes generating new growth at incredible angles. Its mesmerising leaves ripple with seductive curves, and it grows surprisingly fast for a cactus. 

It needs very little fuss, just a fairly well lit room, but it’s happy in most places. If you see its leaves becoming crinkled, don’t worry, it’s just a sign it needs a drink. 

5. Parlour palm

A new indoor plant for me this year, and I’m already a huge fan. In fact, I loved my first one so much, I bought another one. Fabulously frondy, with fresh, new foliage always erupting from the base of the plant, you get a lot of plant for your money.

Parlour palms enjoy fairly bright rooms, but not direct sun. They’re another humidity lover, so remember to get your mister out, especially if you’ve got the heating on.

Water more enthusiastically than the other plants on this list, particularly in spring and summer.

Why have house plants become so popular?

I’ve noticed more people investing in houseplants since the first Covid lockdown. We were all spending much more time in our homes, so finding low cost ways of brightening them up was important. Many houseplants are under £15, so they’re a much cheaper way to perk a room up than painting or wallpapering it. And much less effort too.

Where do I buy the best houseplants?

All the houseplants I have are either from small independent shops, from kind family members or from Patch. Patch deliver throughout the UK, their plants are very healthy and have useful care guides too. This is not a sponsored post, just my honest assessment.

I used to be a bit nervous of houseplants, feeling less confident than with outdoor ones. But working from home has encouraged me to have a go with one. And then another. And another.

They really give you so much joy for very little expense or effort. 

Do you grow any of the houseplants on this list?