Plants are the ultimate decor. They’re mood-boosting, air purifying, calming and peaceful. There’s something about waking up in the morning and walking by lush-green plants that feels so freeing. Plants are givers and all they ask in return is a little love and attention. But, the type and amount of love and attention can differ greatly from plant to plant.
Not every plant is right for your home. Typically, low-maintenance plants work really well for someone without a green thumb because they thrive with infrequent watering and low-lighting. An easy way to tell if you have low-lighting is if you have predominately north-facing windows, and windows that blocked by trees. Homes that have predominately eastern facing windows benefit from indirect sunlight. Lastly, lots of south or west facing windows in your home means you have a bright light space.
After you understand the types of plants that thrive in your space you’re halfway to creating your very own jungalow. The next step is getting comfortable with ordering plants online. It’s an off-putting idea at first, but the plant brands on this list really care about the well-being of the plant during shipping.
I ordered a cute coral cactus - because it’s low maintenance - and I felt it’d ship well. The cactus arrived in a tall cardboard box and it was very well-secured with wooden pegs for stability during shipment. I was pleasantly surprised and I can’t think of a reason why I wouldn’t purchase more online in the future. I’m both a plant lover and an online plant shopper. I’ve been converted.
Bird’s Nest Fern
$26 at time of publication
(Asplenium nidus). The Bird's Nest Fern is both easy to care for and pet friendly. At The Sill, the Bird’s Nest Fern comes in your choice of pot color and measures 3.8" tall and 4" wide. The plant height itself can vary but sky’s the limit with your tender loving care.
Your Bird’s Nest Fern also comes potted in The Sill’s soil mix, a blend said to increase plant health, longevity, and growth. The pot that your Bird’s Nest Fern comes in does not does not have a drainage hole. Instead, it has a layer of porous lava rocks lining the bottom to ensure adequate drainage.
This Bird’s Nest Fern is available at thesill.com.
Philodendron Green
$32 at time of publication
(Philodendron). The Philodendron Green thrives in medium indirect light, but can tolerate low indirect light. So, if you have north or eastern facing windows or windows blocked by trees, this is the plant for you. The Philodendren also appreciates infrequent watering. To keep your plant baby happy, allow its potting mix to dry out completely in-between waterings.
This Philodendron Green is available at thesill.com.
Fiddleleaf Fig Tree
$11 a time of publication
(Ficus lyrata). Fig trees make an excellent choice for beginners since they’re easy to take care of and can go with any kinds of environment quite easily. A little bit of sunshine and water is all they need to grow. But the best benefit of having a fig plant around in your house is that figs are natural air purifiers. Hirt’s Fiddleleaf Fig tree comes in a 6-inch pot and stands at a convenient length of 12-14 inches.
The one extra bit of maintenance for this plant is periodically wiping dust off of the leaves. Because the leaves are so large and flat, they collect dust which can prevent them from maximum sun absorption.
This Fiddle Leaf Fig Tree is available at thesill.com.
Aloe Vera Plant
$25 at time of publication
Aloe vera plants are pretty much the epitome of low-maintenance. Aloe vera plants don’t require a lot of water to survive and best practice is to only water your aloe vera plant when its soil is completely dry. Aloe vera plants do require ample-bright-direct sunlight so make sure to place them in a window sill. These plants will really thrive if your windows face the east or west. However, personally I have about 5 aloe vera plants which line a window sill facing the north and they’ve been alive and kicking for two years.
You can order your aloe vera plant via Amazon and it will arrive in a 4” temporary pot.
This Aloe Vera Plant is currently available on Amazon.
ZZ Plant “Zanzibar Gem”
$57 at time of publication
(Zamioculcas). ZZ plants are amazing plants for their beauty and low-maintenance needs. If you're someone who frequently forgets to water your plants, no worries because the ZZ plant can only tolerate so much. In fact, you're supposed to wait until the soil is completely dry before watering again.
This plant also tolerates low-light conditions extremely well. The ZZ plant prefers natural bright light, but, not direct sunlight.
All in all, these plants are slow growers but can grow to be about 4ft tall and 4ft wide so even if you're a terrible plant parent you can still grow a beautiful, large, and charming plant.
If you don't get a ton of natural light in your apartment or home and don't do the best job remembering to water your plants, this one is for you as well.
This ZZ Plant is available at thesill.com.
Panda Plant
$20 at time of publication
(Kalanchoe Tomentosa). The Panda Plant achieved its name due to the red marking on its edges and fuzzy leaves. Its leaves are thick for water storage.
The Panda Plant is a member of the succulent family which makes it an extremely easy plant to care for. The one thing to keep in mind is that a Panda Plant, like all succulents prefers medium to bright light and limited watering. So, while you can get away with forgetting to water this plant from time to time making sure it has a solid light source or else it will experience stretching.
As a word of caution, this plant is poisonous to dogs and cats. So, if your pets are curious or plant chewers you should avoid bring this one into your space or display it in an area that is out of reach.
This Panda Plant is available at thesill.com.
Lady Palm
$25 at the time of publication
(Rhapis Excelsa). The Lady Palm is a very unique breed of plant because if its ability to look rustic and elegant at the same time. It is one of the easiest plants to care for because although it prefers moist soil it requires only partial sunlight to shade.
This splendid palm tree makes for an excellent addition in any indoor gardens or decor. It looks a bit like bamboo shoots and is also an excellent air purifier like fig trees that cleanses the air of toluene, ammonia, xylene and formaldehyde. However, its large dimensions of 28 X 6 X 6 inches restrict its ornamentation to floor spaces mostly.
If you’re pretty good about remembering to water your plants but don’t get a lot of direct sunlight, this plant is a good choice for you.
This Lady Palm is currently available on Amazon.
Snake Plant
$37 at the time of publication
(Sansevieria Trifasciata). This plant is absolutely stunning as it lush green stalks are a definite head turner. Snake plants are tolerant of a variety of light conditions, but they prefer indirect sunlight. Less is more with this plant, so allow its soil to dry out in between waterings and make sure to not overwater your plant in the winter time.
This plant is a great choice is you prefer a lush tall green plant that really adds personality to a room and if you either don’t have pets, or don’t have pets who chew plants.
Beware if you have pets, this plant is toxic to dogs and cats if ingested. If your pet babies are plant chewers, while gorgeous, unfortunately this is not the plant for you.
This Snake Plant is available at thesill.com.
Succulent Plants
$70 at the time of publication
A great choice for both home décor and indoor gardening, this assortment of small potted plants is one of the nicest looking indoor plant assortments that I’ve come across.
Featuring three little “fat plants” that come fully rooted in small decorative pots, the plants can be used on shelves, cabinets and bedside tables effortlessly without sticking out which happens with plants that come in larger pots. A fun starter pack for indoor gardening for beginners, it can be ideal to help you ease into the hobby.
These Succulent Plants are available at thesill.com.
Rubber Tree Plant
$50 at the time of publication
(Ficus elastica). This plant is more for the intermediate plant owner. So, you don’t have to have a green thumb to care for it, but you can’t be an all-out plant murderer either.
These plants can stay the size of table top plants or can grow into amazing indoor trees if you transplant them into a large enough pot.
Rubber plants do not respond well to overwatering, so make sure you allow the soil to drain completely between waterings. All it takes is touching your plants soil to see where it’s at.
Rubber plants also need a lot of bright light, so this is a plant that works well in spaces where the windows face the south.
This Rubber Plant is available on amazon.com.
Hass Avocado Tree
$100 at the time of publication
(Persea Americana).If you’re one of the avocado converts, this indoor garden fruit tree will provide you with delicious home-grown avocados to go along with your toast.
Specially cross-bred for non-tropical climates, the tree also starts bearing fruits 3 to 4 year earlier than its regular garden-variety counterparts. Hass provides these avocado trees in various sizes which include trees ranging from 1 foot to 14 feet coming in 1 to 3-gallon tubs. Also, maintaining these indoor avocado trees is also a lot easier.
This Hass Avocado Tree is available on amazon.com.
Pothos Neon
$36 at the time of publication
(Epipremnum Aureum). Caring for Pothos plants is very easy because they thrive in a wide variety of conditions. Bright light or low-light it doesn’t matter, these plants don’t mind. If you’ve been looking for a plant to bring into a bathroom that has even limited access to light this plant will make for great decor. Pothos plants can also be grown in soil or in water, similar to a bamboo plant.
As a word of caution, Pothos plants are poisonous. If you have sensitive skin and happen to get sap from a Pothos leaf on you, you could develop a rash. Also, Pothos plants are toxic to dogs and cats. So, similar to the snake plant, if your dogs or cats are chewers this is likely a plant you should avoid.
This Pothos Neon Plant is available at thesill.com.