Choosing the right houseplants for your home: a simple guide

Lush, vibrant houseplants add colour, interest and vigour to any room. But for even the most green-fingered amongst us, the prospect of keeping houseplants healthy and alive can be quite simply terrifying. Choosing the right houseplants for your preferred indoor space is key to growing thriving plants that last for years. Our guide provides some simple tips on how to get started.

Why is it so difficult to grow houseplants?

With so many species of houseplants available, it can be confusing to know how to keep your plants healthy. But, just like outdoor plants, indoor houseplants will only flourish when provided with their optimum growing conditions. Present any houseplant with the wrong environment and it will simply wither away.

How do I pick the right indoor plant?

To guarantee your houseplant thrives, you first need to consider where you ideally want it to be positioned. As far as possible, try matching your houseplant to its natural climate.

Cacti and succulents, for example, will prosper on a dry, sunny, west facing windowsill, whereas the leafy foliage of a fern will always prefer a shady, humid place to call home. Think about the amount of natural sunlight your plant will be exposed to and provide the same amount of water that your houseplant naturally needs.

Growing tropical houseplants

Kitchens and bathrooms offer the ideal growing conditions for plants that are native to tropical climates. The warm temperatures and humidity that are typical of these two rooms are ideal for a whole array of shade tolerant houseplants, from pretty orchids to philodendrons, and the wonderful Swiss cheese plant (monstera deliciosa).

Almost every tropical houseplant species prefers indirect light, so always position your plant away from direct sunlight, which can cause scorching or browning.

Likewise, keeping these houseplants’ soil moist (but not saturated) and ensuring that it does not dry out is the best way to successfully keep these plants healthy.

Finally, always keep tropical houseplants away from draughts. They can be rather particular about this!

Try growing these easy to care for tropical houseplants:

• Orchids – moth orchids (Phalaenopsis)
• Boston fern (Nephrolepis exultata ‘Bostoniensis’)
• Monkey face plant (Monstera Adansonii)
• Peacock plant (Calathea Makoyana)

Growing dry climate houseplants

A sunny, south-facing windowsill or a toasty conservatory is the ideal environment for a large group of houseplants that are native to dry climates. In fact, cacti, succulents and senecio all adore arid conditions, whether hot or cold. This robust group of houseplants can withstand extreme heat, cold, draughts and exposure, making them arguably easier to look after than their moisture-loving cousins.

These dry climate houseplants are simple to grow and take hardly any care.

Avoid overwatering and instead, allow their soil to become dry before topping it up again.

These plants will tolerate full sun and are more than happy exposed to draughts and fluctuating temperatures:

- Aloe vera (aloe barbadensis)
- Euphorbia
- Echeveria lilacina
- Sweetheart plant (Hoya heart)

Choose the right houseplant for your preferred indoor space and you will be amazed at what you can achieve.