13 Best House Plants for Beginners With a Starter Plant Care Guide

Taking care of plants is simple when you know the basics. Even if you're new to this fun activity, you can help your plants grow healthy and strong. When you ensure they receive the right amount of light, water, and nourishment, your indoor plants will reward you with lush foliage, beautiful blooms, and cleaner indoor air. 

This guide to houseplant care covers everything you need to know to care for a houseplant. 

In addition, don't miss our comprehensive list of 13 best plants for beginners, popular for their low-maintenance needs and tolerance to a little neglect.  

Easy Starter Plant Guide for Beginners

Take advantage of the following guide to learn how to care for plants for beginners. From choosing the best spot in your home to handling the most common issues, these tips will help you grow healthy and vibrant plants. 

Evaluate Your Space 

Evaluate your indoor space to find the best spot for your plant, such as sunny windows, shady corners, or shelves that get indirect light. Starter plants, especially herbs, do well in a bright kitchen corner, while a dimly lit bathroom suits low-light plants the most. Ensure that large varieties have enough space to grow; they usually make ideal floor plants, provided you have an empty corner in the room, near a window. Also, indoor plants love a stable environment, so avoid drafty areas or places near heaters.  

Choose Easy Plants for Beginners

Initially, it's a good idea to choose easy plants to grow inside. Snake Plants, Golden Pothos, and ZZ Plants are perfect because they’re hard to kill and can tolerate slight neglect, besides surviving low-light conditions and needing less frequent watering. If succulents excite you, consider the drought-resistant Jade Plants, as they are also easy to grow.

Assess Lighting Conditions

Why is sunlight so important to plants? It’s their food source, helping them grow strong and green. East- and South-facing windows offer lots of sun, which is great for succulents. North-facing ones suit shade-lovers like Pothos. Plants that enjoy direct sunlight are perfect for sunrooms and sunny porches. 

Pro Tip: Rotate your plants every few weeks for more even light exposure, ensuring they don’t lean toward the sun.

Pots, Soil, Feeding, and Repotting

When it comes to containers and planters, go for pots at least 2-3 inches larger than the existing ones to give more room for growth. For the soil, only use a well-draining soil mix, rich in essential plant nutrients to keep roots healthy. During the growing season, from early spring through summer, you can feed your plant with a balanced fertilizer if needed. Repot your plant every couple of years to refresh the soil, provide more space for the roots, and encourage new growth.

Watering Plants

Watering is always tricky, but it becomes easy once you know how and when to do it. Feel the soil; if it’s dry an inch down, it’s time to water. Use the “bottom watering” method for a more even moisture absorption by the root system. Watering over the soil is another technique that helps flush out salt buildups. Overwatering is common, so always check the soil first before watering the next time. And whenever you go on vacation, you can resort to self-watering planters - an effective, smart watering option for your greenery.

Common Issues and Maintenance 

Plants sometimes face issues, but they’re easy to fix. Yellow leaves can mean you’re watering too much, while brown tips indicate the air is too dry. If you spot tiny, powder-like bugs on the leaves, they are likely aphids, white flies, thrips, mealybugs, or spider mites. Remove them by gently wiping off the leaves with neem water. Also, dust the leaves regularly with a cotton cloth to help your plant breathe and photosynthesize better.

13 Easy Indoor Plants for Beginners

If you’re new to plant care and unsure where to start when choosing your first houseplants, explore our selection of 13 easy-care indoor plants, ranging from the gorgeous Peace Lily to the much-loved indoor Olive Tree. 

1. Money Tree - A Lucky & Easy-Care Plant

A popular low-maintenance plant, the Money Tree (Pachira aquatica) thrives in sunny spots, such as East-facing windows or near the main entrance. This easy-going plant is believed to bring luck, positive energy, and prosperity in Feng Shui, the perfect gift plant to convey your best wishes to anyone getting married, moving into a new home, or starting a new job.

2. Cast Iron Plant - Mr. Indestructible

The long, glossy, lance-shaped leaves of the Cast Iron Plant (Aspidistra elatior) bring a sense of stability and tranquility to any living space. It has the right to its reputation for being a no-nonsense, hard-to-kill houseplant from the forest floors of Japan and Taiwan. While the plant rarely flowers indoors, its small, purplish-brown blooms, often hidden beneath its foliage, can be a delightful surprise when grown outdoors. 

3. Guzmania Bromeliad - Nature’s Masterpiece

Plant lovers admire this Guzmania Bromeliad (Guzmania lingulata) for its brilliantly colored and star-shaped blooms that last 3-6 months, adding a refreshing touch and tropical feel to well-lit bedrooms, living rooms, and sunrooms. This stemless plant doesn't need much attention, and it’s easy to care for. 

4. Peacock Plant - Bold Beauty With Patterned Leaves

The distinctive foliage of a Peacock Plant (Calathea roseopicta) features green, purple, and pink hues, with intricate patterns on the broad leaves that resemble those of a peacock’s feathers, hence its common name. Provide this prayer plant with the right conditions, and its attractive aesthetics will impress any visitors to your home.

5. Ponytail Palm - Quirky Tree with a Flowing Top

The Ponytail Palm (Beaucarnea recurvata) plant is prized for its thin, curly leaves that gently cascade along a moderately swollen trunk, resembling an elephant’s foot. It makes a great statement plant, considering it can reach 6 feet indoors. Outdoors, this low-maintenance plant can surprisingly become a full-size tree that towers over homes. 

6. Indoor Olive Tree - The Mediterranean Classic

The Indoor Olive Tree (Olea Europaea ‘Mission’) is loved for its silvery-green leaves and sturdy stem. With proper care, this tree can live for decades. If you want to add a peaceful Mediterranean touch to your living space, the delicious fruit-bearing and easy-care Olive Tree is the answer. 

7. Spider Plant - Easy-Care Air Purifier

A Spider Plant (Chlorophytum comosum) is one of the best air-purifying plants to grow indoors or outdoors. It comes from the tropical regions of Africa, and looks great on a tabletop or when hung from a macrame sling with its spider-like foliage. Despite its creepy name, this low-maintenance beginner plant symbolizes prosperity, personal growth, and positive change. 

8. Golden Pothos - Trailing Green Wonder

Also known as Devil’s Ivy, the Golden Pothos (Epipremnum aureum) plant is another hard-to-kill plant from the Araceae family. Grow it in hanging baskets on the porch or plant it in the ground outdoors in warmer climates. However, remember that it’s toxic to pets, so keep it out of reach of your playful dogs and cats.

9. Snake Plant - Stylish, Tough Survivor

A Snake Plant (Sansevieria) is one of the easiest plants to take care of and grow at home, making it a worthy addition to your indoor jungle. It features thick, sword-shaped leaves, often with beautiful golden and yellow variegation. The snake plant has many benefits and symbolically means perseverance, protection against negative energy, and good fortune. 

10. Swiss Cheese Plant - Leafy Climber With Fenestrated Foliage

The tropical Swiss Cheese Plant (Monstera adansonii) gets its name from the heart-shaped leaves that develop Swiss cheese-like holes with age. It can be trained to grow as a climber along a moist moss pole as support. Thanks to its adaptability to varying growing conditions, caring for a Swiss Cheese Plant is relatively easy compared to other Monstera plants. 

11. Lipstick Plant - Tropical Bloomer

A gorgeous epiphytic vine with glossy, pointed leaves and trailing stems, the Lipstick Plant (Aeschynanthus radicans) looks great in hanging baskets. It's pet-friendly, drought-tolerant, and improves air quality by absorbing harmful chemicals using its thick foliage. The Lipstick Plant blooms throughout the spring and summer, so fertilize it monthly for more vibrant red blooms. 

12. Cat Palm - Lush Green Palm for Bright Corners

This trunkless Cat Palm (Chamaedorea cataractarum) comes with slender, curving fronds growing from the base of the plant. This low-maintenance palm tree typically requires warm and humid conditions to survive and does well in hardiness zones 11-12 as long as the night temperatures are above 40°F. In Feng Shui, a Cat Palm represents victory and triumph. 

13. Peace Lily - Classic Beauty

A Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum) fills your interior space with the exquisite scent of the tropics. Symbol of peace, people often gift this sympathy plant to convey a message of support in times of loss or hardship. This potted flowering plant typically blooms in the spring and summer, adding style and elegance to any room. Remember, a Peace Lily isn't a true lily and is toxic to pets. 

Easy Houseplants for Beginners: FAQs

Q: How can I tell what my plant needs?

A: It’s fairly easy to tell what your plant needs, even if you’re a beginner gardening enthusiast. If its leaves are turning yellow, you should hold down on watering for some time to let the soil dry first. Droopy leaves, on the other hand, point to underwatering. Browning is another common problem with plants because of low humidity in the air or too much sun. 

Q: What is the most low-maintenance indoor plant?

A: The Jade Plant is one of the best low-maintenance indoor plants for beginners. This succulent stores water in its thick, shiny leaves, so it only needs watering every 2–3 weeks. It thrives in bright light but tolerates some shade without complaints. Being a slow grower, a Jade Plant doesn’t need frequent repotting, as well. Just avoid overwatering to keep it thriving.

Q: What are the 7 basic requirements for plants?

A: Light, water, air, nutrients, temperature, space, and time are the seven basic requirements for plants. Sunlight fuels growth, while water keeps them hydrated. Air helps them breathe, and nutrients from the soil feed them. They need a comfy temperature (ideally 60–75°F), enough space to grow, and time to develop. Balance these, and your plants will thank you.

Q: Do coffee grounds help plants?

A: Yes! Coffee grounds can help plants, such as Ferns or Peace Lilies, grow lush and healthy. You need to apply used coffee grounds to your houseplants, which contain nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (NPK) and are less acidic than freshly ground coffee. Sprinkle used grounds lightly around the base of the plants or add deep inside the soil mix, but don’t overdo it. Mix them into compost for best results.

Q: Which plant purifies the air the most?

A: The Boston Fern is a top air-purifying plant, absorbing harmful air pollutants like formaldehyde. Its lush, feathery fronds prefer bright, indirect light and high humidity, making it ideal for bathrooms. Keep the soil moist but not soggy, watering weekly. Mist it often to mimic its natural tropical environment. This fern cleans the air and adds a vibrant green touch indoors.

Conclusion

Growing potted plants at your home is a great first step to creating a calm and happy space. Start with one or two resilient, easy-to-care-for plants, learn as you go, and don’t worry if things aren’t perfect. Plants for beginners are a great way to start your indoor gardening journey. Be patient, keep it simple, stay consistent, and soon your home will feel fresh and full of green life.