PLANT TALK: Plants for Beginners
Are you plant-curious? Do you think you may be ready to become a plant parent? If you are looking to make your home a little greener, but have no idea where to begin, we have three plants for you to consider! These are typically the plants that we suggest because they are easy to care for, low maintenance, and pretty understanding of different lighting conditions. Let’s go!
Golden Pothos — Epipremnum aureum
A lovely trailing plant, golden pothos (and its many varieties, like neon and marble queen) will thrive in bright, indirect light but will also tolerate medium to low light. A pothos is very expressive when it needs to be watered as the leaves will droop ever so slightly, and once watered, the leaves will perk up within a few hours like magic (yes, science). This plant does not require heavy fertilizing, and many do quite well with standard repotting every one to two years. If you’re keen, regular misting between waterings to help clean the leaves will keep your plant at its best. A pothos is a great plant to get the hang of what it means to take care of a green friend.
Snake Plant — Sansevieria
Often touted as a “great dorm room plant,” Sansevieria and its many species and varieties are perfect plants for beginners and generally busy people. This plant likes to dry out completely between watering and is a common match for with jet-setters, students, and beginner plant parents because it doesn’t need too much attention. Snake plants can handle bright, indirect light with some hours of direct sun, but they’ll also be quite happy in low light! Keep in mind that the more light the plant gets, the more you will have to water it. For instance: you could water a Sansevieria as often as every ten days in a bright area, but in a low light spot, it may only need to be watered once every month. It is always a good practice to check the soil and ensure that it is firm and quite dense, signalling that the soil is quite dry. One thing Sansevieria hate is excessive moisture. No misting required for this plant, cleaning the leaves occasionally with a damp cloth will do just fine.
ZZ plant — Zamioculcas zamiifolia
ZZ plants thrive when left alone. There.
We love recommending this plant for beginners as it requires very little from its caretaker other than some water when the soil is completely dry. You can place this plant in bright light or very low light, and you will watch her thrive. Again, the amount of watering will change according to how much light it receives, but please promise us you will let her dry out before watering! No fertilization is needed, and it stays on a fairly regular schedule of repotting, roughly every one to two years. We love this plant and you will too.
These three plants offer a perfect introduction to plant parenthood. Once you get your confidence up, you can start branching off to learn about and acquire other plants that spark your interest. We love these three simple, yet beautiful plants and we hope this will be the start of your own indoor paradise.