The five plants we recommend most
If you are starting out, or starting over, these are the five that earn their place in almost any room.
People often come in wanting the rare and the dramatic, and we love those too. But the plants that make someone fall for houseplants for good tend to be the generous ones: forgiving, characterful, and happy in the light most homes actually have.
Start with a Monstera
Nothing turns a corner into a jungle faster. Give it a bright spot out of direct sun and a moss pole to climb, and those split leaves will keep coming. It forgives the odd missed watering, which is exactly what a first big plant should do.
Add something unkillable
A Snake Plant or a ZZ Plant asks for almost nothing and still looks expensive. Both cope with lower light and weeks between drinks, so they carry the rooms you forget about.
Then something that trails
A Marble Queen Pothos softens a hard shelf and grows fast enough to feel rewarding. Cuttings root in water, so one plant quickly becomes three.
Get those bones in place and the collecting bug usually takes care of the rest.
Reading the light in your home
The single biggest thing that keeps a plant happy is light. Here is how to see a room the way a plant does.
Read the noteStyling with plants: a few quiet rules
A room full of plants can feel lush or cluttered. The difference is usually restraint, height and repetition.
Read the noteReady to begin?
Pick something forgiving and characterful from the collection, or read the longer care guides before you do. Either way, we are here if you get stuck.