My Top 5 Favorite Houseplants That Are Easy To Grow

If you are overwhelmed with all of the options available for houseplants, then keep reading to learn about my top 5 favorite, low-maintenance houseplants that you can easily grow. For busy people and homesteaders, the easier the plants are the better since we are usually maxed out as is!

I adore gardening, but I haven’t always had a green thumb when it comes to growing plants in pots and containers. In fact, I was notorious for killing every single houseplant I was given or purchased. I don’t know what the issue was, but if it wasn’t growing directly in the ground, I struggled.

It seems like plants growing directly in the garden are a bit more forgiving. They don’t need to be watered as often. There are plenty of nutrients in the soil as opposed to only a limited amount in pots or containers. And they have access to daily sunlight or at least dappled sun.

In addition, I didn’t have a ton of time to spend caring for houseplants. So I needed to find plants that could withstand a bit of neglect if I were to have success growing them.

After lots of trial and error, I have finally come up with a list of my top 5 favorite houseplants that I seem to consistently have success growing and keeping alive.

Jumping Into Houseplants Feet First

I’ve had several plants here and there within our house. There was the “lucky” bamboo plant that my cat ended up chewing down to nubs. Then there was the African Violet that my brother gifted me (the poor thing didn’t even have a chance). There were also a few funeral plants that I got before I was more educated about plants, so they unfortunately didn’t make it either.

But last year, I finally decided to get more serious (and smarter) about owning houseplants. (In all honestly, I actually just went to a local nursery that was having a 50% off sale on all houseplants and bought a ton of different varieties hoping I could have success!)

I knew that having houseplants would help liven up the interior of our home. I also knew that they would give me something “green” to care for during the long Midwest winter months when everything outside was brown and dead.

So I purchased bunch of plants. I ended up doing a lot of research about the different types of plants I owned and how to care for them. Unfortunately, I did this research AFTER I purchased them. (I don’t suggest doing that!)

Figuring Out What Worked For Our Home

There were a few that I quickly learned do not grow well in our home with our particular lighting conditions. In the time since then, I have sent several plants to the plant graveyard (i.e., our compost bin). However, I now have a few tried-and-true houseplants that stand out as my absolute favorites.

In addition, I can also grow better potted plants outside as well with the information I’ve learned with growing houseplants. (To learn how to create fun growing containers out of old galvanized buckets, see “How To Use Galvanized Buckets As Growing Containers“.)

The best part is that every plant on this list is easy to care for without spending a ton of time or energy on their care. So if you are in need of some low-maintenance houseplants, this list is for you!

My Top 5 Favorite Houseplants

These plants are in no particular order. Some of them have taken me a bit of time to figure out their care. But now that I have, they are pretty simple for even beginners.

Heartleaf Philodendron

There are so many different varieties of philodendrons available. Some of them are climbing varieties that can vine and grow super long. Others have more tree-like growth with thick stems and upright leaves. I personally adore most of them, but the well-known Heartleaf Philodendron is one of my favorites.

This plant is super simple to care for. It requires indirect sunlight and grows well in my darkish home. I have actually two Heartleaf Philodendrons in my home, one in my kitchen and another huge one in my living room. Both are growing under grow lights because my home lacks good window light, especially during the winter.

You can easily propagate more little houseplants with cuttings of Heartleaf Philodendrons. If one of the stems starts to get a little too long, simply snip it off and stick it in a small glass jar of water.

Philodendron Birkin – Top 5 Favorite Houseplants

This next houseplant on my top 5 favorite houseplant list is also a philodendron, but it is a tree-like variety: The Philodendron Birkin. This plant has been one of the easiest plants I have ever owned. It is a slow-growing houseplant that does really well in compact spaces. (Product Link: Live Philodendron Birkin Plant)

Philodendron Birkins do not enjoy having soggy roots, so their soil needs to be more porous than traditional potting soil mixes. In addition, I only water it every couple of weeks and it seems as happy as can be.

Aside from the simple care, another reason why I love the Birkins is that it is an absolutely stunning houseplant. Their leaves are dark green with white stripes, creating a unique and beautiful contrast.

Tradescantia Zebrina

This is a houseplant that comes with several different names including Inchplant and Wandering Jew/Dude. It is considered to be a creeping plant that grows best in elevated pots or hanging baskets. I have mine in a pot sitting in a stand so it is raised off of the ground. (See, “Growing Tradescantia Zebrina – How To Grow Inch Plant”)

During the warmer spring, summer, and fall months, my Tradescantia Zebrina lives outside on my front porch in full shade. In its native environment, the Tradescantia Zebrina is a groundcover plant, so avoid placing it in direct sunlight locations.

The color of its leaves will vary depending on the amount of sunlight it receives. When my Tradescantia Zebrina plant was in shade 24/7, the new leaves featured purple bases with silvery blue stripes running through them. As the leaves age, the purple turns more to green.

When I moved the Tradescantia Zebrina to my deck where it was exposed to more sunlight, the leaves lost some of the silvery color and changed to almost all purple – still beautiful nonetheless. During the winter months, the Tradescantia Zebrina is a true houseplant and lives beneath some grow lights where the leaves aren’t quite as stunning as they were in the outside shade.

One of the best parts of growing Tradescantia Zebrina is that they are super easy to propagate. If the stems start to get too thin or scraggly looking, simply snip them off and stick them back into the soil or in a small container with water.

ZZ Plant – Top 5 Favorite Houseplants

I have four ZZ plants in total, but my two favorites are the Raven ZZ and the Chameleon ZZ. All varieties are extremely simple to care for and do well in almost any lighting conditions. While you might not get new growth to occur, a ZZ Plant will still be content under extremely low light conditions like in a windowless bathroom or office.

A traditional ZZ plant features all green leaves. The new growth typically starts out an almost neon green and then darkens as it ages on all varieties. A Raven ZZ plant features dark green, almost black mature leaves. A Chameleon ZZ Plant has lighter leaves but includes veins that give it a neat appearance.

If you struggle to keep any type of houseplant alive, I suggest trying any of the ZZ Plant varieties. They are one of the easiest houseplants to care for and can often go weeks on end without watering.

Jade Pothos

Last but not least, I couldn’t do a top-5 favorite easy-care houseplant list without mentioning pothos. It’s one of the original plants I purchased when I became a plant addict.

I now have multiple different pothos varieties and while I love them all, my big boy Jade Pothos is my favorite. He has been with me since the beginning and this guy has been so easy going.

Pothos in general are happy in low-light situations but they also grow well under grow lights, too. As long as you don’t have them in direct sunlight or no-light conditions, they will push out new growth.

Pothos are another plant that is easy to propagate to create new starts. Just make sure there is at least one node attached to the clipping so it can root to create more plants for free.

Hopefully, my top favorite 5 list will convince you to try growing houseplants for yourself. It’s so nice to be able to look around a room and see beautiful green growth no matter what the weather is outside or the time of year.

Until next time, thanks for stopping by!
– Chelsea

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