If you want to be a houseplant parent, here are the best low maintenance plants for inside your home! These plants are beautiful and easy to care for.
My houseplant collection is at about 110 plants right now. I’ve been collecting indoor plants for 3+ years now and have learned SO much about them along the way. The biggest question I get asked about plants is, “what are some easy house plants?! I have a black thumb!”
I truly do believe that everyone can grow indoor plants. However, it does require some time, patience, and research to succeed. Although, you can make it easier on yourself by starting with what I think are the BEST low maintenance plants.
What are the Best Low Maintenance Plants?
In no particular order, here are my favorite indoor plants that are easy to care for:
Snake plant (mother-in-law’s tongue)
There are so many varieties of snake plants, and thankfully they’re nearly impossible to kill with the right care. Snake plants are often touted as great low-light plants, but keep in mind that the less light they receive, the less their roots develop, and the more likely it is that the roots will rot from overwatering. Err on the side of under-watering (honestly, for most plants).
- Light: Low to bright indirect
- Water: When the soil is completely dry. Easily rots, so once every few weeks is sufficient (will require water more often if in brighter light).
- Pet-safe: No
- Soil: Well-draining
ZZ plant
Care for the ZZ plant is almost identical to a snake plant, since they’re both loved for being low-light plants. You really don’t want to overwater a ZZ plant. You’ll easily find the standard green ZZ plant, but the raven ZZ with nearly black leaves is a unique variety.
- Light: Low to bright indirect
- Water: hen the soil is completely dry. Easily rots, so once every few weeks is sufficient (will require water more often if in brighter light).
- Pet-safe: No
- Soil: Well-draining
Pothos
My love for pothos is as long as a well-maintained pothos vine. One of the most common easy house plants, you’ll find a pothos wherever plants are sold. There are also many varieties of pothos, including golden, neon, manjula, and so many more.
- Light: Low to bright indirect
- Water: When the soil is completely dry and/or when the leaves get droopy and pale.
- Pet-safe: No
- Soil: Well-draining
Heartleaf philodendron
My current favorite houseplant! Although most philodendron varieties are easy to care for, the heartleaf philodendron is easy to find, affordable, and beautiful. Philodendron and pothos are both Aroids (members of the Araceae family), so their care is very similar.
- Light: Low to bright indirect
- Water: When the soil is completely dry and/or when the leaves get droopy and pale.
- Pet-safe: No
- Soil: Well-draining
Spider plant
Spider plants are cool because they are pet-safe (more on that later), funky, and they produce babies that you can cut off to make more plants. They can tolerate low light, but they really will thrive in brighter light (same for all “low-light” plants).
- Light: Low to bright indirect, but really prefer brighter light
- Water: When the soil is completely dry and/or when the leaves get droopy and pale.
- Pet-safe: Yes
- Soil: Well-draining
Succulents
I’m putting lots of asterisks on **succulents being low-maintenance** because they are only low-maintenance if you have enough light. If you don’t, they will die no matter what. But if you have bright light from a southern-facing window, your succulents will thrive and you can all but forget about them, except for watering them about once every couple weeks.
- Light: Bright light, some direct (southern-facing window is best)
- Water: When the soil is completely dried out
- Pet-safe: Depends on the variety
- Soil: Very well-draining cactus/succulent mix
What is a Low Maintenance Plant that is is Pet Safe?
I indicated which of the best low maintenance plants are pet safe above. Of course, you may be disappointed to see that many easy house plants are not pet safe – meaning that if your pet ingests some of the plant, it may cause health issues. However, don’t worry – I rounded up the best pet friendly house plants.
Here’s how I keep indoor plants and make sure my cats are healthy: for non-pet safe plants, I keep them on shelves or hanging from the ceiling so that the cats cannot get to them.
Fortunately, my cats only like to chew on my spider plants. Thankfully, those are pet-safe! Watch your pet and notice what plants they are interested in. In addition, you might try buying a pet safe plant (like a spider plant) specifically for your pet to chew on so they won’t try to eat other indoor plants.
The ASPCA has the most comprehensive list of pet safe and non-pet safe plants. Do your research before you bring a plant into your home with pets!
Tips for Buying the Best Indoor Low Maintenance Plants
Find a local plant store that sells indoor plants. They have employees that are very knowledgable and will help you pick the best plants for your home.
However, stores like Lowe’s and Home Depot carry a wide variety of easy house plants and are often cheaper.
My biggest tip for picking plants: get a larger size rather than a small plant in a 4 or 6-inch pot. Larger plants tend to do better as their root systems are more mature and established.
