Top 10 Low Maintenance Houseplants 

Bringing an easy-care houseplant into your home offers a simple yet effective way to enhance your living space. In this guide, we’ve selected 10 houseplants that are really easy to care for and virtually “unkillable”. Whether you're a first-time plant owner, managing a busy schedule, or simply looking to brighten your home, easy-care plants like succulents, peace lilies, or snake plants require minimal effort but offer maximum benefits in terms of both aesthetics and wellbeing. All of these houseplants are low maintenance and tolerate typical indoor conditions in the UK, making them perfect for beginners or for plant enthusiasts looking to add to their collection without too much adjustment to your existing plant-care regime!

Epipremnum Aureum – Devils Ivy – Tropical/Sub-tropical

Commonly known as Devil’s Ivy, this tropical vine is a versatile, fast-growing houseplant extremely well-suited to elevated spots in your home where it can be allowed to trail downwards. If you’re new to plant parenting, this hardy, fuss-free houseplant will allow you to familarise yourself with the basics of plant care, giving you the confidence to explore other indoor plants. Devil’s Ivy, also known as Pothos, originates from Southeast Asia and is happy with an ideal temperature range between 18-24 degrees, making them well suited to the UK climate.

They are a popular choice, a great starter plant, and also perfect for gifting as they’re very easily propagated, so you can take cuttings for a friend from your own plant. Due to their easy-going nature, propagating delivers amazing results, and like most houseplants, Devil’s Ivy grows quickly in most conditions. We stock the ‘Marble Queen’ variation, which features delicate, white marble variegation across the leaves. Devil’s Ivy enjoys regular misting, although not essential for this plant.

 

 

 

Howea Forsteriana – Kentia Palm – Tropical

Commonly known as Kentia Palm, Thatch Palm, or Palm Court Palm. The Kentia Palm is widely regarded as an easy-care house plant, with deep green, glossy leaves that look energetically architectural and very impressive, especially when paired with softer, rounded foliage house plants. They require minimal attention and offer wonderful benefits to your home. This striking houseplant derives its latin name from its place of origin – Lord Howe Island in Australia.  

The Kentia Palm is a serene, tropical plant addition and has frequently featured in art, design and editorial material throughout history, often decorating official government buildings and stately homes. During the 19th and 20th centuries, the British people were deeply fascinated by exotic plants and as a result the Kentia Palm is widely associated with Victorian high society, whereby the social elite would decorate their abodes with large, towering Kentia Palms as a sign of prestige and sophistication. Now, you see them often printed as a motif in media depicting tropical scenes.

Kentia Palms love a spot with bright but indirect light. They can tolerate early morning or late afternoon sunlight on their leaves, but no hot, midday sun. The key to keeping your Kentia Palm thriving is to ensure the soil is never too wet otherwise this will lead to root rot. Allow the top two inches of soil to dry during the summer months before rewatering, and during winter allow at least half of the soil to dry in between waterings. Being a tropical plant, they typically enjoy high levels of humidity although they fare well in normal humidity levels typical of most UK homes. In addition to their eye-catching presence, they are also incredible air purifying plants and a must-have for any modern or period home. 

 

Sansevieria – Snake Plant - Succulent

Widely regarded as an unkillable houseplant, this attractive succulent, Sansevieria or ‘Snake Plant’ - described as such due to its undulating foliage - is a virtually indestructible succulent plant, making it another perfect option for beginners wanting to build their indoor plant collection. With a resurgence in popularity as of late, the Snake Plant is a great option for houseplant collectors seeking an indoor succulent that is low maintenance.

Give this easy-going house plant an ample dose of natural light and they’ll be happy. For visible growth, ensure they are placed in a spot with bright light. They can also tolerate most humidity levels and even areas with strong draughts or very dry air, which is often the reason why they are so well-suited to homes in the UK.

The Snake Plant is native to Africa and Southern Asia, with an ideal temperature range of 18-24 degrees. Unlike other succulents, the Snake Plant doesn’t need a tonne of direct light so they fare very well in homes with shadier spots, or rooms with multiple light conditions that change frequently through the course of the day.

Read more about Sansevieria requirements here. 

 

Maranta – Prayer Plant - Tropical

The ever-popular Maranta – an incredibly easy houseplant to care for and a great beginner houseplant. 

Maranta is a curious plant, with leaves that lay flat during daylight hours and slowly turn upwards as the night draws in, resembling hands in prayer. Their intriguing behaviour had led to the Maranta being widely regarded as a highly desirable addition to any indoor plant enthusiast’s collection. These too are low maintenance, offering you peace of mind and a plant that is very aesthetically pleasing due to their soft, rounded leaves with distinctive patterns of contrasting colours that look as delicate as silk paintings. 

The Maranta genus originates from the rainforests of South America so they do require moderate amounts of humidity, however due to their easy-going nature they will happily tolerate general humidity conditions present in our homes. Bright, indirect light will allow your Maranta to flourish.

We often stock a wide range of Maranta at Forest and can cater to different space requirements. You can learn more about Maranta requirements here.

 

 

 

Draceana – Succulent Shrub

Draceana is a houseplant that is  very easy to care for, originally native to parts of Southern Spain, Portugal, tropical Africa and Western Morocco. Due to their large genus, they come in a plethora of different colours, patterns and foliage. Draceana do best in very bright but indirect light and a warm room, but they can tolerate a drop in temperature and lower light levels over winter. The warmer and brighter the space, the more frequently you will have to water – just be careful not to place your Draceana in direct light as this will cause the leaves to scorch and brown, as will being too close to a draught or heat source.

Due to their origin, they are also incredibly tolerant of erratic and minimal watering, making them a perfect option if you are often away. A general rule of them with Draceana is to underwater rather than overwater. 

Learn more about Draceana requirements here.

 

 

Yucca – Succulent Shrub

Native to arid regions of North and Central America, the Yucca plant with their distinctive cluster of sword-shaped leaves, will add a touch of the desert landscape to your home. They are unique, low maintenance, and come in a hugely diverse range of plant types, offering plenty of choice for your next ornamental desert-style indoor plant. Similar to Draceana, the Yucca species stores water in its trunk so prefers to be dry over moist, meaning they can be left for longer periods of time and still remain content. The Yucca is a strong choice as an easy-care houseplant for beginners and experts alike.

This distinctive succulent enjoys bright direct light or bright, indirect light if the former isn’t possible, but ideally only in short bursts of around 2-3 hours.

 

 

Spathiphyllum - Peace  Lily – Tropical 

Another hugely popular house plant, the Peace Lily, scientifically known as Spathiphyllum, features dark green, glossy, soft leaves punctuated with contrasting white flowers. Peace Lilies are very easy to grow, often requiring conditions that emulate the rainforest floor. They are tropical, evergreen plants that originate from Central and South America, so dappled sunlight and consistent moisture levels are the ideal requirements.

The beautiful white flowers offer a refreshing aesthetic and sit well with plants requiring similar light conditions – so next to Maranta, Calathea, Begonia or Aspidistra, for example. Moisture levels are the most important factor for Peace Lilies, so keep the soil lightly moist to the touch but not overly saturated.

Photo by Maria Elizabeth on Unsplash

 

Strelizia Nicolai  - Bird of Paradise - Tropical

Strelizia Nicolai, commonly known as the Wild Banana or Giant White Bird of Paradise, is a gentle-looking plant with large elongated leaves. They thrive in warm, sunny spots with good humidity so place yours by a window that receives good amounts of light throughout the day.

Strelizia is a plant originally native to South Africa. They are a popular indoor plant because of their capabilities to easily grow at scale, and for their uplifting qualities as a majestic, tropical plant.

 

 

Ficus Lyrata /Fiddle Leaf Fig – Tropical

Fycus Lyrata, also known as the Fiddle Leaf Fig, is a houseplant with large, leathery leaves and plump-looking foliage. Originating from the tropics, they enjoy plenty of bright light and lots of humidity. Watering is minimal, only requiring a top up approximately after two thirds of the soil has dried out, making them very easy to care for and difficult to experience neglect.

Learn more about Fycus Lyrata requirements here.

 

 

Pilea Peperomiodes - Chinese Money Plant – Tropical/Sub-tropical

Pilea, commonly known as the Chinese Money Plant or Friendship Plant, rounds up our selection of most popular easy-care and unkillable house plants. Displaying delicate clusters of lily-pad shaped leaves set atop delicate stems, this extremely pleasing indoor plant is a fantastic addition to any home.

The main consideration with this house plant is the light conditions. Pilea prefers bright but indirect light. They can tolerate a couple of hours of direct light in the mornings or late afternoon, but otherwise keep them out of areas subject to harsh sun. Originating from a tropical region, they prefer to have moist soil at all times, although try not to saturate the plant soil too much. If the leaves start to droop it’s usually a sign that your pilea needs a soak, and yellowing will indicate too much water.

You can learn about the Pilea in depth here.

 

We regularly change our plant offering at Forest to keep selections fresh and interesting, maintaining a wide array of indoor houseplants that cater to beginners and expert plant enthusiasts. We have an extensive range of easy-care plants online but you can always pop into one of our shops to view our full selection. Our frequent rotation of plant stock keeps the selection interesting for our community, but we always make sure to have a wide range of plants that are low maintenance and very easy to care for. If you are looking for a particular plant or have any specific questions our team is always happy to help and available to chat at either shop.