Recently, I’ve been really getting into indoor plants. Since the beginning of quarantine, I have amassed over twenty houseplants. I do not consider myself an expert by any means, but if you’d like to start your plant collection here are a few good starter plants!
Pothos (Epipremnum aureum): Pothos are vining plants that are able to thrive in almost any type of lighting. The great thing about pothos is how many varieties there are. With over five species of pothos, your indoor jungle will look so diverse with all these funky leaf patterns. They require bright indirect light/partial shade and in order for them to thrive, a humid environment is best. Pothos is a plant that tells you what they need; if their leaves become brown and withered they are receiving too much sun, if their leaves begin to curl they need to be watered. Pothos can be found at most nurseries and other gardening retailers!
Philodendron (Philodendron): Similar to Pothos, Philodendron are also vining plants. Philodendron has significantly more variations of species than the pothos and the differences between them can make them look like completely different plant families. Overall, philodendrons are hardy plants and let you know what they need, similar to pothos. Philodendrons like to be dried out between waterings and they also love humid environments. Philodendron may be less common than pothos at mainstream retailers such as Home Depot or Lowe’s, but any local nursery is sure to have at least one type of Philodendron!
Maranta (Maranta): Maranta, which is also known by the nickname Prayer Plant, is a more bushy plant than pothos and philodendron. There are also quite a few varieties of Maranta, each of them having this “Prayer” effect of closing their leaves at night and opening them in the morning, mimicking hands opening and closing in prayer. These plants are so entertaining and their leaf patterns are simply beautiful. One thing they have in common with pothos and philodendrons is that they LOVE humid environments. It’s pretty much a given that any houseplant could use a nice humid environment. Maranta requires low maintenance, only watering when the leaves are noticeably flimsy or droopy, and only indirect light/partial shade. Whereas philodendrons and pothos are able to survive really anywhere in almost any condition, maranta are pickier, and these easy conditions are a must for them.
While I only listed three types of plants, you could fill your home with more than one hundred different variations of all three of these plants combined. As you feel more comfortable with easier plants, you might try venturing off to more picky plants, such as Alocasia, Monstera, or Fittonia plants. Happy planting!