Best Houseplants for Beginners

Gardening is one of those hobbies that everyone has thought to start at some point. But we all know what happens – you get this beautiful, exotic plant, you place it in the centre of your living room, and it dies after a month. You get another one, this time a different species, and the whole story repeats itself. Quite discouraging, we know…

But what if we told you that your gardening skills aren’t the problem, but the type of plant you got as a beginner is? You see, some plants are really hard to take care of – they have strict watering schedules, need to be in a room with a specific temperature or, to put it simply: aren’t made for newbie gardeners.

So, if you are a newbie at taking care after plants, what do you need to get? A newbie plant.

That said, In this article, we are going to cover:

• the best plants for beginner gardeners;
• some typical characteristics, so you don’t buy the wrong kind;
• and how to keep your new baby plant alive;

Low-maintenance indoor plants

Ready to upgrade your home with pretty plants that can practically take care of themselves? Below you’ll find list the easiest plants to take care of and instructions on how to exactly do that:

Succulents and Cacti

Let’s start with the basics – succulents and cacti plants. Everyone knows that these two indoor plant options can practically take care of themselves. In terms of looks, succulents are desert plants and like most, they have thick, fleshy leaves. The most popular types of succulents are the echeveria rosettes, agave and aloe. The plant doesn’t like too much water, so keep that in mind. Place succulents in brighter rooms and make sure that their pots are well-drained.

We all know how cacti look like – they can come in all shapes in sizes. You can get a barrel cactus, one with paddles, a blooming one – the options are endless. Like succulents, cacti are really easy to take care of and don’t require much attention.

Bromeliads

The bromeliad is a plant that doesn’t receive the recognition it deserves. Yes, it’s a bit more difficult to make it bloom, but it’s not impossible. Still, even flower-less, the bromeliad is a beautiful plant with long, sleek leaves perfect for a starter gardener.

Bromeliad plants are jungle plants, meaning that they like sun, warmth, moisture and humidity. Basically, if you are planning to get such a plant for your home, you’ll need to find it a sunny spot in, preferably in a warmer room.

Spider Plant

Spider plants are a staple to every home. Every gardener starts with one of these in their living room and that is no surprise – these plants are majestic. They grow fairly fast and look very pretty in hanging baskets. As the spider plant grows, it will start to form plantlets and long stems that hang from the pot.

Generally, spider plants don’t require much – place the pot in a bright room, water regularly, make sure that the soil is well-drained, and keep away from the cat.

Dracaena Species

There is a wide variety of dracaena plants on the market to choose from. Their leaves come in all different colours and there are species that are even tri-coloured. We recommend going for the D. draco and D. marginata – as a beginner gardener, you will find taking care of these plants easy as a piece of cake.

Dracaena plants thrive in areas with filtered indoor light and don’t like to be overwatered. Never place the plant under direct sunlight and if you see yellowing, you’re most likely overwatering it.

Lucky Bamboo

You won’t believe the survival abilities that lucky bamboo has. You can leave it in the darkest, coldest room and don’t water it for weeks, and the plant will still stay alive. Due to this reason, you can see office spaces filled with forgotten pots of happy lucky bamboo plants. And as the same states, people believe that this sort of dracaena plant brings luck and generates positive energy – basically, it’s good to have one in your home.

Outdoor plants for newbies

Now that we’ve filled your home with beautiful and most importantly – easy to take care of plants, it’s time for your garden space. Planting and maintaining flowers and shrubs in the garden may seem hard, but it really does depend on what you’re planning to grow. That being said, here are a few good beginner plant options:

Honeysuckle

If you’ve never tried growing climbing plants, but always wanted to, honeysuckle is a very good option for beginner gardeners. Overall the plant is just very interesting to look at and it’s fantastic if you are trying to mask an old fence or a chipped wall.

In terms of care, honeysuckle doesn’t need much – it likes both sunny and shady areas and can be grown in any kind of soil. It’s a semi-evergreen plant, which means that you’ll get to enjoy beautiful, green foliage throughout the whole year. When the weather gets a bit warmer, you can expect delicate and sweet-smelling flowers.

Fuchsia

Fuschia is a more exotic type of plant, originating from Chile, Argentina and Mexico. As the name suggests, the fuschia flower is bright pink in colour and hummingbirds are in love with it. The beautiful flower produces tasty berries, from which you can make amazing jam. The fuchsia petals are also edible and many people use them in salads or as cake decoration.

When planting fuchsia, make sure to do in the spring months and in an area with dappled shade. Keep the soil moist, but not overwatered and well-drained. The only downside is that if you want to have beautiful fuchsia flowers in your garden, you’ll have to plant them annually due to the climate in the UK.

Buddleja

Buddleja, famously known as the “Butterfly bush” (we will explain why later), is one of Britain’s most popular garden plants. The shrub grows long spires of tiny flowers, which can range from a white colour to vibrant pink, burgundy and, of course – the classic violet. Due to its pretty colours and amazing aroma, buddleja, as mentioned earlier, attracts many butterflies, making your garden look even more beautiful.

Generally, the buddleja flower is low-maintenance. It doesn’t have any specific requirements – it can grow on sunny, partially shaded areas and planted in any kind of soil. The only thing you have to make sure of is to prune it regularly, because buddleja has the tendency to grow very large in size if left on its own.

Forsythia

If you want a plant that will survive the harsh UK winter and doesn’t require much care, forsythia is the one to choose for your beginner’s garden. The plant has beautiful bright yellow flower petals and can grow quite large. If you like hedge-like plants, forsythia may be a good option for your green space.

The only things a Forsythia hedge needs is a bit of sun, some good soil and regular trimming sessions.

Pansies

We just can’t end our list without mentioning pansies – one of UK’s all-time favourite flowers. This type of flower is made for complete gardening newbies – it’s extremely hard to kill, can survive through harsh, winter temperatures and doesn’t require a lot of attention.

Need a helping hand with your new plants?

Now that you’ve got a good idea of what kind of flowers and plants you want in your garden, it’s time to roll up your sleeves and get to planting.

What’s that? You don’t have any gardening tools and don’t know where to start?

Well, Fantastic Services is here to save the day!

We offer a wide variety of gardening services that can help you start your dream garden. The technicians are especially trained and can perform anything from flower planting and lawn mowing to tree pruning and hedge trimming. Oh, and did we mention that you actually get 2 professionals, armed with every single gardening tool that you can imagine? How Fantastic is that? So, what are you waiting for? Make your dream garden a reality with Fantastic Services today!

Takeaways

• No matter the type of plant you decide to get, it’s always best to ask your florist for instructions on how to take care of it.
• Start with one plant – it will just be easier for you. We understand how exciting it is to enter a shop filled with beautiful flowers and weirdly-shaped plants, but try to restrain yourself from buying everything you see.
• If your plant dies, don’t give up! Just get an even lower maintenance one, like a cactus, for example, and try again – you’ll get the hang of it sooner or later.

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Did you find our article helpful? Make sure to leave your thoughts in the comment section below and share the type of beginner plant you got for your home!