Our 5 Favourite Stylish Plants that are Super Easy to Care ForšŸŒ²šŸŒæ

Lets bring the outdoors insideā€¦

Intique
INTIQUE
6 min readMay 13, 2019

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Iā€™m James Broad, a lover of all things vintage and Co-founder of Intique, a marketplace with personality selling vintage and antique furniture with character.

Indoor plants should be an essential component of every interior. They are the easiest way to bring the outside in and have so many benefits. They add a sense of lushness and colour to your interior and will give your home a summer feeling all year round, not to mention an increase in fresh oxygen floating around your home šŸ˜.

Another huge benefit is they donā€™t require much time or attention, they provide hundreds of health benefits and can easily be added in a variety of dĆ©cor themes. If you live somewhere with no garden, I feel your pain, Iā€™m certainly an outdoor person, yet I live in a flat with no garden, so plants have been a great way for me to still feel connected with the outdoors. I have plants on my desk, plants in my bedroom, plants in the bathroom and plants in my living room! So its safe to say, Iā€™m a huge fan of indoor greenery and therefore Iā€™m going to delve into my 5 favourite indoor plants (which, luckily, also require minimal effort.)

So, if youā€™re caring for indoor plants for the first time, Iā€™m hoping my guide will provide you with some handy tips and some information to help our green friends to thrive (and also make you home look pretty awesome at the same time šŸ˜‰)

1. Monstera Deliciosa ā€” AKA Swiss cheese plant

These beautiful looking plants are a must have for any interior. They have a great presence when they mature and they are possibly the easiest plant to care for, so they are great for the people who lead busy lives! They have unmistakable oversized leaves which are a very dark green in colour and look fantastic against a plain white wall.

Keeping this cheesy plant healthy ā€” If you are forgetful or work every hour god sends, this is the plant for you. You only have to water them every 2 weeks or so and can pretty much leave it to its own devices, easy šŸ‘. Theyā€™re also pretty fast growing so iā€™d recommend using a pot/planter which has plenty of space. Once it looks like its outgrown the pot, then change it for another.

2. Senecio Rowleyanus ā€” thatā€™s string of pearls in English

These plants are the perfect hanging plant; on top of a bookcase, on a shelf or on a window sill it will add a bit of character to an otherwise bland space. Its superb pea like leaves create a dramatic effect when you leave them to drape over furniture ā€” I leave mine hanging over my bookcase and it looks šŸ‘Œ. In the wild they actually grow along the ground, trying the find the perfect spot to put down its roots but they are more than happy to comfortably hang wherever you may choose to put them.

Keeping the stringy peeā€™s alive ā€” So these guys donā€™t require much water, in fact you will actually only need to water it once a month! They do require plenty of sun, so make sure to give it this as it will die pretty quick without it. If you have young children or animals, put it somewhere out of reach as these tiny little pea like leaves can make both humans and animals pretty sick if they consume one šŸ¤¢.

3. Indoor Bonsai ā€” The ancient tiny tree šŸŒ²

I love these tiny little trees, they may be small but they are a great talking point in any home! These tiny trees have a rich history and can be dated back over 2000 years. The Chinese began the miniature craze by creating tiny landscapes ā€” the smaller the landscape, the more magical it was believed to be. During the Kamajura period (700 years ago), the Japanese copied the art-form, but instead of creating miniature landscapes, they created miniature trees and this is where the Bonsai tree originates. The word ā€œBonsaiā€ actually means ā€œplanted in a containerā€ (sounds a bit less fancy when you say that though right?) which is how you can make any tree a Bonsai ā€” by restricting its roots to only a small container. Its certainly an art form to successfully cultivate Bonsai trees and it requires techniques such as pinching buds, pruning and wiring branches, and carefully restricting fertilisers which are used to limit and redirect healthy growth.

Caring for your ancient Bonsai ā€” Though initially a little fiddly, once you have got your Bonsai home, they arenā€™t actually as difficult to look after as you may think. I bought my sister a Bonsai for her birthday two years ago, (who letā€™s say, doesnā€™t have the best track record with plantsā€¦ Sorry sis šŸ¤£) yet hers is still going strong! I got hers from All things Bonsai , who I couldnā€™t recommend more. Their website provides you with some excellent tips on how to keep you Bonsai alive and if you follow their instructions you wonā€™t go far wrong.

4. Cacti ā€” Bringing the desert indoors

Cacti are probably the most popular house plant, they look amazing, yet require very little care. Most Cacti come from a dry/harsh environment and are used to surviving weeks with little to no rainfall. Cactus houseplants has the same characteristic, all they need is a bright, sunny spot and a small amount of water once every 2ā€“3 weeks. The best thing about them though, is the range of different plants to choose from ā€” there are literally thousands of species of cacti, all of which are incredibly easy to look after. There are different colours, shapes and sizes meaning you are able to choose one (or more!) which fits well with your decor. They are also a great plant for offices because they can survive with just artificial light, pretty cool right?

Keeping your spiky friend alive ā€” Like I said earlier, Cacti are super easy to care for. They require little water and can survive without real sunlight as long as there is some kind of artificial light.

5. The Yucca ā€” a.k.a ā€œLanterns of Godā€

Yuccaā€™s are a great plant for indoors and there are over 20 species to choose from. Thereā€™s a huge variation in colour so you can choose one which will work best with your decor! During late spring and summer, yuccas may produce dramatic clusters of white, bell-shaped flowers. Cool fact ā€” so striking are these flowers that early settlers of the south-western United States called them ā€œLamparas de Diosā€ or ā€œLanterns of Godā€.

Caring for your Yucca ā€” Luckily these are another plant which require little attention, once placed in a sunny to partly shaded area you will just need to water it once every 10 or so days. If the leaves are fully brown then you arenā€™t watering it enough and if the leaves show brown tips surrounded by a yellow halo you are watering it too much! So keep a close eye on the colour of the leaves and this will indicate what the Yucca needs.

If you have a favourite house plant or a plant that has been super easy to take care of, be sure to let me know in the comments, Iā€™m always looking to add more to my growing collection! šŸ˜

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