How to Select Houseplants

Learn to Select the Right Houseplants for Your Needs

Even in a crowded house, a little imagination reveals plenty of places for houseplants. On top of the refrigerator, nestled on a bookcase, on a piano, or in the corner of a bathroom are all great spots for plants. Houseplants can help decorate a room, add to the décor, bring a sense of style and even bring a sense of the outdoors inside. Best of all, many are easy to maintain with very little effort. As long as you provide the plant with the moisture, potting soil, plant food and light it requires, you should be successful with virtually any houseplant.

For excellent results, fill pots with easy-to-water Miracle-Gro® Indoor Potting Mix, which is less prone to pesky gnats. You'll also want to feed plants regularly with Miracle-Gro® Indoor Plant Food, designed to give houseplants just the right kind and amount of nutrition—instantly. (Be sure to follow label directions.)

Reading chair in the corner with house plants

Match Plants to the Space You Have

When choosing the best houseplants for you, take a look at your space. In a small house or apartment, you may not have room for a big palm tree or full-sized dracaena plant. But an African violet produces colorful blooms, is easy to maintain, and doesn't take up much room. You could also hang a spider plant from the ceiling. Or, perhaps that sunny table in the corner would be just the space for an aloe plant or miniature succulent garden.

Cluster of succulent plants in containers

Select Plants for Your Light Conditions

If your house doesn't get much light, you may still be able to grow houseplants that don't require a lot of direct natural light. Try growing pothos, heart-leaf philodendron, snake plant, arrowhead vine, cast iron plant, dieffenbachia or Chinese evergreen. A great option if you're looking for a plant that will flower in low-light growing conditions is the peace lily. If you have bright, sunny spots in your home, try growing Norfolk Island pine, dracaena, fiddle leaf fig, spider plant, croton plant, jade, or rubber plant.

Get Inspiration

If you see a plant you like in someone's home, ask them what it is and what it needs to grow along with where it was purchased. For other ideas, just visit your local nursery or garden center, browse Pinterest, surf the Internet, pick up a book at the library, or check out our Indoor Gardening section. Florists often sell houseplants and are knowledgeable sources who can help match plants to your specific conditions.

Orchids and other indoor plants hanging on the wall

Decorate - Let Houseplants Say Something About Your Style

Houseplants aren't just green. African violets, cyclamen, poinsettias, and paperwhites are a few plants that provide color during dreary winter and early spring months, and the leaves of the croton plant are glorious shades of red, yellow, and orange year-round. Succulents also come in a range of lovely colors. There are plenty of options for adding a little vibrant color to your home.

Indoor plants and decorative containers on a kitchen counter.

Select Decorative Plant Containers

Mix up container sizes, shapes, colors, and materials, like copper pots, ceramic glazed pots, and lined wicker-style pots. And don't forget plant stands, shelves, and other decorating ideas to help add some spice to your indoors.