Houseplants: Names, Photos and Care — a Catalogue

Houseplants bring a home to life, adding colour and mood. Here is a catalogue of houseplants with names and short descriptions, from easy “unkillable” plants for beginners to flowering orchids and large tropical showpieces. Each plant links to a detailed care guide, and the basics of watering, repotting and feeding are at the end.

More on this topic: unkillable houseplants, most beautiful houseplants, why houseplants get sick.

Easy-care houseplants

• ZZ plant: the “dollar tree”, goes weeks without water and tolerates shade.
• Peace lily: white flowers and drooping leaves that tell you when to water.
• Dracaena: an “indoor palm” with a tuft of leaves on a trunk that lives for decades.
• Ivy: indoor ivy for shelves and hanging pots, happy even far from a window.
• More hard-to-kill plants in unkillable houseplants.

Foliage and statement plants

• Monstera: a tropical climber with split leaves: deliciosa, albo, monkey.
• Ficus: from the rubber plant to the fiddle-leaf and dwarf varieties.
• Weeping fig: a small-leaved tree that dislikes being moved and draughts.
• Plectranthus: “indoor mint” with fragrant leaves, fast-growing.
• Fittonia and hypoestes: bright netted and spotted leaves for terrariums.
• More in foliage houseplants.

Flowering houseplants

• Orchid: the phalaenopsis blooms for months; see orchid types.
• Cattleya: an orchid with large fragrant flowers that loves bright light.
• African violets: compact, flowering almost all year, in thousands of varieties.
• Potted rose: a miniature rose that needs cool conditions and light.
• Indoor jasmine: a fragrant climber that blooms in winter and spring.
• Primrose: a bright spring primrose for the windowsill.
• Potted hydrangea: lush flower heads; plant it out in the garden afterwards.

Winter-flowering plants

• Poinsettia: the Christmas star with red bracts.
• Amaryllis: a bulb with huge trumpet flowers.
• Hippeastrum: the amaryllis relative that’s easy to force for the holidays.
• Camellia: elegant winter flowers, but it needs cool conditions.
• More in houseplants that bloom in winter.

Sun-loving plants and citrus

• Aloe: a succulent for the brightest window, water sparingly.
• Calamondin: a citrus tree with tiny mandarins.
• Callistemon: an Australian shrub with bottlebrush flowers.
• Full list in sun-loving houseplants.

Care basics

• Watering: most plants die from overwatering, not drought — how to water houseplants.
• Repotting and pots: how to repot and choosing a pot.
• Feeding: natural fertilisers for houseplants.
• Winter: protecting plants during the heating season.
• Problems: 10 symptoms of disease and 10 ways to kill a plant.

Plants and health

• Do houseplants purify the air: what science says.
• Allergenic houseplants to avoid if you have allergies.
• Many aroids (monstera, peace lily, ZZ plant) contain calcium oxalate, so keep them away from pets.

A flowering plant as a gift

A potted orchid blooms for months and reminds them of you longer than a bouquet.

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See houseplants and orchids.

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FAQ

Which houseplants are easiest?

ZZ plant, dracaena, peace lily, ivy and spider plant.

Which houseplants flower longest?

Phalaenopsis orchids, African violets, peace lilies and anthuriums.

Which plants suit a dark room?

ZZ plant, peace lily, ivy and aglaonema.

How often should houseplants be watered?

It depends on the species; most need water when the top layer of soil is dry.

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Author: Maria Svitlovir

Graduated from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Institute of Biology and Medicine (2001). BSc in Biology, MSc in Horticulture. Writes about plants, works at a garden centre selecting and repotting plants, and contributes to plant reference guides.