Photo: sk/FlickrAs a professional landscaper, your clients often come to trust you as an expert in all things plants. While this may or may not be true, the truth is that the indoor domain is just as important to many homeowners as their outdoor landscaping.
If you’ve ever been asked for houseplant suggestions by clients and wish you had better recommendations to give them, fear not — here are 10 wonderful and easy to care for plants that will brighten up any home.
Photo: WikipediaCast Iron Plant
Care Level: Low
The aptly-named cast iron plant is one of the hardier houseplants you can recommend. It might not be the most visually striking plant out there, but it provides a lush green background in a room. You can recommend the ‘Lennon’s Song’ or ‘Okame’ variety if a client wants a bit more color and variegation. Care-wise, they’re quite tolerant of neglect and grow slowly. As long as they’re given a modest amount of sun and water, they’ll trudge along.
Photo: WikipediaMoney Tree Plant
Care Level: Low
While there are many plants with the money tree plant moniker, the one we’re talking about here is Pachira aquatica. It’s recognizable by the signature braiding of its trunks by many commercial growers, usually weaving three money tree plants into one. As far as care, the leaves of the money tree plant are what to look at to determine what it needs. If they begin to yellow, the plant needs more sun. Water it once a week or when the soil is dry to about two inches deep.
Photo: jalexartis Photography/FlickrSnake Plant
Care Level: Low
The humble snake plant is in my top three “unkillable” houseplant recommendations, mostly because it’s an indoor succulent. In general, succulents require less care than more finicky plants, and the snake plant is no exception. Recommended varieties are ‘Black Gold,’ ‘Black Robusta,’ and the oddly-shaped ‘Cylindrica.’ So long as they get bright, indirect light and are watered minimally (they’re succulents, after all), they should thrive indoors.
Photo: WikipediaSpider Plant
Care Level: Low
Another incredibly popular indoor houseplant is the spider plant. It’s similar in appearance to a snake plant, but a bit more finicky as it’s not a succulent. That said, it’s still easy to care for as long as it’s given at least twelve hours of bright, indirect light per day. When given this much light, it’ll also produce more babies for propagation, so your clients can fill their home with spider plants! Recommended varieties: ‘Zebra,’ ‘Variegatum.’
Photo: Nelson Pavlosky/FlickrZZ Plant
Care Level: Low
The ZZ plant (Zamioculcas zamiifolia) is by far the hardiest indoor plant you can recommend. There are reports of 10- to 12-year-old ZZ plants found at estate sales that have barely been cared for in that time that are still alive and kicking. It’s incredibly slow to propagate, so recommend that clients buy established adult plants at garden centers to outfit their home with this unique and hardy houseplant.
Photo: Mauricio Mercadante/FlickrDracaena Marginata
Care Level: Low
If you want to recommend a spikier houseplant, look no further than the dracaena marginata. It’s hardy, slow-growing, and absolutely beautiful. Try the ‘Tricolor’ or ‘Colorama’ varieties for even more color. These plants require partial shade, otherwise their delicate leaves burn. Aside from lighting requirements, they require little water and grow slowly, so you will not have to repot often.
Photo: PixabayJasmine Plant
Care Level: Medium
The jasmine plant has a long and storied history, and makes a wonderful indoor houseplant with their year-round blooms. Recommend ‘Spanish jasmine,’ ‘Winter jasmine’ and ‘Dwarf jasmine’ if you want a few unique varieties for clients. Care-wise, jasmine requires full sun to light shade, making them perfect for windowsills. They also love well-draining and slightly sandier soil.
Photo: PixabayElephant Ear Plant
Care Level: Medium-High
The elephant ear plant is a bit fussy, but the extra care required to grow it successfully is well worth the beautiful appearance. There are dozens of cultivars, but ‘Amazonica,’ ‘Black Beauty,’ ‘Coffee Cup’ and ‘Midori Sour’ are all wonderful recommendations. Most varieties prefer partial shade and love moisture. They need to be away from strong winds and the soil should always be moist or even partially submerged in water.
Photo: WikipediaChristmas Cactus
Care Level: Medium
Despite the name, the Christmas cactus can be grown throughout the year – they just bloom around Christmas time. They’re a wonderful succulent to add to small pots indoors. Seeing as they’re indoor succulents, they aren’t cared for like you would a normal succulent. They like warm temperatures, but not much direct light. Water when soil is dry an inch deep and you’ll have a healthy Christmas cactus.
Photo: PixabayJade Plant
Care Level: Low-Medium
Jade plants are gorgeous and come in many varieties. ‘Tricolor,’ ‘Variegata’ and ‘Gollum’ are all nice recommendations for clients. They’re also incredibly easy to care for, requiring medium bright light (about 3-4’ from a window) and minimal watering. You’ll know it’s overdue for a watering if the succulent leaves begin to wrinkle.
There we have it — 10 recommendations for houseplants, most of which are easy to care for and add wonderful variety to a client’s home. There are many more where these came from, but these are all tried and true houseplants that will brighten up just about any home.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This article was written by Kevin Espiritu. Espiritu is a plant lover and urban gardener. He grows using every method possible – hydroponics, aquaponics, small spaces, etc. and teaches hundreds of thousands of people how to do the same over at www.epicgardening.com.
