My grandmother once told me that if you can’t afford much, spend your money on fresh flowers or plants, and your house will always feel like a home. I took her very seriously and when I was in grad school and couldn’t afford anything I spent my only two hundred dollars for decorating on a huge fiddle leaf fig tree I found on craigslist. But, I never regretted it for a second. That tree became a focal piece in my home for years and I built the room around it. And even more so, she was right, it always felt like a fresh home.
Plants are your best friend and the easiest life upgrade you can make. Feeling stale at home or in the office? Get a plant. Just had a breakup, get a plant. Winter blues got you down, get a plant. Need some new creative vibes, get a plant! See? It works for everything. Plants offer literal new oxygen into the room, brighten a space, and are a living thing that can figuratively keep you company (I named my tree Clarence).
So below I’ve got a quick list of my favorite house plants for whatever kind of green thumb you’ve got. Don’t worry if you’re the kind of person who kills everything, we’ve even got some ideas for you:
FIDDLE LEAF FIG
These cuties can get really big and they fetch a good price these days as they are plastered all over Pinterest. But, they are worth the money and they can completely make a room. They tend to be a little fickle so don’t move them often, and only water them once a week, at the same day and the same time (I know, such divas). They like some natural light but not too much, put them near a window but don’t let them get blasted.
ENGLISH IVY
Not only does it look really pretty but scientists say that it’s one of the most effective plants at filtering the air inside your house. And we trust them because they are scientists. They like medium sunlight and care little about all else. They’re super easy to grow and won’t give you much grief.
MOTHER OF TONGUE (AKA SNAKE PLANT)
These look really cool and can come in varying hues of green. They also need, like, nothing. Really little water and really little light – so for those of you who travel a lot or simply forget to water them, or possibly live in a basement apartment, these are for you.
SUCCULENTS
Adding onto the snake plant genre, if you kill most plants then try your hand at succulents. They hardly need water and are super cute. You can pick a bunch of little different ones and plant them together for a cool look, they also make really good gifts because their burden is so minimal. Scared of buying plants? Start here.
PHILODENDRON
My mother always had these all over the house, and now I understand why. They look good, they grow gorgeous vines, and they’re pretty cheap in stores. If you take good care of them they will last you a lifetime and look fabulous hanging from the ceiling. If the leaves yellow you’re watering them too much, if the get brown and crusty they’re dried up. You can also slice off a vine and start a new one by rooting it in a glass of water and then replanting it.
There are few things that will freshen up a room quite like these lovelies. If you’re living that broke life (like me) then you can propagate (cut off a leaf and grow roots in a glass of water) and start making your own little frankenstein house garden. Plus, plants make great gifts for friends!
(Featured image via our vina @SummerLambert)
VINAZINE 