Without plants, a room can be rather bare when it comes to interior design. But many people struggle to keep house plants alive and tend to go for plastic alternatives without thinking twice about what real plants can do for the home and look pretty.

Here is a list of some houseplants that are generally easy to care for and their benefits.

The Peace Lily

Not only does the peace lily look gorgeous, but it is also a very low-maintenance plant and can thrive in conditions that don’t have much sunlight. Peace lilies are quite prone to being a bit dramatic, but once you know what the problem is (usually just a slight lack of water), the plant should be back to its normal look.

An ideal place for them to thrive the most is the bathroom, where it has the special ability to absorb moisture/mildew. In the Chinese practice of arranging furniture and objects to create a better living space (Feng Shui), peace lilies are considered to have a positive energy that can brighten up any room

2. The Monstera Deliciosa

*Source: Ellie Cooper, The Monstera Deliciosa*

The Monstera Deliciosa is an easy-to-care-for plant that provides its carer with a range of benefits.

During NASA’s clean air study, they found that plants with large leaves, like the monstera, can remove toxins from the air. Allowing these plants in our homes can help remove any nasty toxins in our air.

The artistic style of a leaf can provide an ornamental aspect in your home that can make a room look even more beautiful. It is always exciting when a monstera develops a new leaf, as when it does, you can see the curled-up leaf unravel over a few days.

2. The Jade Plant

The Jade Plant is a personal favourite of mine because it was the first-ever plant that I bought. It was only around 2cm tall at the time, but now seven years later, it is over 30cm tall and continues to grow.

This plant is, by far, one of the easiest to look after; all they need is a good drainage pot as they don’t require a lot of water, nor do they need a lot of sunlight.

They aren’t hard to take care of in terms of pruning either because of their slow growth rate; however, when they need to be pruned, the cuttings are very easy to propagate, so you can make many more jade plants and gift them to others.

Not to mention, jade plants always look gorgeous in any room and can help reduce stress and anxiety levels.

4. English Ivy

In the colder months of the year, mould can sometimes be a pest in households, but English ivy is known to be great at tackling mould molecules.

Not only is this plant easy to care for, but it acts as a great decoration inside the home, particularly in bathrooms where they thrive on humidity.

The leafy stems are great at climbing or trickling down the side of something, like a cabinet, which can add a forest-like aspect to a room.

5. The Weeping Fig Tree

*Source: Ellie Cooper, The Weeping Fig Tree*

The weeping fig tree needs plenty of sunlight (not direct), but it is generally easy to care for. It isn’t just aesthetically pleasing to have the little tree in your home; it is also another provider of cleansing air toxins in the household.

This tree symbolises peace and spirituality in Indonesia and Thailand as it is the same tree that Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha) sat underneath when reaching enlightenment. It also provides health treatments commonly used in indigenous communities in Asia.

If cared for properly, the weeping fig tree can grow to be around six to ten feet tall, which makes it a plant for life.

A guide to easy indoor plants