Plant collection
Best Plants for Beginners
Just getting started? These forgiving friends won't judge you for forgetting to water. Perfect first plants that actually survive.
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Plants in this collection
Showing 1–24 of 41 plants
Compare the First 4
Rubber Tree Burgundy
Ficus elastica 'Burgundy'
Non-toxic to pets
Polka Dot Plant
Hypoestes phyllostachya
Air Plant
Tillandsia spp.
Non-toxic to pets
Ponytail Palm
Beaucarnea recurvata
Non-toxic to pets
Money Tree
Pachira glabra
Non-toxic to pets
African Violet
Saintpaulia ionantha
Non-toxic to pets
Watermelon Peperomia
Peperomia argyreia
Non-toxic to pets
Pilea
Pilea peperomioides
Dracaena Janet Craig
Dracaena deremensis
Satin Pothos
Scindapsus pictus
Philodendron Birkin
Philodendron 'Birkin'
Philodendron Micans
Philodendron hederaceum 'Micans'
String of Bananas
Senecio radicans
Non-toxic to pets
Peperomia Obtusifolia
Peperomia obtusifolia
Yucca
Yucca elephantipes
Umbrella Plant
Schefflera arboricola
Purple Shamrock
Oxalis triangularis
Non-toxic to pets
Hoya Kerrii
Hoya kerrii
Philodendron Brasil
Philodendron hederaceum 'Brasil'
Golden Pothos
Epipremnum aureum
Peace Lily
Spathiphyllum wallisii
Snake Plant
Sansevieria trifasciata
Non-toxic to pets
Echeveria
Echeveria elegans
Jade Plant
Crassula ovata
About this collection
What to know before you choose
These are the plants we suggest for a first houseplant, or a first few. Nearly all of them are rated "beginner" in their care profiles: forgiving plants that put up with an occasional missed watering or a less-than-ideal spot.
Forgiving is not the same as unkillable. Overwatering is a common way to lose a first plant, so check the soil before you water and use a pot that drains. Light matters too: pothos and snake plant cope with lower light, while succulents such as echeveria and aloe vera need a bright, sunny window. Each profile lists the light, water and humidity the plant prefers.
How we picked
Plants rated beginner in their care profiles (African violet, rated intermediate, is the one exception).
Read the article
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