Brighten your home with these top five house plants, to elevate your décor, add a calming touch and even help purify the air you breathe.
Ranging from fabulous foliage to beautiful blooms and show-stopping specimens, house plants are believed to reduce stress, boost the immune system and positively promote feelings of wellbeing.
Best house plant for kitchens – String of Pearls
Image: Senecio ‘String of Pearls’ from Suttons
Senecio String of Pearls is a lovely low-maintenance choice for a sunny spot that has bright, indirect light for most of the day. Great for shelves and windowsills, this trailing plant will thrive with minimal maintenance.
Best house plant for bathrooms – Snake Plant/Mother-In-Law’s Tongue
Image: Sansevieria Trifasciata Var. Laurentii from Suttons
Almost impossible to kill, the Snake Plant or Mother-In-Law’s Tongue (Sansevieria trifasciata laurentii) is brilliant for bathrooms, where its long, vertical leaves add an architectural element without taking up too much space.
Many house plants filter toxins and clean the air and a NASA study found that mother-in-law’s tongue and peace lily plants to be particularly effective at filtering formaldehyde, benzene and other chemicals. Find out more about air-purifying houseplants in our blog.
Best house plant for bedrooms – Peace Lily
Image: Peace Lily from Suttons
With lush, glossy leaves and elegant white spathes, peace lilies are easy to grow and require minimal maintenance. Add this handsome house plant to your bedrooms for its air-purifying properties and luscious looks.
Best house plant for living rooms – Swiss Cheese Plant
Image: Monstera Deliciosa from Suttons
The Swiss Cheese Plant (Monstera deliciosa) boasts large, glossy green leaves with attractive holes and can reach 250cm tall. A tropical-looking talking point for your living room, train your plant up a moss pole for added impact, and its aerial roots will take moisture from the atmosphere.
Best house plant for conservatories – Bird of Paradise
Image: Strelitzia Bird Of Paradise from Suttons
Strelitzia (Bird of Paradise) plants make a great addition to the conservatory and can also be moved outdoors during the summer. Loved for its bird-like blooms and blue-green, paddle-shaped leaves, it’s a great choice for adding a touch of the tropics to your garden room and can reach grand proportions.
Top tips for caring for house plants in the winter
Image: Suttons
As winter approaches and levels of sunlight drop, many houseplants enter their dormant stage, which means their watering and feeding requirements fall significantly. Each plant variety has differing needs, so it’s advisable to refer to their labels, but here are some general tips for winter house plant care.
- Water dormant plants less, reducing to just once every two weeks and stop watering cacti entirely
- Note: winter-flowering plants will require watering whenever the compost feels dry
- Position plants closer to windows or place in the conservatory, so they receive more hours of daylight
- Wipe leaves clean of dust and build-up, so your plant can process the available daylight
- Plants prefer a near constant temperature, so position them away from cold draughts and warm radiators
- Stop adding plant feed until the spring
- Check both sides of the leaves for pests and remove any that you find
- It’s natural to see a few dropped leaves, so don’t panic!
Now you know the top 5 house plants for UK homes!
Learn more about caring for house plants in our blog, including pet-friendly varieties and growing advice.
Lead image: Air Purifying Houseplant Collection (House Plant) from Suttons
