The beauty of potted houseplants is that so many species adapt to the conditions of our homes to provide year-round interest. Handsome foliage, diverse patterns and colors, and blooms enliven and refresh our indoor spaces throughout the seasons.
For reliable specimens to grace the interior with unflappable good looks, look to those that remain evergreen without a dormancy period. While growth naturally slows in winter, leaves remain to anchor the display. Ease of care and durability, too, make for attractive plants that thrive across varying lighting exposures and indoor conditions. Lastly, dynamic foliage, from architectural to colorful to soft and cascading, adds longlasting appeal.
Houseplants can look great year-round even when not in flower. Enjoy these stately growers all year as they elevate decor and bring the benefits of nature indoors.
Little Swiss Monstera
Monstera vines and climbs with dark green leaves with finely cut openings. This species differs from the larger Monstera deliciosa (also called Swiss cheese plant), whose broader leaves with natural splits and holes comprise a “delicious monster.” Little Swiss makes a more compact grower that fits into versatile spaces. M. deliciosa is also lush year-round and makes a big statement.
Monstera is naturally an understory dweller in dappled light, and the cut leaves are an adaptation to allow sunlight to reach the lower parts of the plant. Little Swiss monstera does well climbing a support structure (with training) as it would a tree trunk in the wild.
Monstera are easy-care, adaptable houseplants. They tolerate low light, though leaf cutouts won’t be as distinct. They also propagate easily and root in water.
Hoya ‘Krimson Queen’
Hoyas are popular for their waxy foliage, vining stems, fragrant blooms, and long lifespan as low-maintenance indoor specimens. Hoya carnosa has vining stems and thick leaves that trail, spill, or climb.
‘Krimson Queen’ boasts variegated foliage, with creamy white and pink margins among green centers. Adding to its pretty appeal are pinkish-white blooms that may emerge on mature plants in the warm months. The pristine, starry blossoms have magenta-red centers and appear in clusters. The foliage alone makes this one worth growing.
The semi-succulents are adaptable and one of the easiest houseplants to grow in varying conditions with few requirements. ‘Krimson Queen’ is a recipient of the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit. They have low water needs and prefer soils that dry slightly between sessions. In brighter light, ‘Krimson Queen’s’ pink shades intensify.
ZZ Plant ‘Raven’
The ZZ, or Zuzu plant, is exceptionally low maintenance, striking a handsome pose all year with few demands. ZZ has a structural form with upright, slightly arching stems and thick, waxy, glossy leaves in dark olive, black, and variegated. ZZ requires little water and can improve air quality by filtering volatile compounds.
The ‘Raven’ ZZ offers a contemporary twist with dark purple-black foliage and stems. New growth emerges light green and darkens as it ages. The deep tones become a rich neutral to other houseplants and decor.
ZZ plants grow in varying exposures, from low to bright and even artificial light. The dark foliage of ‘Raven’ retains the deepest tones in bright to medium indirect light, while green varieties tolerate low-light conditions.
Pothos ‘Pearls and Jade’
Pothos trails and cascades with heart-shaped leaves from grass green to lime to silver, variegated, flecked, and splashed. ‘Pearls and Jade’ features strong variegation with solid milky white portions amongst blue-green surfaces.
This variety has slightly smaller, more ruffled leaves than the straight species (E. aureum has green leaves flecked with gold). ‘Pearls’ is a mutation of ‘Marble Queen,’ another popular variegated variety with creamy white splashes to fresh green foliage.
Pothos are easy-care tropical houseplants that adapt to less-than-ideal conditions, even only artificial light, and look fantastic year-round. Keep them out of direct sun and away from drafts, and the trailing stems will thrill and spill. In more light, they’ll retain the best coloration.
Prune off long stems to retain a full, vining form. Create new plants with the clippings; Pothos propagate easily in water or soil.
Heartleaf Philodendron
Heartleaf, or sweetheart, philodendron has vining stems with glossy heart-shaped leaves. Stems cascade or climb, depending on supports. New leaves emerge in fresh, bright green, darkening as they mature. New growth sometimes has a pinkish-bronze blush for pretty interest among the sweet foliage.
‘Lemon Lime’ adds a pop of chartreuse to brighten the interior display. Numerous variegated varieties like ‘Brasil’ (with a light golden-green central stripe) and ‘Rio’ (silvery white) are splashy. The solid green species is a soft, cascading anchor.
Heartleaf philodendron enjoys an easy culture. This houseplant can live for decades and maintain attractiveness year-round. Native to Mexico, Central, and South America, the rainforest dwellers adapt to more temperate climes given average warmth and humidity indoors. They tolerate less humidity better than some other tropicals.
Blue Star Fern
Blue star fern gets its stellar name from deeply lobed fronds in silvery blue-gray. Billed as one of the easiest ferns to grow, its unique color, texture, and shapely foliage bring a tranquil aesthetic to the interior.
Blue star ferns have epiphytic roots in addition to those growing in soil. They prefer even moisture but tolerate dry conditions. Water when the soil surface feels dry, but avoid overwatering the crown and epiphytic roots. Like many houseplants, overwatering is a top cause of decline.
Blue star boasts Award of Garden Merit Status with its showy fronds and strong performance indoors and in subtropical gardens.
Rubber Plant ‘Burgundy’
Rubber plants have elliptical, leathery leaves in shiny dark green, purple, or variegated. Their broad foliage anchors a space in dramatic form.
‘Burgundy’ becomes a stunning neutral. Its deep, dark foliage and stems in olive and purple-red create a focal point but also complement any space. While rubber plants can reach 30 to 50 feet tall in their native habitat, eight feet at maturity is more likely for indoor specimens. Prune them to manage size.
Rubber plants are content to grow with few needs aside from consistent moisture. ‘Burgundy’ holds onto its purple tones best in bright light. Dust the broad leaves occasionally to ensure the best absorption for photosynthesis and deter pests.
Norfolk Island Pine
Norfolk Island pines are stately with soft evergreen needles on symmetrical branches around a strong, central leader. The evergreen, balanced houseplant is graceful as stems arch slightly and add year-round indoor beauty.
Norfolk Island pines aren’t true pines but part of an ancient family of pre-historic conifers (Araucariaceae). The trees are native to the subtropical South Pacific (Norfolk Island is a small island off Australia). They grow in volcanic soils along seaside cliffs and in temperate rainforests.
The trees now grow around the globe where hardy and make popular gifts at holiday time. They adapt to average household conditions and will grow for years in the right spot. Move them into larger pots as roots become crowded, poking through drainage holes and the soil surface. Wait until that point to repot as a means of controlling size.
Variegated Spider Plant
Spider plants grace hanging baskets, pedestals, or pots with bladed foliage and minimal care needs. Long-lived and adaptable to varying exposures, they become mainstays in the collection.
‘Variegatum’ has slender ribbons of arching blades in green with white margins. They add sparkle, especially when they produce spiderettes—the little plantlets on the ends of long stems that propagate easily. Confined conditions encourage spider plants to produce offshoots.
Everyday household situations are usually fine for spider plants. To raise humidity in dry seasons, group houseplants or place pots on a tray of pebbles filled with water.
African Violet
African violets make the list for year-round interest because of their recurrent blooms. This houseplant’s thick, velvety leaves and delicate, ruffled blooms in saturated hues bring extended year-round color. Blues and deep purples make versatile, rich tones, but any number of colors exist to suit the gardener’s fancy.
European colonists discovered the violets growing in eastern Africa, where they collected seeds and sent them home to Germany. The Royal Botanic Gardens at Herrenhausen took an interest and began cultivation. In 1894, a New York florist introduced them to America. The violets picked up a reputation as being finicky tropicals, likely due to drafty early 1900s homes.
They actually grow well indoors or out with warm temperatures. Humidity and a draft-free spot help them flourish. Well-draining potting mix, or a soilless mix, protects their roots from oversaturation. They need to be slightly pot-bound to initiate flowering.
Prayer Plant
The prayer plant has graphically patterned leaves that rise at night, like praying hands. They lower by day to reveal bold stripes and venation in burgundy, pink, and greens. Leaf undersides, most visible when lifted, are a contrasting dark red or purple. Thick stems slowly trail, ideal for hanging baskets, low bowls, or cascading over a pot.
Maranta is similar to calathea, with dramatic foliage and some of the same growing requirements. Prayer plants need humidity and regular moisture to thrive, cutting back on water in winter. They benefit from filtered or distilled water over treated tap water to avoid fluoride treatments. In too much light, foliage can bleach and fade.
Split Leaf Philodendron
There are over 600 philodendron species in the Arum (Araceae) family, including favorites like split leaf (tree), heartleaf, and fiddleleaf. Many cultivars exist to enliven the interior as adaptable growers.
Split leaf philodendron has deeply lobed leaves with a distinct shape. Like monstera, they feature oversized foliage and make a statement as large specimens. Unlike vining species, tree philodendron is self-supporting with a thick central trunk.
The rainforest dwellers grow well in more temperate climes, given average warmth and humidity indoors. These prefer the morning sun and do well in an east or south-facing window with a filter against afternoon rays.
Whale Fin Snake Plant
Snake plants are structural and durable, with stiff, upright blades and pointed tips. Whale fin is an attention-grabber with a broad fluke in mottled shades of dark and lighter green. Wavy margins and an undulating surface add character.
Snake plants like whale fin are succulents that thrive with neglect. They were originally in the Sansevieria genus, but recent reclassification to Dracaena results from genetic research.
This long-lived houseplant is the epitome of low maintenance and year-round beauty. Allow soils to dry between watering, giving it a drink every two to three weeks. It tolerates low light but performs best in medium to bright situations. The hearty grower likes to be a little tight in a pot, so hold off on repotting until roots and blades become crowded.
Peace Lily
Peace lilies create full pots with broad, dark green leaves. Their tall spathe flower is creamy white and longlasting, usually appearing in spring and fall for months of interest. Even when not in flower, the handsome foliage gives a lush look all year.
Peace lilies are resilient and tolerate a range of conditions, even thriving with a little neglect. They’ll perform best in bright light with humidity and even moisture but tolerate lower light. They won’t withstand overwatering, though they usually rebound from dry spells.
Bird’s Nest Fern
Bird’s nest fern has wide fronds in a symmetrical arrangement around a central core, forming a tropical “nest.” They add architectural beauty, growing large outdoors but staying smaller as year-round houseplants. Some varieties have ruffled, wavy margins and crested, flared tips.
The sizable, thick fronds allow bird’s nest to withstand drying out slightly between waterings better than other ferns. Water when the top two inches of soil feel dry to the touch.
With a structural, vase-shaped form, entire fronds, and a strong performance, bird’s nest fern holds Award of Garden Merit status.
Jade Plant
Jade plants are long-lived, slow-growing succulents with fleshy, glossy leaves and sturdy, ornamental branching that persists all year-round. In bright light, new leaves are fresh green with red-tinged edges. Jade flowers in clusters of small, starry white and pink blooms. Autumn’s shorter day lengths, longer nights, and cooling temperatures initiate flowering.
The succulent specimens are native to southern Africa’s Mediterranean climate type. They need little care and adapt to dry conditions and low light. In well-draining soils, jade lives for years in a single pot. Jade plants propagate easily through cuttings rooted in water or soil.
Watermelon Peperomia
Peperomia are popular among beginners and collectors alike with their vast collection of species in diverse forms and colors. The waxy, rounded leaves of watermelon peperomia look like the rind of watermelon with green and silvery stripes.
Their adaptable, swirling foliage is almost succulent. With low water needs, peperomia is forgiving if allowed to dry slightly between sessions. They don’t withstand drying out completely or overly saturated soils.
These do best in a draft-free location. P. argyraea grows slowly as a small, bushy specimen for its showy foliage and low maintenance. The species is nontoxic to people and pets.
Zebra Calathea
While many cultivars are now classed under the genus, Goeppertia, the plant commonly refered to as calathea brings high graphics across a variety of types. With long leaves in rich greens, zebra calathea forms a compact plant to fill out a container with striking foliar patterns. Lime striping highlights velvety, deep green surfaces. Leaf undersides are reddish-purple, adding to the contrast.
Low to medium light is ideal for calathea. They need humidity, especially in winter. And, they do best in even moisture from distilled or bottled water (with sensitivities to fluoride-treated tap water). In too much light, low humidity, or dry spells, leaf edges may crisp and curl. While not drought-tolerant, they are somewhat forgiving of a gap in watering. Aim for even moisture in well-draining soils.
Several species, like G. zebrina, are Award of Garden Merit recipients. Other types include pinky-white pinstriped leaves (G. ornata), burgundy with magenta striping (G. roseopicta ‘Dottie’), and bright pink (G. roseopicta ‘Pink Star’). Like peperomia, calatheas are nontoxic, making them safe for homes with kids and pets.
Variegated Shell Ginger
Species of ornamental flowering ginger include red, shell, and shampoo ginger (awapuhi), each with unique blooms in fascinating structures and colors. Variegated shell ginger has bold leaves in non-uniform stripes of creamy gold and green.
The variegated form develops compact rosettes of long, slender leaves that arch gently. The lucky gardener may experience its raceme blooms, whitish-pink with gold and red interiors suspended from old growth stems.
Ginger makes a fun and rewarding houseplant, whether growing ornamental or culinary varieties. Ornamental selections prefer similar cultural conditions as culinary varieties, although their lush, broad leaves and roots fill a pot more readily than the fine blades of Zingiber officinale.
Both culinary and ornamental types grow indoors all year, though they enjoy warm months outdoors in their active growing season. Shell ginger may survive winters in zone 7 with extra mulch and shelter from winds. To be on the safe side, bring them inside or move them to a greenhouse before temperatures drop below 40°F (4°C). You can also harvest and store the rhizomes in a cool, dry space for planting the following season.
