The benefits of having potted plants in the home are hard to overstate— not only do they purify the air and increase humidity in the room, but they also have a calming effect on our nervous system, improving our mood. Additionally, they are excellent decorative elements— it’s hard to imagine a beautifully styled interior without at least one plant. They can create an ambiance of distant travels or exotic vacations. With their help, you can design a cool, minimalist decor or a lush, urban jungle straight out of the tropics.
A tropical jungle at home? Yes, it's possible! By choosing easy maintenance exotic plants that also have impressive shapes or colors with minimal effort, you can create a pleasant and trendy social media-worthy interior. Here’s a top 6 list of easy to take care of houseplants.
Monstera Deliciosa - Swiss Cheese Plant
Monstera, once commonly mistaken for a philodendron, has recently made a spectacular comeback in homes and design spaces. It has made a splash not only in our homes but also in the design world. Its characteristic holey leaves adorn our clothes, bedding, furniture, and interior accessories. Due to its giant size, even in indoor cultivation, it is perfect as a so-called solitaire, an architectural plant—placed on an attractive stand, it will be the focal point of the room and single-handedly create a tropical jungle ambiance.
Monstera prefers a bright spot with diffused light. It should not be exposed to intense sunlight, which could scorch its leaves. It is worth planting it in a substrate mixed with perlite, pine bark, and coconut chips to ensure greater permeability and aeration. Larger, well-grown specimens need to be tied to a support, such as a coconut fiber stake.
Water it only when the substrate is completely dry, removing excess water from the saucer after watering. Overwatering can lead to root rot and fungal diseases manifesting as yellow spots on the leaves. If you avoid overwatering, the plant will be healthy, shiny, and will grow quickly as befits a monstera. Fertilize with Exotic Plant Fertilizer from March to September every 2 weeks.
Maranta (Latin: Marantha fascinator) is one of the most beautifully colored tropical plants. Its intensely and contrastively colored veins look as if painted by a talented artist. On its leaves, you’ll find stripes in various shades of green, burgundy, and black—you can gaze at them for hours.
Maranta is a plant that inhabits the lower levels of tropical forests, so it thrives in shaded and humid spots. A southern windowsill is not suitable; however, it will beautifully decorate a shelf or bookcase deep in the room. Mature specimens start to cascade, creating a waterfall of colorful striped leaves. It’s worth pruning it from time to time to encourage it to become denser and maintain a compact shape. It enjoys misting and watering with stagnant or filtered water. Avoid overwatering, but do not let the soil dry out completely; keep it slightly moist. Add perlite and coconut fiber to the substrate for maranta to ensure a light mix and a bit of acidic peat, as it prefers slightly acidic soil.
Epipremnum is a true Robocop when it comes to the conditions it can grow in and its growth rate. An absolute must-have for beginners and busy people— it grows like crazy with minimal effort and attention. It can be trained to climb a support— around a ladder, stake, but also around a curtain rod, mirror frame, chandelier or you can allowed to cascade freely from a shelf or a planter mounted under the ceiling. When grown upward, it develops larger leaves.
It does not tolerate direct sunlight. It thrives in a spot with bright, diffused light but also tolerates truly dark corners of the room—just be aware that the leaves will then be more green than golden.
Water it only when the substrate is completely dry; it can tolerate even severe dryness but hates being waterlogged, which causes yellowing and leaf drop. A bit of fertilizer every 2-3 weeks and universal soil with perlite is all you need—just sit back and admire how quickly it grows. Within a year, it can develop even 5 feet-long vines, and older specimens can wrap around an entire room. It’s good to prune it from time to time to stimulate new growth and thicken the plant. Cuttings root easily in water or moist soil, so you can quickly grow several new plants from one mother plant.
Hoya
Hoya known as wax plant, is an epiphyte— it does not grow in soil but in the crowns of trees, feeding on wind-borne and accumulating organic particles on the branches. It develops a rather small root system adapted to cling to the tree and withstand intense, rapidly drying, and evaporating rain. It can also store water in its leaves to compensate for the lack of moist soil beneath.
Due to these specific growth conditions, it requires special care at home: the substrate for hoya should be very light, loose, quickly drying, with a predominance of pine bark, expanded clay, and perlite. Orchid soil also works well. Water hoya rarely and moderately— remember it stores water in its leaves like a succulent and grows on rapidly drying branches! Always let excess water drain from the pot (it must have drainage holes) and pour it out to avoid waterlogging. If you overwater, hoya leaves will wrinkle, turn yellow, and drop off.
Hoya does well in a spot from slightly shaded to very bright— some species turn beautifully red in strong sunlight. Varieties with delicate and smaller leaves should not be exposed to full sun.
The plant can be trained to climb a support or allowed to hang down. It can also wrap around objects with its stems. As long as you provide it with the right substrate and water it rarely and sparingly, it will be an absolutely trouble-free companion, but exceptionally beautiful. Some species can reach lengths of several meters, wrapping around a chandelier or curtain rod in a picturesque manner.
Aglaonema - Chinese Evergreen
Aglaonema is a plant that thrives in the equatorial forests of Asia— both near streams and high in the mountains, always in moist and dark conditions. At home, it can be an excellent decoration for dark places far from windows where most other plants would not survive.
It is quite tolerant of conditions and low-maintenance— it only dislikes strong sunlight and watering when the soil is still wet— its leaves will turn yellow immediately. It will appreciate misting and placement near a humidifier. Use universal soil with added perlite and coconut fiber.
Aglaonema has a compact, bushy growth habit— over time, it spreads out creating decorative clumps. There are many beautiful cultivars of aglaonema with lovely striped or spotted leaf patterns. There are also varieties speckled white, red, or almost completely pink.
Philodendron Scandens - Heartleaf Philodendron
Heartleaf Philodendron is another tropical vine that covers tree trunks in tropical forests. It belongs to an incredibly diverse family of philodendrons in terms of size and appearance. In our home environments, like most tropical plants, it will thrive in bright and semi-shaded spots. It looks best cascading from a macramé or shelf. It’s worth pruning it regularly to keep it dense and sprawling. It grows effortlessly, best in a mix of soil with perlite and coconut chips. Fertilize it systematically from March to September with a nitrogen-rich fertilizer, as it likes to go wild and can produce up to a meter-long vines within a year.
How to Care for Tropical Plants at Home?
Tropical plants adapt very well to indoor conditions and thrive in our homes where it is always warm. Keep in mind a few care principles common to all tropical plants, and they will always grow beautifully:
Position
These are not plants for a southern windowsill. They dislike strong sunlight and prefer semi-shaded or bright spots with diffused light. They enjoy humidity in the air— it’s worth placing a humidifier nearby or misting them. Grouping several plants together also increases local humidity.
Soil
Always add at least perlite to the soil to ensure it is well-aerated and permeable, drying out quickly to avoid creating a dense, wet mass around the roots.
Watering
Don’t overwater— almost no plant likes to stand in water and be watered while still wet.
Fertilizing
To keep your plants thriving, regular fertilization is essential. Use a balanced fertilizer to provide the nutrients they need during the growing season. For indoor plants, Cute Farms Organic Indoor Plant Food is an excellent choice, offering a natural boost without the risk of overfeeding. Apply it according to the instructions, ensuring your plants receive consistent nourishment for optimal growth.