Choosing Your First Indoor Houseplant

When you are choosing a house plant you need to go beyond the appearance of the plant although that is a good place to start.  If there is a certain kind of plant that you want to have, look into the care instructions first.  Some plants need more care and others are best left to an expert gardener as opposed to a novice one.  If you fall into the latter category of gardeners you will want plants that are easy to care for, are hardy, and have a low maintenance schedule.

Image via WikipediaFerns are a popular choice for indoor gardens as they are easy to care for, do not need to be repotted very often, and are attractive.  There is a wide range of fern varieties available and each one has a unique look.  Some of the different ferns great for houseplants are:

*    Maidenhair Ferns
*    Davallias
*    Fishbone Ferns
*    Cretan Brake Ferns

Begonias are a great choice for the indoors too especially if you do not have a great light source.  This plant can survive on very little light each day.  Some will flower indoors but the leaves are beautiful on their own too.  They also don’t mind cooler temperatures either, but it should not get colder than 45 degrees Fahrenheit (7 degrees Celsius).  Here are a few of the most common begonia varieties available:

Image by cbcastro via Flickr*    Rex Begonias
*    Iron Cross Begonias
*    Begonia Masoniana

The fern and begonia aren’t the only breeds of houseplant that will survive even the newest of green thumbs.  Here is list of different kinds of plants you can try too:

*    Spider Plants
*    Devil’s Ivy
*    Cast Iron Plants
*    Chinese Evergreen

Once you have a few plants in your indoor garden and are comfortable with the care required, you will have the skill and confidence needed to take care of a higher-needs variety.