House plant hype

Since the beginning of the pandemic, it seems house plants and their popularity have been climbing to the top of the trend ladder. If you haven’t already hopped onto this trend, there is a good reason it had such a heavy takeaway with the majority of people. Growing plants indoors not only gives us a fun new hobby but also there are so many added benefits to bringing nature inside.

Graphic by Isabela Durighello.

Caring for house plants brings a lot of benefit not only to yourself, but to your environment, as well. Here I am going to give you some suggestions on good beginner house plants to start with, if you have never grown before. You don’t have to be a plant mom to grow these or even have a green thumb; most of these plants are going to be strong and resilient (and so harder to kill).

The spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum), is a great one to start with. Not only is it beautiful with its light green, long, hanging, cascading leaves that resemble – you guessed it, spider legs – it is a very easy plant to keep alive! Requiring bright, indirect light and being a plant that “thrives on neglect,” it is a hard one to go wrong with. What’s more, it will return favor by improving the air in your environment: Spider plants are known to be very helpful when it comes to filtering out harmful chemicals in the air.

Another great house plant for beginners is lavender (genus Lavandula). We all know her; we all love her: Good, old lavender, the best, classy smell that is oh-so-relaxing and intoxicating. It is relatively easy to grow and also easy to transport between indoors and outdoors. It can thrive outside like the weed it is during the summer and in the colder months, just bring a little shrub inside and the aromatics alone are sure to keep a piece of that summer spirit alive during the dreary months. Lavender’s essential oils are amazing for relaxing and are soothing aromatics; it can be also be used for teas, as a mild, sleepy-time sedative.

Among other plants with creepy names but cute leaves is the snake plant! This (Sansevieria trifasciata) is a cute, upright plant that has hues of dark green and generally has a yellow stripe down the middle, giving it a fun jungle vibe. These plants are so cute that they are easily the most common to be seen in the fake foliage aisle. However, buying the plastic snake plant is super unnecessary given just how low-maintenance the real ones are.

Some of the benefits of the snake plant include helping purify and cleanse indoor air. It may help enhance the “energy” of a space, according to feng shui, and it is not a picky roommate, either. It will survive in light or dark rooms, whether dry or damp. It often thrives in bathrooms because of humidity and low light, but just make sure it dries out between waterings and there is no way this plant will stop slithering.

The last plant I am going to recommend is another familiar one, and my personal all-time favorite: rosemary!! Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus) is a shrub-like plant with a very strong aroma and a lot of added benefits. Not only is it one of my all-time personal flavor profiles when it comes to cooking, it has a lot of medicinal effects. The essential oil of rosemary is commonly used, per folk medicine, as an antidepressant and to improve memory and reduce anxiety.

Topically rosemary has also been known to be used for healing small skin infections with its antibacterial and antimicrobial properties. And rosemary tea may help reduce irritability and anxiety, as well as help improve focus, so try making a cup next time you are struggling with studying for a big exam. Just like lavender, this plant can thrive either indoors or out. I know I always have some growing on the windowsill, and in the garden.

There are so many house plants out there and a lot of them are easier to care for than we might think. Most of the time the problem is that our houseplants are dying from being over-loved (too much water), so just don’t overthink it: Talk to your plants, do the research and just have fun. Happy planting!