Snake plants are an excellent first plant to get started with. You probably recognize this plant from office buildings...that’s because it’s a super hardy houseplant and doesn’t require a ton of light to live. I have snake plants all over my home.

They are also really fun and easy to propagate. I recommend starting off with a small snake plant and seeing how you do. The most important thing to remember? Don’t over-water!

Pothos plants are another excellent gateway plant. There are tons of different varieties, and they do very well in lower light conditions. However, they will thrive and grow like weeds with bright indirect light. I routinely have to trim the hanging pothos plant in our living room.

We also have a silver satin pothos by a window in our bedroom. That one has really taken off as well. As with the snake plant, the biggest issue with pothos plants is overwatering. Learn how to propagate pothos plants as well.

Succulents cover a wide variety of plants, and their specific care conditions can vary. However, the care instructions for the succulents you’ll generally find in stores and local nurseries are fairly similar. Don’t overwater. Succulents store water in their leaves and are highly susceptible to root rot. And give them plenty of light.

They are very happy to live outdoors in the summer (or all year round if you’re in a warmer climate). Mine absolutely explore in the summer! If they are getting skinny and spindly looking, they’re likely not getting enough light. You can also learn how to propagate succulents from leaves and cuttings and how to make succulent soil.

Although the string of pearls plant is a succulent itself, I want to call it out specifically because it is, in my opinion, a no-brainer plant! If this guy gets enough light and water, he will grow beautifully. The string of pearls plant has such a unique look, too. People always comment on this plant and ask me where I got it, and I’m always giving away cuttings for folks to propagate!

The wandering Jew plant has been a houseplant staple for some time. If it gets enough light, its purple hues intensity. There are a few different varieties you can get your hands on. The traditional wandering jew plant is a houseplant, but I have some in a hanging basket outside. It has really exploded this summer. I’ll bring it inside this fall. I also have some of the purple queen variety in my backyard. 

The monstera deliciosa is a very trendy plant these days. Probably because it’s both striking and easy to keep alive. It isn’t always top of mind when it comes to easy to take care of houseplants, but it should be. As long as it gets enough light and you don’t overwater (seeing a pattern here?!), it will develop beautifully.

I’ve been working on nursing a reject monstera back to health, and I can believe how easy it has been! I simply trim off older, unhealthier leaves every few weeks, water weekly, and make sure it gets enough sun. (Lack of light won’t necessarily kill it, but it will make the leaves solid, and the holes and splits are the best part of the monstera!)

Philodendrons come in a wide variety of plants, from big and bushy to long and trailing. The heart-leaf philodendron is probably the most common variety you will encounter. It’s a trailing variety that’s very easy to grow. It’s also commonly confused with the pothos plant, but they are entirely different plants. Pothos leaves are usually bigger and waxier looking.

Rubber plants are a personal favorite of mine. I got a fairly large rubber plant at a houseplant sale years ago, and I didn’t even really know what it was. Since then it has nearly doubled in size. In fact, it’s gotten so large that I had to stake it to train it to grow upright! I’ve also propagated it. It’s a bit trickier to propagate, but it isn’t impossible.

Last but not least, peperomia. Peperomia varieties aren’t often mentioned in lists of easy to take care of houseplants, and I have no idea why. They are adorable hardy little houseplants that come in really interesting colors and patterns. They send to stay pretty compact, so they make excellent desk plants.

Another great thing about them is that they are very easy to propagate in water or soil. They tend to get a bit scraggly looking and keep pruning, so I just stick those cutting in water. (Though, to be honest, I kind of love it when they get scraggly and out of control looking.)