I Want an Indoor Plant I Won’t Kill. What Should I Buy?
It is probably one of the questions we hear most often in store:
“I want an indoor plant, but my lighting isn’t great and I don’t want something I’m going to kill.”
The good news is that you have plenty of options.
Choosing an easy indoor plant is less about finding one magical plant that survives anything and more about matching the plant to your space, your light and how often you realistically want to water it.
Here are some of the questions we usually ask customers at Rays Retail Nursery and the plants we tend to recommend.
“My home doesn’t get much light. What won’t I kill?”
Our first suggestion is usually a Snake Plant.
Snake Plants tolerate lower light exceptionally well and need very little attention. Their thick leaves and underground rhizomes store water, so they cope much better with being forgotten than with being watered too often.
For first-time plant owners, we often tell customers to wait until the leaves begin to show a slight wrinkle before watering again. It sounds extreme, but it is an easy visual cue and helps prevent the most common Snake Plant problem: overwatering.
They are also available in different shapes, sizes and colours, so a low-light plant does not have to mean something boring.
Rays would recommend a Snake Plant if:
Your light is limited, you forget to water, or you simply want something very low maintenance.
Go for a Monstera deliciosa.
There is a reason Monsteras have become one of the classic indoor plants. They are hardy, adaptable and much easier to care for than their dramatic leaves make them look.
They can tolerate a range of indoor light conditions, although stronger natural light will encourage faster growth and more mature split leaves.
Allow the soil to dry properly between waterings and give the plant something sturdy to climb as it gets larger.
A Monstera is also a great choice if you want to start with a smaller plant and eventually grow it into a substantial feature plant.
“I want something that trails or hangs.”
A lot of people immediately think of Pothos, and they are definitely hardy plants. We just do not always make them our first recommendation for a brand-new plant owner.
Pothos can become long and leggy fairly quickly if conditions are not ideal.
Instead, we often suggest Cissus ‘Ellen Danica’.
It gives you the same soft trailing effect, tolerates a wide range of indoor conditions and is incredibly versatile. Let it hang, train it upward or trim it back to keep it fuller.
“I want something colourful, but I don’t want something difficult.”
Have a look at Aglaonemas.
They are one of our favourite answers to this question because you can get incredible colours and patterns without immediately moving into difficult-plant territory.
Depending on the variety, you can find leaves patterned with silver, white, pink, red and different shades of green.
Greener Aglaonemas can tolerate lower light particularly well. More colourful varieties benefit from a brighter position to keep their colours looking their best.
They are relatively slow and steady growers, which also means they do not need constant pruning or repotting.
“I want something small and easy.”
Fittonia is a great little option, especially if you want something colourful for a shelf, tabletop or terrarium.
They have a reputation for being dramatic because they visibly droop when thirsty, but we actually find that makes them easier for beginners.
Our advice is simple: wait for the plant to tell you.
When the leaves start looking noticeably soft or droopy, water thoroughly. It may take several hours, or even most of the day, to perk back up again, so resist the temptation to immediately give it another drink.
Once you understand that rhythm, Fittonias are surprisingly straightforward.
“I want a big floor plant.”
One of our first suggestions is Strelitzia nicolai, also known as the White Bird of Paradise.
It is a brilliant large indoor plant and an especially nice choice in South Africa.
Strelitzias are hardy, tolerate a surprisingly wide range of indoor light and can dry out properly between waterings.
In lower light they will simply grow more slowly and may produce longer leaves.
The leaves also naturally split as the plant matures. That is normal and part of the look of a Strelitzia, not a sign that something is wrong.
If you want one large plant that can eventually become a real feature in the room, this is a very easy place to start.
“I want something that looks like a little tree.”
Try a Pachira, commonly known as a Money Tree.
Pachiras are available from small tabletop plants right through to larger floor plants and are generally easy to care for.
They prefer good natural light, but they are not especially demanding. Allow the soil to dry well between waterings and avoid keeping the roots constantly wet.
If you want something smaller and a bit more unusual, Pilea peperomioides, or the Chinese Money Plant, is another great option.
Pilea stays compact, produces loads of little pups once established and works beautifully on shelves or tabletops.
“I want a palm. Are palms difficult?”
Some can be.
If you want to start with a palm, we usually prefer Chamaedorea elegans, the Parlour Palm.
They are slower-growing, but they cope well with normal indoor conditions and tolerate lower light better than many other palms.
They also grow as a clump, constantly producing new growth from the base. That means the plant is not dependent on one single growing point to stay attractive.
For someone who likes that soft palm look but does not want something overly demanding, Chamaedorea is one of the better choices.
“What about Peace Lilies?”
We do recommend them, although they are not something we always carry in large numbers.
Most of the Spathiphyllums we stock tend to be larger varieties such as Sensation, with the occasional Jet Diamond and other forms.
Green Peace Lilies tolerate lower light well and are generally easy once their watering is consistent.
The question we hear most often is:
“Why won’t my Peace Lily flower?”
Usually, it needs feeding.
Flowering requires energy, and regular feeding during active growth can make a significant difference to both flowering and overall plant size.
“What about Dracaena?”
Dracaenas are genuinely easy plants and tolerate lower light very well.
They are also slow-growing, which can either be a benefit or a drawback depending on what you want.
They are not currently the most fashionable indoor plant in South Africa, but every now and then someone specifically wants one, and they remain a dependable option for a lower-light room or narrow floor space.
Are there any plants you would NOT immediately recommend to a beginner?
Yes.
Just because a plant is commonly sold as an indoor plant does not mean it is the best first plant.
For example, we love Syngoniums, but we do not usually make them our first recommendation for someone asking for the easiest possible plant.
They can grow beautifully, but in lower-light or crowded conditions they can be particularly prone to mealybugs. If your main goal is simply to buy something easy and build your confidence, there are better places to start.
The same applies to other plants that require very specific humidity, watering or environmental conditions. There is nothing wrong with buying them, but it helps to know what you are signing up for.
What does “low light” actually mean?
Low light does not mean no light.
Every indoor plant still needs access to natural ambient light.
A lower-light position might be further away from a window, in a room that receives less daylight, or in a shaded part of the home.
Plants growing in lower light generally grow more slowly. They may produce new leaves less frequently, stretch more towards the available light or remain smaller for longer.
That is not necessarily a problem.
If you want a plant that simply needs to look good and stay healthy rather than grow at maximum speed, slower growth can actually make indoor plant care easier.
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So what should I buy?
If you walked into Rays and told us:
“My light isn’t great, I’m new to plants and I really don’t want to kill it,”
we would probably start by showing you:
If you wanted something larger, we would probably take you straight to a Strelitzia nicolai.
If you wanted something tree-like, we would look at Pachira.
From there, we would narrow it down based on your space, how much natural light you actually have and how involved you want to be with watering.
That is really the easiest way to choose an indoor plant.
You do not need to know the botanical name of everything or become a plant expert before you buy one. Start with something that suits your home and learn how that plant behaves.
The rest comes surprisingly quickly.
Visit Rays Retail Nursery at the Woodstock Exchange in Cape Town, or shop our indoor plant range online with nationwide delivery across South Africa.
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