Indoor plants – The best ones for your home

Indoor plants bring colour into your home. They are real mood enhancers, can improve indoor air quality, and make wonderful design elements. With a basic understanding of their origins, needs, and characteristics, you can beautify your home with green and flowering plants. We’ll provide you with tips and introduce the best indoor trending plants.

Indoor plants have been cultivated for several centuries; however, most do not originate from our regions but rather from tropical and subtropical areas, deserts, steppes, or dry forests. Each of these plants has specific requirements for its location, and although many indoor plants have been selectively bred, it is still essential to provide them with a suitable place in the home. Only then will they grow and thrive well. Many succulents, sedums, houseleeks, and agaves are accustomed to dry conditions, low humidity, direct sunlight, and minimal rainfall in their native habitats. Too much moisture or a dark location will lead to root rot, making the plants more susceptible to disease and causing them to languish. Myrtles, eucalyptus, and palms thrive in regions with sunnier dry periods of around 25 °C and cool, damp winters. In contrast, orchids, bromeliads, and peperomias come from the subtropics. Their needs are not particularly demanding; temperatures should remain above 16 °C, a moderate humidity level is ideal, and a bright location without direct sunlight is best.

Outdoor plants are classified by their locations as sunny, semi-shady, or shady. These criteria are also relevant for indoor plants, so it’s equally useful to consider the light or window orientation. South, southeast, and southwest-facing windows receive direct sunlight for several hours a day and have high light intensity. Directly by a south-facing window, the light level can reach over 2,000 lux, but just one metre away, it drops to 600–800 lux, and at two metres away, only 400–600 lux remains. Snake plants, devil’s ivy, and ZZ plants are among the few that can cope well with such conditions.

However, a south-facing window does not necessarily have to be the brightest, and a north-facing window the darkest. Nearby buildings, trees, or balconies can reduce the amount of light that enters. Using a lux metre, you can measure the light intensity at the window or elsewhere in the flat and, if necessary, place special plant lights for your green companions to provide them with optimal growth conditions. Fortunately, there are suitable plants for many different locations. In general, flowering plants require lighter areas than foliage plants.

The temperature range in which plants feel comfortable often varies greatly from species to species. While plants can temporarily tolerate higher or lower temperatures, prolonged exposure will weaken them, making them more susceptible to diseases and pests. The ideal temperature, therefore, varies among indoor plants and depends on growth factors like light and water, as well as the season. During the low-light winter months, it’s advisable to reduce the temperature slightly and water plants less.

Soil serves as an anchor for roots and stores water and nutrients. Commercial indoor plant soils, universal potting soils, or standard soils are suitable for most indoor plants. With substrates bearing the 'RAL Quality Mark for Soils,' you can be confident they are weed-free, enriched with nutrients, and free from growth-inhibiting substances. Good soil is the foundation for healthy growth. Many indoor plants also thrive very well in hydroponics, where soil isn’t needed; the roots are placed in expanded clay pellets that provide support. These pellets store water and release it gradually to the plants. 

An important factor not to be underestimated is the pH value, which indicates the balance between acidic and alkaline components in the soil. Most plants do well with a pH value of around 6. Some, like azaleas, require an acidic soil environment and need specialised soil. You can determine the pH of your indoor plant soil using a pH meter. 

Just as indoor plants vary, so do their nutrient requirements. Indoor plant fertilisers are available as universal fertilisers and specifically for flowering and foliage plants, orchids, cacti, and other plant groups. Fertilising is done during the growing season; in winter, most plants do not need additional nutrients unless they bloom during the colder months.

Water is essential for all living things. This is especially true for plants, as they absorb nutrients through water. However, how much water an indoor plant needs varies considerably. While cacti rot if given too much water, papyrus grass can never get enough. For most plant companions, however, the rule is: better to do little than too much. The art of watering is finding the right balance.  
 

How to water correctly:
•    It’s best to water with room-temperature water that has been left to stand.
•    Avoid wetting the leaves.
•    Water more during the growing season, in hot weather, and dry air conditions.
•    Plants in clay pots require more water than those in plastic pots.
•    If the water is very high in lime, it’s best to boil it beforehand.

There are many different irrigation systems available on the market that can take care of the watering for you. These systems supply plants with water regularly, saving time, and, with the help of sensors, good devices can monitor the moisture level of the substrate and deliver water to the plants as needed.
 

In addition to light, temperature, soil, nutrients, and water, humidity is an important growth factor. This aspect should not be underestimated, especially as humidity in most rooms is too low for healthy plant growth. In winter, plants particularly suffer from dry heating air, which leads to pests and diseases, and causes brown tips on leaves. Orchids, medinillas, and mimosas rely on high humidity, while cacti, on the other hand, can tolerate dry air very well.

The easiest way is to set up evaporation trays, for example, over radiators. For plants that love high humidity, place them in water trays fitted with a grid. Water is poured into the tray, but the pots sit on the grid and do not come into contact with the water. Monstera and other plants from the tropical rainforest appreciate a gentle spray from a water bottle. If you want a precise overview of the humidity in your rooms, you can use a hygrometer.
 

Many indoor plants are not only decorative but can also positively influence the indoor climate, increase humidity, and reduce fine dust and pollutant levels. The optimal humidity level, for example, is between 40 and 60 percent. If it’s higher, mould can develop; if it’s lower, it can irritate the nasal and mouth membranes, make the eyes red and dry, and generally cause discomfort. Papyrus grass, banana plants, and indoor linden, as well as monstera and rubber plants, are excellent humidifiers. Through countless tiny openings in their leaves, they release moisture into the air, making them ideal for rooms with low humidity. The indoor climate can be analysed using a thermo-detector and moisture meter.

Depending on the species, all of which are popular for their ornamental foliage, alocasia plants have heart-shaped or arrow-shaped leaves with various colours and sizes. The tiger alocasia has a striped stem, the elephant ear variety has enormous leaves, and the Alocasia lowii features light leaf veins on a dark leaf. The colourways and leaf patterns are as diverse as they are fascinating. This indoor plant thrives at consistent temperatures and high humidity, making it particularly well-suited for the bathroom but also enjoys other living spaces. This plant prefers a sunny spot and regular watering.

The sweetheart plant thrives well in living spaces and conservatories. It is a climber and gradually develops shoots up to 100 cm long. The leaves are leathery, inverted heart-shaped, and very attractive to look at, some growing up to 15 cm in length. Under good conditions, the sweetheart plant also produces beautiful spherical clusters with numerous white flowers that have a dark centre. A bright location and high humidity are ideal.

With its unusual, spiral-shaped growth, the corkscrew albuca is especially striking and attractive. The grass reaches up to 50 cm in height and is well-suited for bathrooms, living spaces, and conservatories. The plant requires plenty of water, and if the air is dry, the leafless shoots should be misted with water.

The dwarf pepper, with its reddish, metallic-shimmering leathery leaves perched on short stems, is truly eye-catching. In a bright location, it produces around 10 cm tall spikes adorned with tiny white flowers. Peperomia is a low-maintenance plant that pairs beautifully with flowering plants. It’s hardy and can even withstand short periods of dryness.

The uniquely decorative leaves are what make the Chinese money plant so popular. They sit on upright or trailing stems. When watered regularly but kept from becoming too damp, this houseplant thrives in bathrooms, kitchens, and living areas. It prefers a bright spot but also tolerates partial shade.

Who doesn’t know the ZZ Plant, or lucky feather? It has a reputation as the easiest houseplant to care for. It adapts well to most locations, can tolerate occasional neglect, and only needs watering once or twice a month. From a rhizome, the ZZ plant produces many leaves with vibrant green, leathery, and glossy leaflets that give it its beauty. It’s perfect for the kitchen, living room, hallway, and even the bedroom.

The rubber plant is a retro favourite, available in varieties with light red leaf sheaths, patterned leaves, or reddish-brown foliage. Under ideal indoor conditions, it can grow up to 3.5 metres tall, depending on the type. It thrives year-round at 18 °C and should be kept evenly moist. Rubber plants also do well in hydroponic systems. They prefer a sunny to partially shaded spot and are known as a ‘perfect climate plant’ due to their large leaves, which positively influence indoor air quality.

The snake plant is another retro houseplant, with its thick, upright leaves that some varieties display with golden-yellow stripes, making it highly decorative. It tolerates dry air well and should be watered sparingly in winter. A sunny, bright spot is ideal for this plant, which can grow up to 150 cm tall.

The distinctive holes and splits along the edges of its large leaves make the monstera truly unique, though young leaves are still smooth-edged. Its long aerial roots are also quite fascinating. While it’s fine to remove unsightly or troublesome leaves, cutting off its aerial roots can harm the plant. This hardy plant can stay in warm conditions year-round, tolerating both bright and partially shaded spots, though it won’t develop its characteristic leaf fenestrations in shadier locations. It grows in a bushy or climbing habit and can reach up to 200 cm and sometimes even taller.

If you want to know more about when certain gardening tasks need to be done, you can find that information in our garden calendar, which provides the right timing for all important activities.