Emma Sibley, plant expert, author and founder of London Terrariums is back with her easy care houseplants.
Whether you're new to plant parenthood or struggle to keep your houseplants alive, Emma has got all the advice to take care of your plant babies. Find out her top tips for watering your urban jungle, which plants are the easiest to look after and how to ensure your botanical den thrives. Let's get growing!
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https://londonterrariums.com/
Easy To Look After Plants With London Terrariums
Easy Care Houseplants
In my opinion, all houseplants are easy to care for as long as you know what it’s called - then you can do a quick search to check how to look after it! BUT - if you’re just starting out and are worried about killing your first plant baby, (!) there are two houseplants I always recommend.
Pothos / Devil’s Ivy
Firstly, Devil’s Ivy’s trailing vines and heart-shaped green and glossy leaves make this guy ideal for a top shelf or hanging macrame planter. Named Devil’s Ivy as it is pretty impossible to kill, it will tolerate bright light and low light, neglect from regular watering as well as over-watering and can even stand high humidity. The ideal conditions for Devil’s Ivy would be bright, indirect sunlight and a good watering once every 2 weeks. If you can remember to mist the leaves too - even better!
Mother-In-Law’s Tongue
The second plant I’d recommend for beginners is Mother-In-Law’s Tongue or Snake Plant. The spears on this succulent are hard and woody, meaning you can pretty much forget about it! If you have a bright sunny spot then it would ideally sit there and if you can water it every 3-4 weeks then it will be very happy! Easy!
In my opinion, all houseplants are easy to care for as long as you know what it’s called - then you can do a quick search to check how to look after it! BUT - if you’re just starting out and are worried about killing your first plant baby, (!) there are two houseplants I always recommend.
Pothos / Devil’s Ivy
Firstly, Devil’s Ivy’s trailing vines and heart-shaped green and glossy leaves make this guy ideal for a top shelf or hanging macrame planter. Named Devil’s Ivy as it is pretty impossible to kill, it will tolerate bright light and low light, neglect from regular watering as well as over-watering and can even stand high humidity. The ideal conditions for Devil’s Ivy would be bright, indirect sunlight and a good watering once every 2 weeks. If you can remember to mist the leaves too - even better!
Mother-In-Law’s Tongue
The second plant I’d recommend for beginners is Mother-In-Law’s Tongue or Snake Plant. The spears on this succulent are hard and woody, meaning you can pretty much forget about it! If you have a bright sunny spot then it would ideally sit there and if you can water it every 3-4 weeks then it will be very happy! Easy!
Kentia Palm
The Kentia Palm is super-easy to care for and will tolerate almost any environment. They work well on a side table when they’re small, but if well cared for they can reach heights of up to 80cm! They are also well-known for air purification and are a solid choice if you’re considering a plant for its stature and health benefits. Look for dark green, strong leaves when choosing your plant, these are the signs of a happy and healthy palm.
Light
Palms prefer a bright spot with indirect sunshine, but will also do well in low-light conditions which makes it an easy, versatile plant perfect for any environment. Just be sure to keep out of direct sunlight as this will scorch the leaves and turn them brown. As with most houseplants though, the more sun your palm gets, the taller you should expect the stems to grow!
Water
Palms enjoy a humid environment, so it’s advisable to mist the leaves regularly when watering to ensure the compost is kept damp at all times but without being drenched through. During summer months, your palm should be watered once a week and throughout winter you can reduce this to once every few weeks, or as needed.
The Kentia Palm is super-easy to care for and will tolerate almost any environment. They work well on a side table when they’re small, but if well cared for they can reach heights of up to 80cm! They are also well-known for air purification and are a solid choice if you’re considering a plant for its stature and health benefits. Look for dark green, strong leaves when choosing your plant, these are the signs of a happy and healthy palm.
Light
Palms prefer a bright spot with indirect sunshine, but will also do well in low-light conditions which makes it an easy, versatile plant perfect for any environment. Just be sure to keep out of direct sunlight as this will scorch the leaves and turn them brown. As with most houseplants though, the more sun your palm gets, the taller you should expect the stems to grow!
Water
Palms enjoy a humid environment, so it’s advisable to mist the leaves regularly when watering to ensure the compost is kept damp at all times but without being drenched through. During summer months, your palm should be watered once a week and throughout winter you can reduce this to once every few weeks, or as needed.
Rhipsalis / Jungle Cacti
Rhipsalis are hanging succulents, but unlike most desert cacti and succulents, they love low-light and high humidity as these guys are found in the jungle! There are lots of different types of Rhipsalis with different shaped leaves, but the main thing to remember is that they love to hang - so pop them in a hanging basket or on a high shelf so they have room to grow.
Light
Place in bright but indirect sunlight.
Water
Water once every 2 weeks in the summer and every 3-4 weeks in winter. They also love high humidity, so would enjoy being placed in a bathroom or misted every few days with a spray mister.
Rhipsalis are hanging succulents, but unlike most desert cacti and succulents, they love low-light and high humidity as these guys are found in the jungle! There are lots of different types of Rhipsalis with different shaped leaves, but the main thing to remember is that they love to hang - so pop them in a hanging basket or on a high shelf so they have room to grow.
Light
Place in bright but indirect sunlight.
Water
Water once every 2 weeks in the summer and every 3-4 weeks in winter. They also love high humidity, so would enjoy being placed in a bathroom or misted every few days with a spray mister.
Peace Lily
The Peace Lily is up there with one of the best houseplants for air purification, so it’s a great choice if you’re considering a plant for your bedroom. Their leaves will quickly droop when they’re thirsty, but then bounce right back up again once watered, so they are a great shout for plant beginners!
Water
Try to keep the compost moist at all times without over watering, and the leaves will appreciate a wiping and dusting from time to time to keep them looking fresh. Use a spray bottle to mist the leaves regularly to keep the humidity high around the plant.
Light
The Peace Lily will thrive in indirect sunlight, although it enjoys being kept warm, so keep away from cool draughts in the winter. The warmer and brighter your home, the more flowers you should expect to see each year. Peace Lillies kept in low-light will just grow as beautiful green foliage.
Repotting & Propagation
The stems can be divided during repotting to propagate (make a new plant). This should be carried out each year in the spring when the plant is about to move into growing season.
The Peace Lily is up there with one of the best houseplants for air purification, so it’s a great choice if you’re considering a plant for your bedroom. Their leaves will quickly droop when they’re thirsty, but then bounce right back up again once watered, so they are a great shout for plant beginners!
Water
Try to keep the compost moist at all times without over watering, and the leaves will appreciate a wiping and dusting from time to time to keep them looking fresh. Use a spray bottle to mist the leaves regularly to keep the humidity high around the plant.
Light
The Peace Lily will thrive in indirect sunlight, although it enjoys being kept warm, so keep away from cool draughts in the winter. The warmer and brighter your home, the more flowers you should expect to see each year. Peace Lillies kept in low-light will just grow as beautiful green foliage.
Repotting & Propagation
The stems can be divided during repotting to propagate (make a new plant). This should be carried out each year in the spring when the plant is about to move into growing season.
Watering your plants
This really depends on which plants you are watering, but as a general rule - overwatering causes a lot of houseplant deaths, so make sure you don’t drench them on the daily!
Most ferns and leafy plants will enjoy being watered every few weeks in spring/summer, they also enjoy a high humidity, so mist the leaves with a spray bottle regularly - this will also stop the leaves from turning brown and crisping up. Throughout winter, cut back watering to once or twice a month or even less as plants go into dormancy then. Common signs of overwatering are brown and rotting stems or leaves, if you are worried you have over watered then allow the compost to fully dry out for a week or so before watering again.
If you are watering cacti and succulents - stay away from the mister! Most desert plants hate having water on their leaves as this will cause them to quickly rot. Instead, water directly into the compost once every 3-4 weeks, allowing the compost to dry out between watering. Cacti and succulents store water in their leaves, so they should look nice and full and juicy, if they start to wrinkle then that is a good indicator that you need to water them a bit more.
This really depends on which plants you are watering, but as a general rule - overwatering causes a lot of houseplant deaths, so make sure you don’t drench them on the daily!
Most ferns and leafy plants will enjoy being watered every few weeks in spring/summer, they also enjoy a high humidity, so mist the leaves with a spray bottle regularly - this will also stop the leaves from turning brown and crisping up. Throughout winter, cut back watering to once or twice a month or even less as plants go into dormancy then. Common signs of overwatering are brown and rotting stems or leaves, if you are worried you have over watered then allow the compost to fully dry out for a week or so before watering again.
If you are watering cacti and succulents - stay away from the mister! Most desert plants hate having water on their leaves as this will cause them to quickly rot. Instead, water directly into the compost once every 3-4 weeks, allowing the compost to dry out between watering. Cacti and succulents store water in their leaves, so they should look nice and full and juicy, if they start to wrinkle then that is a good indicator that you need to water them a bit more.