10 Easy-to-Care-For Indoor Jungle Plants to Bring Life to Your Space in No Time

Benefits of Indoor Jungle Plants

Creating an indoor jungle isn’t just about aesthetics; it comes with a host of benefits that can improve your quality of life. For starters, indoor plants are natural air purifiers. They absorb toxins and increase humidity, making your living space healthier. Imagine coming home to a space where the air feels fresher and cleaner—sounds amazing, right?

But that’s not all, indoor jungle plants can also boost your mental well-being. Studies have shown that being around plants can reduce stress, improve mood, and even enhance productivity. If you work from home, adding a few tropical plants to your workspace might be just what you need to stay focused and creative.

So, if you’re still on the fence about starting your indoor jungle, consider these benefits. Not only will you be adding beauty to your space, but you’ll also be creating a healthier and more serene environment for yourself and your loved ones.

Why have an Indoor Jungle?

The houseplant trend has been on the rise since early 2020. Maybe you’ve considered getting some yourself, but are hesitant to fully commit. Or maybe you even question what’s the point in having so many plants.

For starters, the aesthetics of having lush greenery scattered around your house. Plants have a way of making your place feel nice and cozy or you can make your place feel like one of those lush, thriving tropical forests (without the hassle of actually booking a plane ticket). Plants also make an area feel more peaceful and who doesn’t want a more tranquil vibe after a stressful day at work? The prayer plant, for example, adds to this tranquil and peaceful vibe with its unique behavior of folding leaves at night.

An assortment of houseplants on Anthrulla, Palmella and Cactrella trellis by Treleaf

Next reason, plants give you a purpose and help improve your mental health. They’re not as demanding as pets and children. You can nurture them, interact with them, and they reward you with beautiful new growth and (if you have flowering plants) blooms. There’s, also, numerous amounts of studies that show plants help improve creativity and productivity. Work from home? This might help make your work area feel a little less stressful. I know it does for me.

Now that I’ve convinced you to finally get some plants and turn your house into an indoor jungle, let’s talk about the different types of plants you can get for your house.

Choosing the Right Tropical Plants

Before diving full into plant parenthood, consider the lighting conditions in your space when choosing indoor plants. Do you have large windows with bright light where the sun blasts all day? or do you have minimal natural sunlight?

Next, consider the level of maintenance you’re willing to commit to. Do you travel a lot for work? Or, maybe you’re just not home often? Are you more of a homebody? Do you think you’ll want to look after your plants often?

To give your indoor plants the best chance at thriving in your environment, choose plants that fit your lifestyle and the style of your space. There’s always ways around this, like investing in grow lights. But, when you are first starting out, it’s best to choose the plants that fit your current lifestyle. Remember to rotate the plant regularly for even light exposure and feed it regularly to support growth (learn more about plant food here).

Plant Selection by Lighting Conditions

Plants for Low-Light Spaces

• Chinese Evergreen: a low-maintenance plant with beautiful leaves that can thrive in low-light conditions.

• Pothos: a versatile, low-maintenance vining plant that can grow in a variety of lighting conditions. Pair it with our grande Pamella to turn it into a statement piece.

Trailing Pothos on Grande Palmella trellis by Treleaf

• Snake Plant: a low-maintenance plant with thick, succulent leaves that can tolerate low light.

Snake plant in white planter
Photo by Gabriella Clare Marino on Unsplash

Plants for Bright Spaces and Direct Sunlight

• Fiddle Leaf Fig: a popular, stylish plant that prefers bright, indirect light. Fiddle leaf figs grow big and make an excellent statement plant.

Close up of Fiddle Leaf Fig

Photo by Kira Laktionov on Unsplash

• Monstera: a tropical plant with naturally occurring holes in its leaves that prefers bright, indirect light. Monstera deliciosa will grow more splits and fenestrations in their leaves when given the right support, like a wooden cedar plank from Treleaf. They're a very rewarding plant to grow. 

Monstera deliciosa growing on cedar wooden plank by Treleaf

• Bird of Paradise: a flowering plant that prefers bright, direct sunlight.

Massive Bird of Paradise plant in front of windows

Low Maintenance, Easy-to-Care-For Plants

• Philodendron Pedatum: A low-maintenance plant that has leaf that change shape as it continues to grow and mature. Is good with medium indirect light, water when soil is dry. Pair this one with a Grande Anthrulla trellis to make it feel well support. 

Philodendron Pedatum growing on BARE Anthrulla trellis

• ZZ Plant: a low-maintenance plant that can tolerate a range of lighting conditions and infrequent watering.

ZZ Raven plant growing on Palmella trellis by Treleaf

• Raphidophora Tetrasperma: also known as "Mini Monstera". Can be left to trail but has a tendency to grow upright. Give this plant medium indirect light, water when the soil is dry and this plant will grow like a weed. Pair this one with a the wall mounted monstrella and let them take over your wall. 

• Peace lily: Peace lily are good easy to care for plants because they're very vocal. They don't like to have dry soil for too long and they'll tell you by dramatically limping over, looking almost as if they're dead. Just give them evenly moist soil and indirect sunlight, and they'll thrive.

Tips for Caring for Your Indoor Jungle

Water your plants regularly, but make sure not to overwater, which can lead to root rot. Knowing the kind of watering your plants like is crucial. If you have a ZZ Plant, you'll want to water it once a month. But, if you have a Calathea or Anthurium, you'll need to water it more frequently. In general, most plants want to get watered when the soil is dry.

If you fear you may over water your houseplants, use a well-draining potting mix and pots with drainage holes to prevent waterlogged soil. The standard potting mix you'll find in plants straight out of the nursery, will be dense and isn't ideal for most house hold conditions. Adding some amendments like perlite and orchid back will help greatly. You can also read here to learn more about soil.

Fertilize your plants regularly to promote healthy growth. As long as your plants are growing, they'll need to be feed regularly. You can choose a water fertilizer or a slow release fertilizer, whatever fits your lifestyle best. Learn more about houseplant fertilizers here.

Prune your plants regularly to maintain their shape and help promote healthy growth. Click here to learn more about pruning your plants.

Conclusion

Creating an indoor jungle can be easy and rewarding, even for those with limited experience with plants. By choosing the right plants for your space and following some simple care tips, you can bring life and beauty to your home or office. Consider adding some air plants or a Swiss Cheese Plant to your indoor jungle for a unique touch. With a little care and attention, your indoor jungle can thrive and become a peaceful oasis in the midst of a busy urban jungle.

Want to spruce up your indoor plants and turn them into decor pieces? Check out the different supports from Treleaf.