The 42 Most Popular Houseplants for Your Home

Between new favorites and tried-and-true classics, you'll find the perfect plants to green up your home.

Wendy Rose Gould is a lifestyle reporter based in Phoenix, Arizona. For the last 10 years, she's covered beauty, health, wellness, and travel for leading lifestyle outlets, including NBC, The Zoe Report, Bustle, Glam, TripSavvy, and others.

Cats and dogs might have ruled the internet for years—and they're most certainly here to stay—but judging by #PlantTok and the #plantfluencer life, plants might very well outpace pets in popularity. There's never been a better time to adopt a plant, and you can find them at your local nursery or shop for them online.

Whether you're just dabbling in the plant parent world or are already on a mission to collect them all, consider bringing some of the most popular house plants into your space. We asked plant pros to reveal which houseplants are popular—both trendy newcomers and the tried-and-true most popular houseplants of all time—and how to take care of each one. You can have a gorgeous house plant and help it thrive. Get your watering can and spray bottle ready!

This spiky, low-maintenance houseplant was the top-searched plant in nearly a dozen states, according to a recent survey by home furnishings site Joybird. It's no surprise, given its set-it-and-forget-it vibe (sunny window and minimal watering) and the beauty and health benefits you can reap from the gel inside the leaves.

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Consistently on the list of best sellers on plant sites like Costa Farms and the Sill, the pothos (also called devil's vine and devil's ivy) scores major points with plant parents for being easy to care for and capable of thriving in even low light conditions.

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This beginner-friendly plant (also known as mother-in-law's tongue, devil's tongue, or sansevieria) requires little care to thrive, and it's been a top-searched plant for the past several years. "The Sansevieria is a great plant choice for first-time plant parents," says Lindsay Pangborn of Bloomscape. "With a low-maintenance, adaptable nature, this plant is perfect for all sorts of settings, from low light to direct sun."

Fun fact: The snake plant is a popular choice for feng shui—post one near your entryway to help block bad energy.

Orchids are a fantastic plant choice for people who are looking to add a little color with a blooming houseplant.

While they may have a reputation for being a little tough to care for at home, even beginners can help them thrive and bloom. To help your orchid plant grow, it's probably best to stick with orchid-specific products, such as pots, soil blends, and fertilizers. Place it near (but not in) a window that faces south or east, to give them the bright, indirect light they crave.

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This tropical plant has been a favorite among those who love flowers: It can bloom more than once per year, and the flowers last for weeks. "The peace lily has been an iconic houseplant for decades, and for good reason thanks to its forgiving nature, vibrant glossy leaves, and symbolic white blooms, Pangborn says. "The peace lily is known for symbolizing prosperity, purity, peace, and sympathy."

To help your peace lily thrive, you need to try to recreate that tropical environment, with a warm, humid corner that provides soft light. (In the wild, peace lilies tend to grow under other plants that provide them with some cover.)

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If you're growing herbs indoors, basil is likely at the top of your list. (Who doesn't love a little fresh basil to top their pasta or pizza?) Basil prefers sunny conditions and does best in a sunny window if grown indoors.

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This pretty flowering houseplant has been a time-honored favorite, due to its sweet purple blooms that appear several times a year. The African violet needs light, warmth, and plenty of humidity to thrive.

Succulents have been a trending houseplant over the past few years, but the succulent jade plants have been a fan favorite for decades.

As succulents, jade plants require minimal watering—a boon for those who tend to neglect their houseplants. It does need plenty of sun, though, so place it near your sunniest, southern-facing window.

Spider plants are kind of like the sourdough starter of plants. When they're thriving, they produce baby plants that you can easily snip and gift to a fellow plant parent.

Spider plants prefer warm, humid conditions, and can make do with lower light situations. They're also fantastic hanging plants, thanks to their trailing appearance.

This tropical plant makes a great (if slightly high maintenance) houseplant, with its striking leaves and its ability to grow to tree status, making it a great plant to add to your home decor.

The rubber plant has the usual needs of tropical plants—bright, indirect light, warmth, and humidity. Watch for the plant's leaves to turn dull or drop off, which could indicate it needs a bit more light.

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Dumb cane plants are prized for their intriguing, patterned foliage, and their relatively easy-care nature. There are a ton of varieties to choose from, which can grow into larger trees that can be a centerpiece of your plant collection.

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One of the stars of the past few years, the monstera (or Swiss cheese plant) is beloved for its pretty leaves. "Monstera is one of my favorite plants that make a statement, perfect for a bright open space," Pangborn says. "Known for its fast-growing nature and large leaves with dramatic holes that resemble Swiss cheese, the Monstera is an easy choice and is adaptable to most indoor environments."

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This perennial herb can be grown on a sunny windowsill, so you can add a touch of flavor to anything from cocktails to stews.

It may be a little challenging to keep rosemary thriving during the winter months, as the plant needs lots of bright sunlight to do well. But it's a plant that tolerates drought, so err on the side of underwatering your rosemary.

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This pretty tropical plant can grow quickly, so be ready to repot. They favor the same conditions as other tropical plants—warm and humid.

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Money trees (AKA Guiana chestnut) have become a houseplant staple, due to their ability to thrive in a typical indoor environment. "With large star-shaped leaves and a braided trunk, this special plant is known to bring good luck and fortune into your life," Pangborn says—and counts it among Bloomscape's top-selling plants.

It's a fast-growing plant, which can quickly become a floor plant to spotlight in your room. It also thrives on humidity, so you'll want to mist (or keep a humidifier nearby), especially if your home is dry in the winter.

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Lucky bamboo are beloved for being a way to bring good luck into your home, and for being an especially easy to care for plant, since they grow in water—so you just need to ensure the roots are always in water.

Fun fact: Lucky bamboo isn't actually bamboo. It's a succulent!

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Ivy's trailing behavior makes it a perfect choice for a hanging plant—and the plant will grow fast under indoor conditions. It can do well in low light conditions, so you can have it brighten up a darker corner.

These popular plants feature gorgeous, deep green leaves, and they're hard to kill, making the ZZ plant an ideal pick for beginner plant parents.

They can thrive in even low light conditions, making them a great choice for an office or a space in your home that doesn't get much light. And they also thrive on neglect, needing less water than other plants.

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Boston ferns thrive on humidity and water, making them an ideal plant for your bathroom. (Even with all that shower humidity, you may need to mist them additionally to help them thrive.)

It's also a plant that doesn't require much sunlight, so it's great for offices or darker rooms.

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These big and beautiful palm trees (also known as the butterfly palm or the bamboo palm) make a statement in your room, growing up to 8 feet tall.

The Areca palm thrives in indirect sunlight—but don't overwater this grand beauty.

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This popular houseplant thrives on light, so you'll need to place it right in a southern or western window to avoid dropping leaves. (The fussiness has also caused the fiddle leaf fig to be placed on many "difficult plants" lists.)

But if you can meet the light and water requirements, you'll have a gorgeous tree to showcase in your home.

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This popular houseplant's rounded leaves have earned it the nicknames Chinese money plant or pancake plant. It's an easy-to-care-for plant, making it a great choice for a beginner plant parent.

Bromeliads are super popular, thanks to their colorful blooms and minimal needs. They're a type of air plant, so they can even grow without soil.

"I’d recommend bromeliads for those hoping to add a splash of color to the room," Pangborn says. "It's a great alternative to gifting traditional flowers."

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This spiky plant is a popular pick for houseplant beginners, since it's pretty hard to kill. (It also makes a great office plant for that same reason!)

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This pretty trailing succulent is a perfect addition to a bookshelf or as a hanging plant. (You can cut off the stems to grow new plants—and help your original plant thrive!)

Croton's colorful foliage is a showstopper—and is a common reason this plant's hit the best-seller lists of many plant sites. Like many other tropical plants, croton thrives in a warm, humid environment—you may need a humidity tray (a tray with pebbles half-immersed in water) or a humidifier to give it the right conditions.

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This popular, easy-care plant thrives in just about every light or water situation, and brings a much needed touch of green to any indoor space. You can find variations with colorful leaves to help brighten up a dark corner of your house.

If you choose a Chinese evergreen with bright or variegated leaves, you'll need to keep it in a brighter spot to maintain the coloring, while green varieties do well in low light.

They thrive in high humidity, so they're a great choice for your bathroom—or you may need to place them in a saucer with pebbles and standing water to provide a humid environment.

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These funky trees have been trendy for the past few years, thanks to their shaggy leaves and thick, woody trunk. They're slow growing, and can eventually become tree-sized, even indoors.

Another reason for their popularity? They're super easy to maintain, as long as you can find a sunny space for them.

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Prized for its colorful leaves and small stature, these green-purple plants can be grown outdoors or indoors. Oyster plants don't require a lot of maintenance to thrive and can tolerate a forgetful plant parent who lets it run dry.

If you want some pretty blooms for your plant collection, look no further: Kalanchoe is a popular houseplant and is also a succulent, so it's relatively easy to care for.

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Jasmine plants offer beautiful, fragrant flowers that make them desirable houseplants—and some varieties are vines and make gorgeous hanging plants.

Getting the watering right takes a little doing for this sweet plant—as it likes a steady, moist (but not too moist) soil.

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The tried-and-true philodendron is an easy-to-grow houseplant with heart-shaped leaves—so it's no wonder its common name is sweetheart plant.

"This fast-growing and vining plant is incredibly easy to take care of and a perfect option for first-time plant owners," Pangborn says. "The heartleaf philodendron is incredibly tolerant of neglect including low light, poor soil, and inconsistent watering, making it a perfect choice for those with busier lives or for those who enjoy traveling for long periods of time."

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Cacti and succulents have become a common addition to most plant collections, due to their extreme ease of care—as long as you can get the light right, you don't have to do a whole lot of watering to keep a cactus thriving.

There are hundreds of different types of cacti and succulents, but most of them require the same type of care.

The philodendron family is robust, and most of its members require low to medium maintenance. One of the most popular philos right now is the philodendron brandtianum, also known as the Brandi Philo. It has olive green streaks among its almost iridescent silver heart-shaped leaves.

"This vining, epiphytic, highly-sought-after species can be trained to grow up, rooting into a moist surface, or simply allowed to cascade out of a pot or hanging basket," notes Jayson Opgenorth of LiveTrends Design Group. He adds, "Brandi is a great 'learner plant' that tolerates a wide range of growing conditions, allowing you to test and trial different light and care conditions."

Native to Brazil, the begonia maculata grows on a cane-like stem with long emerald green leaves and a smattering of silver spots. The back of the leaf is red, and the plant flowers with dense clusters of white blooms. It almost has a cartoonish aesthetic, making it the star of any space.

"As this plant thrives in humidity, it's considered high-maintenance. However, with great care, this plant will reward you with stunning leaves," says Carrie Waggoner of Flowers for Dreams. "It can sometimes be hard to find, as it's not available all year. Keep your eye out at home improvement stores, and if you see it in a shop, snap it up!"

No matter which variety of alocasia you choose, this popular houseplant is bound to make a wow-worthy statement in your home. Each features unique leaves with striking veining and essentially doubles as a piece of sculptural art.

There's the 'Dragon Scale' alocasia with its almost turtle-like design, the 'Gray Dragon' with its silvery hue, and the 'Purple Sword' with its narrow, deep green leaves. All are worthy of any plant collection, says Benjamin Futa of The Botany Shop.

However, one of his favorites is the Black Velvet variety, which features saturated green leaves contrasted with white veining. He says, "It's one of the most popular at the moment, and can be found in plant shops, nurseries, and online platforms like Etsy."

Colloquially known as a bird's nest anthurium (not to be confused with the bird's nest fern) the dazzling anthurium superbum is recognized by its waffled, shiny, ironclad leaves. Opgenorth tells us it originates in Ecuador and is an excellent "gateway plant" for those who want to get more comfortable growing other members of the anthurium genus.

"Some distinctive characteristics are its bronze-colored new foliage and beefy, above-soil structural roots," Opgenorth says. "A superbum is a slow-growing species and is endangered in its native habitat, so verify it is not collected from the wild and grow one yourself to keep the genetics alive," he adds.

The ficus Audrey isn't just a lush, pretty plant to behold. It's also considered a holy plant in its native country, India. This one might look a bit familiar to you, especially if you're familiar with the ficus lyrata, also known as the fiddle-leaf fig.

"Ficus Audrey has deep green, oval-shaped leaves with dramatic yellow veins. In nature, these plants grow into tall banyan figs with impressive root systems and hanging aerial roots," Waggoner notes. "While ficus lyrata is known to be fussy, Audrey, in contrast, is more tolerant and easier to care for."

If you're seeking rich yellow and green tones and leaves with ornate markings, look no further than the eye-catching homalomena plant, a compact grower well-suited for indoor care. This coveted houseplant is harder to come by compared to others on this list, but that only makes the hunt more exciting.

"Native to the humid rainforests of Southeastern Asia, its beautifully mottled yellow to dark green foliage provides a fantastic show. And the almost leathery feel of the foliage speaks to its durability," Opgenorth says.

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If you're looking for a popular plant with some really interesting foliage, look no further. The prayer plant's uniquely striped leaves fold up at night, inspiring the plant's common name. It needs bright, indirect light to thrive—too much sun will cause the leaves to fade, and too little could lead to a sparser looking plant.

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Gardenias make a gorgeous outdoor plant in the warmer gardening zones (8 to 11), but if you're looking for a flowering houseplant, you can grow them indoors in other regions. Keep in mind that this is a slightly tricky plant to manage—and that it's toxic to pets, too.

The hoya kerrii is a beautiful, vining succulent native to Thailand. A quick look at the heart-shaped design will tell you how this popular houseplant got its name. "Sweetheart plants are a nice, low-maintenance option that likes to dry out completely in between waterings," Waggoner notes. To that end, this slow-growing beauty is more at risk of being over-watered than under-watered.

Like some of the other popular houseplants on this list, the hoya kerrii can be tricky to find at big-box stores. However, Waggoner says you'll likely have good luck looking at boutique plant shops or on Etsy.

The most popular houseplant in the world is the philodendron. Resilient and hearty, the Philodendron hederaceum (classic heart-leaf philodendron) is particularly favored because it thrives and grows regardless of care. But pet owners should be careful, as philodendrons are poisonous to animals. A better (and still very popular) choice might be an African violet, which thrives in similar conditions but is non-toxic to animals.

When it comes to minimal upkeep, Aloe barbadensis miller (Aloe vera) wins. Other easy house plants to keep are succulents (cacti), spider plants, and snake plants. These all require minimal watering—in fact, they do best with less water—and just need a window with lots of sunlight.

Likely because of its minimal upkeep requirements, Aloe vera is the most common type of house plant. Aloe is anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and has would-healing properties. So Aloe isn't just lovely to look at; the plant's medicinal properties—it can treat skin maladies and is also used in some cases for digestive problems—also make it a popular choice..

Sánchez M, González-Burgos E, Iglesias I, Gómez-Serranillos MP. Pharmacological update properties of aloe vera and its major active constituents. Molecules. 2020;25(6):1324.