I know it’s not the pandemic anymore and maybe being a “Plant Parent” isn’t as cool as it once was, but I still think you could do a lot worse than to fill your home with something with so many benefits. Obviously, everyone knows that plants help to oxygenate the air around them, but did you know that studies have shown plants help alleviate anxiety and depression? Add to that the responsibility you can teach your kids by letting them care for the plant, and the baby plant gifts for teachers and friends, and you have yourself a winner. Don’t be scared if you have a brown thumb. I used to be you! In high school, I killed a cactus by forgetting to water it. A cactus! And then one day, I woke up and I had 80 house plants.
Let me recommend the perfect starter plants that I promise you (almost) can’t kill!
Silver Nerve Plant. This plant thrives in moderate light, and has the most amazing quality: it’s a total drama queen. It’ll look dead, but water it and an hour later, this plant looks perfect again. I started with this plant and used it as my guide to remember to water my other plants. 
Sansevieria or Snake Plant. This one is impossible to kill. Im-poss-ible. I had one on my covered porch last summer and hadn’t realized it was getting rained in, until the entire plant was floating in its pot. So I dumped it out and left it to dry out, which it did faster than I expected, because at the end of the summer when I brought it inside, it was bone dry. Overwatered, check. Underwatered, check. Plant still thriving, check.
Spider Plant. Not only does this plant do ok without a lot of light, it is fine being under-watered too. The big plus is that it will shoot off baby plants and you can put them in water or soil (either one) and they will root, giving you lots of little gifts for friends or teachers.
Monstera. This plant is my all-time favorite. It is gorgeous and makes you feel like you are living in a beautiful tropical place. It will do fine in low or moderate light and is not picky on the watering schedule. It is also very easy to trim into smaller pieces and gift friends. I once sent a clipping home with my sister and she forgot it in the plastic bag of soil for weeks and it was the most beautiful plant, growing out of a bag!
Dracaena or Corn Plant. This one comes in a lot of colors and patterns, and will thrive no matter what. These are often grafted onto stems to look like mini palm trees too. They will take whatever you throw at them and happily grow taller.
Pothos. These come in so many colors and patterns. My personal favorite is the Marble Queen Pothos, but the Neon Pothos is a close second. These plants will tolerate anything you throw at them and grow trailing vines that look gorgeous on mantels and bookcases.
Pick one (or more) of these starter plants and I promise you will be on your way to a green thumb and a gorgeous plant-enriched home. Maybe you want to end up with 80 plants like me or maybe you will be a little more sensible and just put a few here and there. Either way, I know these plants will bring you so much joy!
