I’ve been in the plant world basically since I moved to the US. Ironic, isn’t it? Since we’re paying hundred bucks for tropical plants which are growing in the wild in Asia (aka dirt cheap, or practically free😂). It has been so much fun connecting with other plant enthusiasts in the community, propagating and selling indoor plants.

While selling plants locally, I meet with an amount of new plant moms. Beginners prefer harder-to-kill plants who don’t require a specific environment (a green house), or expensive add-ons (grow light, humidifier, etc.). Above all, I feel that even a really cheap plant can make you happy, as long it it grows healthily and you can actually watch the growth in front of your eye. We call them “my plant babies” for that reason.

So, I’ve put together my list of 10 plants for beginners: soooo cheap, super easy to nurture for, fast grower, and beautiful. They should all show up in my collection (look at these beauties in my back deck!) here:

1. Pothos: there are easily 10 varieties you can collect – golden, marble queen, n’joy, lemon lime, cebu blue, manjula, the list goes on.
2. Philodendron: similar to pothos, but narrower leaves, perfect for hanging basket. Also comes in a wide variety: brazil, lemon lime, heartleaf (these are the most common and hard-to-kill ones). I recommend collecting all🌿
3. Scindapsus: a pothos family, much more interesting leaf patterns. Easily mistaken with pothos, or commonly called “satin pothos”. Store-ready ones are exotica, argyraeus, treubii moonlight. Next level would be silver splash, silver hero, silver lady, jade satin.
4. Begonia: there are probably thousand of begonia varieties, but my experience tells me that the cane one is the best for beginner. The maculata wightii has the most amazing angel-wing leaves which is really a show-off. It does require high humidity or the leaves can crunch and dry off. I’ve also collected the caned sinbad, pink beningo, my special angel, lucerna. Would be a heart-breaking moment to let go of these.
5. Hoya: there is a surprisingly good amount of hoya you can get at your local Lowe’s or Home Depot. Score a hoya krimson queen, krimson princess, pubicalyx, wayetti, or the heart-shaped kerrii. Hoyas are in the orchid family which don’t require much watering, although humidity and fertilizer will help them bloom.
6. Monstera deliciosa: the giant leaves are to die for! This is a must-have in every house, end of discussion.
7. Bird of paradise: another statement piece that will no doubt stand out in any corner of your house. Also, the banana-like leaves remind me much of Asia.
8. String of *anything*: my most favorite de-stress activity is to go to Marshalls for a cute pot, and get a “string of *fill in the blank*” plant for it, then put it on top of a shelf for the strings to dangle. Spoil yourself with a string of pearl or string of heart (even better, go with the variegated variety, because uhhh why not?). There’s also string of banana, dolphin, turtles, dolphin. These are also really fun to propagate. Google “butterfly propagation method” for more details!
9. Syngonium: these are not my most-loved, but definitely an easy plant variety for beginner because they grow wildy even when neglected. Oh, I do love the pink one!
10. Last but not least, I will throw in my love for the little fittonia. These are known to be best for terrarium because they love high humidity, but I’ve grown plenty in a regular home without added humidity. They can be very dramatic and if you underwater them, they drop down like “I have zero energy left!”, then you water them and they sprout right back up as if nothing happened. Who doesn’t love a drama queen?😂