It doesn't require a green thumb to love the look of these beautiful houseplants. With brightly-colored flowers, eye-catching variegation, and interesting textures and shapes, they can turn any house into a cozy home.
You don't need to spend a fortune or go to a fancy nursery to find beautiful plants. Whether you're new to indoor gardening or an experienced houseplant parent, these twelve aesthetic plants will add visual interest to any room.
12 Aesthetically-Pleasing Tropical Plants, Succulents, And Cacti
Instead of choosing your houseplants based on aesthetics alone, prioritize finding a plant that's well-suited for your space. The key to a happy plant is providing it with the right temperature, light, water, and humidity. You'll also want to factor in how much care it needs and how much experience you have.
Fiddle-Leaf Fig Tree
Ficus Lyrata
The fiddle-leaf fig tree is a popular indoor tree with large, glossy leaves. This plant family is sensitive to too much light, water, and temperature compared to some of the other plants. But with proper care, plenty of sunlight, and enough room to grow, fiddle leaf figs can grow upwards of 6 feet tall. It's the perfect large indoor plant for a south-facing window of your bedroom, living room, or home office. Aesthetically pleasing while the plant can help clean the surrounding air.
While small sizes are widely available, larger trees can be difficult to find at a reasonable price. It's also important to note that fiddle leaf fig trees are poisonous pets.
Light— Bright, direct sunlight
Water— Weekly to maintain moderately moist soil
Care— Dust leaves weekly and rotate often for even growth
Heartleaf Philodendron
Philodendron Hederaceum
The aptly-named Heartleaf Philodendron grows long, creeping vines, making it an excellent climbing or hanging plant. Nicknamed the "sweetheart" plant, it's instantly recognized by its dark green, heart-shaped leaves. Regular pruning encourages growth and keeps them looking full.
Heartleaf Philodendron is aesthetically pleasing, easy to care for, and easy maintenance. All it needs it's a little water, light, and love, and it will thrive. While the heartleaf prefers indirect sunlight, it will do just dandy in almost any lighting condition.
Light— Bright, indirect sunlight
Water— Weekly, allowing the soil dry completely between waterings
Care— Train the plant to climb a trellis, column, or ceiling hook
African Milk Tree
Euphorbia Trigona
Though the African Milk Tree resembles a cactus, the fast-growing plant is actually a member of the succulent family. At the plant store, you'll often see it labeled as a cathedral cactus, candelabra cactus, or a good luck plant.
Like most cacti and succulents, the African native is incredibly low maintenance. It grows quickly, propagates easily, and can last a lifetime when cared for correctly. The key to caring for your new plant baby is to mimic its natural desert habitat.
Light— Bright, direct sunlight
Water— Once every two to three weeks, allowing the soil to dry out fully to prevent overwatering.
Care— Prefers an arid climate, as high humidity can lead to fungus and pests.
Birds of Paradise
Strelitzia Reginae
Thanks to its large green leaves and speedy growth, the Birds of Paradise is one of the best aesthetic plants for indoor gardening. It's easy to care for and quite entertaining to watch its new leaves unfurl.
To help your plant grow into an impressive leafy display, it'll need lots of light, regular watering, and a tropical humidity level and temperature. Under perfect conditions, they'll produce the beautiful crane-shaped tropical flowers from which they derive their name. But note, Birds of Paradise are toxic to dogs and cats.
Light— Bright, direct sunlight with shielding from the hot, mid-day sun during the summer
Water— Every few days to keep the soil continuously moist
Care— Dust the large leaves weekly and mist with a spray bottle to add moisture
Swiss Cheese Plant
Monstera Deliciosa
Chances are, you've seen your fair share of swiss cheese plants on social media. So why not add one of these fast-growing aesthetic plants to your home? Formally known as a Monstera deliciosa, the vining plant boasts large, heart-shaped leaves with interesting holes that develop as they age.
Don't be intimidated by the plant's unique appearance. It's incredibly easy to care for and can grow to be quite sizable without much work. Plus, their speedy growth makes them extremely easy to propagate. Though beautiful, the plant is toxic, so you'll need to keep your Monstera away from pets.
Light— Medium to bright indirect light
Water— Weekly to maintain consistently moist soil
Care— Stake heavy vines for added support and trim air roots for aesthetics.
Meyer Lemon Tree
Citrus Meyeri
While growing fruits and vegetables indoors may seem intimidating, it can be incredibly fun and rewarding. If you've got a space with plenty of bright light, try starting with a Meyer lemon tree. With proper care and patience, your little shrub can produce edible lemons.
Light— Bright, direct sunlight
Water— Weekly to monthly, allowing the top few inches of soil to dry between waterings
Care— Ensure proper drainage and monitor regularly for pests
Prayer Plant
Maranta Leuconeura
The prayer plant is one of the most aesthetic plants out there. Its tri-colored leaves boast a mix of green, yellow, and pink or red and curl in at night, resembling praying hands. The slow-grower isn't the easiest to care for, so it's not the best option for inexperienced indoor gardeners.
Light— Bright, indirect sunlight
Water— Frequently to prevent soil from fully drying out
Care— Without the right growing conditions, these aesthetic plants are vulnerable to fungal infections, root rot, and other diseases
Majesty Palm
Ravenea Rivularis
If you're searching for something larger, you can't go wrong with a gorgeous Majesty Palm. Its long fronds add a splash of color and texture that are impossible not to love. The highly-decorative plant will thrive in a bright spot with a mixture of sun and partial shade in your bedroom or living room.
They're slow growers, so you'll want to purchase something that's already relatively large. Heads up, these decorative palms tend to be a bit finicky. The key is to get the right balance of light, water, and fertilizer. If you're new to indoor gardening, try a classic parlor palm instead.
Light— Bright, indirect sunlight
Water— Frequently to keep the soil moist but not soggy
Care— Prefer acidic soil with ample drainage
Peace Lilies
Spathiphyllum
Peace Lilies are a beautiful flowering houseplant with contrasting white flowers and dark green leaves. They're said to symbolize peace, hope, and prosperity, making them a popular gift.
While peace lilies can grow in a range of conditions, they won't flower in low-light conditions and do best in bright, indirect light conditions. Note, this aesthetically-pleasing plant is toxic to pets and kids. Consider it the perfect office plant.
Light— Bright, indirect light
Water— Consistently moist but not soggy
Care— Dust leaves frequently to keep them shiny
Variegated Rubber Plant
Ficus elastica
The versatile rubber plant is one of the best aesthetic plants out there. Its thick, waxy leaves add a splash of green to any space. Smaller plants start well on a tabletop, and larger plants grow well in a large pot on the floor.
Rubber plants are relatively easy to care for. Provide it with enough light, water, and love, and it'll grow quickly and reliably. While the tropical plant can grow upwards of 100 feet in its natural Southeast Asian habitat, it can easily be kept to a manageable size in an indoor pot.
Light— Bright, indirect light
Water— Weekly to keep the soil moist
Care— If your growing plant begins to droop, keep it upright with a stake or dowel
Calathea Medallion
Calathea Veitchiana
Calathea Medallion is one of the most beautiful mother nature low-light plants. With their large "medallion" like leaves, bold pattern on top, and burgundy underneath, it's no doubt you will want to add this aesthetically pleasing plant into your home.
While this tropical plant loves low light, it also loves high humidity with moderately moist soil.
Light— Medium to bright indirect light and can tolerate lower light situations. Avoid direct bright light as it will burn the leaves.
Water— Maintain a regular watering schedule and water when the top 25% of soil is dry.
Care— Needs ample humidity to stay happy.
Philodendron Pink Princess
Philodendron Erubescens 'Pink Princess'
The gorgeous and rare pink princess philodendron is at the top of many plant collectors' wish lists, and for a good reason too. With deep green, heart-shaped leaves with a splash of bubblegum pink, this plant is truly unique in the plant world and aesthetically pleasing where ever you display it.
This brilliant pink variegation is pretty easy to care for and straightforward too.
Light—Few hours of direct light. Without enough light, the pink plant leaves will revert back to green.
Water— Allow the top half of the soil to dry between each watering.
Care— This plant does best in warm and humid conditions.
