Buying plants online has become an easier (and more curated) experience since we were first introduced to Amazon’s plant store. Whether you’re working from home and looking to spruce up your living/work space, or just live in a concrete jungle and need to see some green, it’s as good a time as any to take up indoor gardening. Hanging plants, succulents, and even herbs can be used to make your home look and feel less sterile, but the benefits don’t stop there. Sharing your space with plants can purify your air, reduce anxiety, and even improve concentration — all welcome antidotes to the stresses of life.
Here, we’ve combed through Amazon’s (continuously growing) selection of indoor plants to find the best in-stock options for plant parents of all gardening levels. We’ve also considered plants that will thrive in many different types of spaces, whether you have high ceilings and lots of light or just a few bare windowsills to fill. Alongside foolproof options like ZZ plants and the always-reliable pothos, there are a few rare and underrated plants to choose from if you’d like to level up your plant parenting while hunkering down over the winter.
Best floor plants
Costa Farms Majesty Palm Tree
Despite the tropical look of this palm tree, you won’t have to worry about creating a tropical environment for it to survive in. All it needs is bright light from an east- or west-facing window and water about once a week. The seller says it can grow pretty slowly, but when it arrives, it will already be three feet tall — and still make a stately appearance in an empty corner.
Thirsty Leaves Store Dracaena Marginata Cane Live Plant for Indoor
Another easy-care tropical option is a dracaena plant, especially if your home gets a decent amount of sunlight year-round but you struggle with dry winter air. That’s according to Rebecca Bullene, partner and co-founder of Greenery Unlimited. “A lot of them are native to Hawaii, and they actually grow on the [very arid] lava fields of volcanoes,” she explains.
American Plant Exchange Fiddle Leaf Fig in Grow Pot
There are some status-plant runners-up to choose from as well, like the birds-of-paradise, which is perfect for making your apartment look like an East Village cocktail bar. Benito Gonsales, plant buyer at Saifee Hardware & Garden, says the plant is easier to care for than a fiddle-leaf. “Just give it bright light and water it once per week,” he says, adding that you can get it to flower annually “if you take care of it.”
Visual merchandiser Chikako Ishii Frank first alerted us to the “pink plant” trend, to which the pink-toned Chinese evergreen (a.k.a. Aglaonema) fits right in. It comes recommended by two plantfluencers, including Summer Rayne Oakes, author of How to Make a Plant Love You and host of the YouTube series Plant One on Me, who especially recommends the plant for somewhat-experienced plant parents “who can’t grow flowers in their home, because Aglaonema can really give a nice brightness of color.”
Another pink-toned floor plant is the rubber plant. Upon arrival, the shiny, dark, “burgundy” leaves will be smaller than they look in this photo, but they’ll grow super-tall over time.
And here’s a pretty-in-pink option for plant parents looking to level up their skills: the slightly fussy stromanthe triostar. It resembles a rubber tree but has perkier and more delicate leaves that will move around during the day as light fluctuates. Ryan Lee, co-founder of Rooted NYC, nominates it as one of the most underrated indoor plants.
One of the few houseplants out there to have had its own “day of the week” hashtag on Instagram — “#monsteramondays,” in case you were wondering — the monstera has been on the fiddle-leaf’s tail for years now, and it’s still popular as ever. They can get really big, and they tend to grow out rather than up, so make sure you have a lot of floor space available. The irregularly shaped leaves are part of the charm.
Snake plants make for another great floor plant. They’re very tolerant of low light and infrequent watering, and since they grow straight up, they’re ideal if you want something that doesn’t take up too much air space in your living room. Plus, we’ve said that buying from Amazon is the most convenient and cost-effective way to get this plant.
If you’re after something leafy that thrives in low light but don’t care for the ubiquitous snake plant, a cast-iron plant is a great option. “You can’t kill them,” says Tula Plants & Design CEO and founder Christan Summers. “They have a really elegant leaf shape that I always appreciate in the mix of floppiness.”
Best countertop plants
Of the multiple styles of money plants, this one makes one of the biggest statements. Five Pachira plants are braided into one tree, forming an intricate tangled-root design. It’s a great plant to gift someone, as it’s said to bring wealth, good luck, and fortune. And it doesn’t take much maintenance, either: only a half-cup of water every week.
The quirky-looking ponytail palm is not technically a palm — it’s more closely related to desert plants like yuccas. Either way, its muppetlike fronds will quickly become a focal point on your desk or dining table.
This pleasingly variegated philodendron was once so coveted by plant people that it drew comparisons to the iconic Hermès handbag. Hype has since died down, and Strategist writer Erin Schwartz recently spotted it for a very reasonable price on Amazon.
During the day, the leaves on this prayer plant open up to absorb as much light as possible, and then fold up in a resting position at night. Although it’s not a flowering plant, the variegated leaves bring in some color, and it does fine without a lot of light, so you can place it anywhere. And if you have a dog or cat, don’t worry, it’s pet-safe.
No light? No problem. This plant will thrive just about anywhere. Instead of the smooth leaves of most plants, the bird’s-nest fern has crinkly leaves that will add some nice texture to your space. It even works as a natural air purifier. According to the description, “A NASA study identified the fern as one of the top air-purifying plants to remove harmful chemicals from the air in your home.”
If you can’t decide between flowers or plants, this rattlesnake calathea gives you a little of both. In the spring it will bloom yellow and orange flowers, and year-round you’ll be able to enjoy the exotic, multicolored leaves.
The ZZ plant is one of our most stood-behind plant recommendations because it’s one of the heartiest and most foolproof species out there, and it also has a unique, almost Jurassic look. In the “before time,” David bought a ZZ plant while researching office-friendly plants and found that over the course of a year it doubled in size with nothing but overhead fluorescent light and infrequent waterings every week or so from a mugful of office-sink water. This 12-inch version will ship directly from Amazon in a white/natural-toned planter.
The Chinese money plant is also referred to as the “sharing plant,” since it’s known to sprout miniature “baby plants” out of the surrounding soil, which are easy to repot and share with a friend. The Costa Farms version of this plant, complete with a ceramic planter and mid-century-style wooden plant stand, is no longer available, but you can still get those same plant accessories separately on Amazon.
Peace lilies are quite possibly the best air purifier of all houseplants (a NASA study found that it removed benzene and formaldehyde from the air). They’re easy to care for, too. Senior editor Anthony Rotunno wrote about his beloved peace lily — named Marilyn — which moved with him to three different apartments. “It’s among the hardiest green things I’ve ever encountered,” he says.
And while the low-maintenance peace lily does indeed flower, it’s not quite the same effect as a blooming orchid. Orchids are by no means effortless — it does take some work to care for them — but we spoke with a few orchid experts who told us that orchids actually aren’t as difficult as many believe, especially when it comes to this variety cultivated specifically for its adaptability, the phalaenopsis “moth” orchid. This plant ships in a two-inch starter pot, but you might want to show off your specimen in another one of Amazon’s many pots and planters, sold separately.
Best windowsill plants
If you’ve got a windowsill that sees at least six to eight hours of bright sunlight each, day you can grow your own indoor herb garden. This set comes with a nice mix of cooking and cocktail-making herbs, including rosemary, lavender, lemon balm, oregano, and chamomile. But if you want to just grow parsley or mint, they have those as options too.
Succulents are generally considered quite easy to care for as long as you can give them enough light, and they can handle sitting in dry soil for a while. This four-pack of assorted miniature succulents would instantly upgrade a sunny windowsill.
If you’d prefer something prickly, consider this four-pack of cacti. Although they can handle direct sunlight, cacti do need to be watered and taken care of or else they’ll die, which is exactly why managing editor Maxine Builder consulted with three cactus professionals about the best potting soil and fertilizer for your spiny plant.
Air Plant Shop Pack of 5 Classic Air Plants
Perhaps the easiest plants to keep indoors, air plants don’t need any soil and only have to be watered every two weeks. They’re great additions to windowsills without enough room for potted plants and can even be plopped down on a bookshelf that’s somewhat near to a window.
Jade is another hardy succulent that can fit on a small but bright and sunny spot on your windowsill. It naturally grows into the shape of a miniature tree or bush.
Best window-hanging plants
This string-of-pearls succulent comes in its own hanging basket, so it is ready to go when it arrives. The vines will likely already be growing out of the pot, and with bright indirect light it should double in size in no time. These plants are great for propagating, so once yours starts growing well, you can take cuttings to share with friends.
This plant is famously easy to keep alive and a fast grower, making it an ideal pick for new plant-parents. Erin Marino, director of brand marketing at the Sill, says you’ll know when the plant needs to be watered because the leaves have a “visible wilt,” but “they’re super-hardy, so they bounce back right away,” she adds. This one doesn’t come with a hanging pot so you’ll need to buy one separately. To help you find something nice we wrote about the best hanging planters.
We wrote about ocean spiders and named them one of the best hanging plants for new plant-parents. Baylor Chapman, a plant stylist and author of Decorating With Plants, especially likes how well these plants spread from the baby “spiderettes” that grow from the bottom of their leaves: “They can root in something else, so if you had one growing up over a window, it could root from pot to pot if you did it that way.” Plus, ocean spiders are at the top of all of our experts’ lists of pet-safe plants.
Another plant that’s easy to propagate and hang is the philodendron. “The tendrils can get really, really long. You can clip it back and start new little plants from your cuttings, or you can kind of just let it go crazy,” explains Jessie Waldman of Pistils Nursery in Portland, Oregon. This species is known as “cordatum,” from the Latin word meaning “heart-shaped,” referring to the plant’s leaf shape.
Closely related to the philodendron, this silvery variety is nicknamed the satin pothos. “It has a really matte, cool texture and pattern on the leaves, which people just wanna touch,” explains Waldman. The satin pothos is technically a scindapsus, not a philodendron, meaning it fares even better in low light.