In 2021, the National Gardening Association estimated that Americans spent more than a whopping $2 billion on indoor plants and accessories. It represented a nearly 100% increase from 2019. And, since then, the plant world has continued to flourish.

“Obsessions really evolved,” says Marcia Castro-Rosenberg, owner of Rooting for You, a Las Vegas plant shop, whose passion for plants was sparked during the early days of the pandemic. “My plant collection became a lifeline to mental health. Plant care became self-care.”

For those folks who only recently discovered a green thumb that needs satiating, Castro-Rosenberg is quick to rattle off a list of popular, low-maintenance house plants to get you started on your plant parenting journey. As for experience? Well, that’s not required.

Before even selecting what plants to take home, she suggests figuring out what type of parent you’ll be.

“There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to plants,” she says. “People go online for advice, but it’s so generic and environmental advice is different. You need to try to figure out the level of expertise when it comes to parents … the style of parenting. Do you dote on plants and want something you can interact with? Or are you neglectful and need plants to be a little tough so they can tolerate more? It all goes into picking the right plant for the right parent.”

Then, you’ve got to take a look at the environment. Is the space low light? What kind of humidity is there? Will the plants get direct sunlight?

According to Castro-Rosenberg, the most common issues she sees is plants not getting enough light, and people mistakenly thinking they need water.

So, what are the best, low-maintenance houseplants?

The most common—and most forgiving—are the trailing philodendrons, snake plants and ZZ plants (Zanzibar Gems). They don’t need a lot of light or water, so taking care of them (or simply not killing them) is relatively easy to do.

For watering, Castro-Rosenberg suggests using reverse osmosis or distilled water, because Las Vegas’ tap water is hard. Fortunately, these plants can also handle even the Las Vegas water without a problem.

If you have pets, remember that not all plants are animal-friendly. In fact, some plants, like jade, can poison family pets. Try hoyas if you have pets—they are non-toxic and easy to care for.

If you’d like to bring these plants outside, give them a chance to acclimate slowly to their new settings. If you’re bringing them from inside to the outside, put them in the shade first and then let them transition to direct sunlight. 

“The minute it gets below 55 or above 85, bring them back indoors,” she advises.

For humidity, place your low-maintenance plants together. That creates a microclimate and increases the humidity around the plants. As you get more serious, Castro-Rosenberg suggests heading to Ikea to get greenhouse cabinets.

“Putting things behind glass creates a terrarium to keep in the humidity,” she says. “All your plants will thank you.”

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