My Top 10 House Plants For Staging

Plants indoors not only make the home look beautiful, they purify the air, reduce stress and improve focus. They break up the hard, blank lines of walls and furniture and bring life and texture.

Here's my top 10 picks for low maintenance indoor plants, perfect for staging when selling your home for as least effort as possible. Also great for the 'black thumbs' out there who like the idea of plants but know nothing about how to care for them.

Here are my top 10, low maintenance house plants that are hard to kill:

Peace Lily

A common mistake with peace lily's can be overwatering. The trick is to touch the top of the soil once a week to see if it is dry. If it is, give it a drink. Like most indoor plants, peace lily's enjoy medium to low light. Wipe down the leaves once a year to keep the dust from blocking the light.

Xanadu Philodendron

The Xanadu will add a tropical feel to your home with it's lush growth. It prefers medium to bright, indirect light. Xanadu like lots of water. Allow it to dry out 50% before watering again. It likes moist soil but don't leave it sitting in water. This plant can be toxic to animals and children so keep it out of reach.

Monstera Deliciosa

Aka. split leaf philodendron, fruit salad plant. This plant is a climbing plant so it's a great idea it to add a spoke into the pot to allow it to grow. Keep it close to a window in a bright spot. Not enough light will cause the leaves to lean or 'point' towards the light. The monstera deliciosa has low watering needs, just check the soil to see how it feels.

Bird of Paradise

This plant will add another dimension to your indoor plants with it's tall stems and broad leaves. The bird of paradise likes consistent watering to keep the soil moist but never wet or soggy. It can adapt to a wide spectrum of light conditions from direct sun to low, indirect light. It will flourish better in a sunny spot.

Fun fact - the splits in your bird of paradise's leaves aren't anything to be concerned about. They occur naturally in the wild to help the plant become more aerodynamic in the wind and rain.

Fiddle Leaf Fig

My favorite house plant! Overwatering these plants can harm them as they like well drained soil. With your finger check the moisture of the first 2-3cm/1inch of soil. Saturate the soil then allow it to gradually dry out. Keep your fiddle leaf in a brightly lit spot in your home. Lots of light is important but don't allow it to sit in direct sunlight. This can burn the leaves. A good fertiliser is recommended and also keep the leaves dust free. These can grow up to 2 to 3 meters indoors!

Rubber Plant

Part of the fiddle-leaf species this fig is one of the easiest to grow. This hard-to-kill fig enjoys the same care as the fiddle-leaf but will tolerate almost total neglect. Perfect for the plant murderers out there. Its large shiny green and brown-tinged leaves will bring another color into your home.

Mother-in-laws's Tongue

Aka. Snake Plant

This low maintenance plant enjoys bright, indirect sunlight but will also tolerate some direct sunlight. It doesn't require much water at all with once a month being sufficient. This plant can be prone to rotting if overwatered so free draining soil is best.

Zanzibar Gem

These plants have a reputation for their hardiness and thriving on neglect. They can go up to 3 months without water! They don't like overwatering so let the soil dry in between watering. On the downside, these plants are extremely slow growing so don't expect to see it grow and flourish - what you see is what you get, you've got to be in it for the long haul. Indirect light is best, too much will make the leaves turn yellow. All parts of this plant can be toxic so keep away from animals and children.

Devils Ivy

Aka. Golden Pothos

Devils ivy is considered one of the best houseplants. It is a trailing plant and will grow virtually anywhere. It looks great in hanging baskets or dangling over the edge of a shelf. It enjoys low-lit positions indoors and only needs watering about once a week or when the soil drys out. Propagating is easy if you just take a small cutting and place it in some water until roots form.

Elephant Ear

Bring the tropics indoors with this plant that really loves to listen! Well technically it doesn't have ears but they're almost uncanny to elephants ears. Indoors they enjoy a well lit spot away from direct sunlight. They do like regular watering once the top of the soil has dried out slightly. Keep the leaves clean by wiping with a damp cloth.

My Gardening Top Tips

1. Purchase a Soil Moisture Meter for the hardware store and use this to measure whether your plant is due for a drink to prevent overwatering.

2. Remember 'Watering Wednesday'. Every Wednesday, go around, check on your plants and give them what they need. If you really want to succeed at keeping your plants healthy, this extent may be necessary.

3. Add different dynamics to your indoor plants. Different shapes, sizes, colors, heights, baskets and plant holders. Have fun with it. It's incredible how good some healthy indoor plants will make your home and your soul feel!