When you are choosing a house plant you need to go beyond the appearance of the plant although that is a good place to start. If there is a certain kind of plant that you want to have look into the care instructions first. Some plants need more care and others are best left to an expert gardener as opposed to a novice one. If you fall into the latter category of gardeners you will want plants that are easy to care for, are hardy, and have a low maintenance schedule.
Ferns are a popular choice for indoor gardens as they are easy to care for, do not require to be repotted very often and are attractive. There is a wide range of fern varieties available and each one has a unique look. Some of the different ferns great for houseplants are:
*Maidenhair Ferns
*Davallias
*Fishbone Ferns
*Cretan Brake Ferns
Begonias are a great choice for the indoors too especially if you do not have a great light source. This plant can survive on very little light each day. Some will flower indoors but the leaves are beautiful on their own too. They also don't mind cooler temperatures either, but it should not get colder than 45 degrees Fahrenheit (7 degrees Celsius). A few the begonia varieties available:
*Rex Begonias
*Iron Cross Begonias
*Begonia Masoniana
The fern and begonia aren't the only breeds of houseplant that will survive even the newest of green thumbs. Here is list of different kinds of plants you can try too:
*Spider Plants
*Devil's Ivy
*Cast Iron Plants
*Chinese Evergreen
Once you have a few plants in your indoor garden and are comfortable with the care required, you will have the skill and confidence needed to take care of a higher-needs variety.
Depending on the individual plant different temperature and humidity levels are recommended. But in general, plants don't like it too hot, too cold, or too dry (with certain exceptions of course). Finding and keeping a balance is important to the survival of your plants. To make it easier on you, the gardener, select plants that thrive in similar conditions weather conditions.
Consistency in temperature is important to plants. Once you find the ideal temperature, try and maintain it daily. It is okay for the plants to be colder at night time; this is natural as the same happens outside in nature when the sun goes down. An average temperature range is 65-75 degrees Fahrenheit (18-23 degrees Celsius) during the day and a drop in temperature to 60-65 degrees Fahrenheit (15-18 degrees Celsius) is acceptable. As this is within the temperature range most houses are kept at this should not be hard to maintain.
You may be tempted to place a plant beside a sunny window to keep it nice and warm. Just remember that exposure to extreme temperature ranges is not good for a plant. It can get overheated during the day and then too cold at night. Give the plants natural sunlight but doing so on a windowsill is not recommended.
Inside a house is a lot dryer than outside. A lot of plants like at least some moisture in the air. Controlling the humidity in the house will help the plants and you if it tends to get dry inside. You can purchase a mister or humidifier for your house or another option is to get the plant's leaves wet. By taking a spray bottle, you can lightly spray the leaves or you can use a cloth or sponge. Take care of any special instructions your plant may have, some do not like to get their leaves wet.