In my recent plant propagation post, I was replying to The Parmigiana Whisperer when the idea for this new post came. She is right – plants are incredibly pretty and there are ones with stunning leaves. Flowers are great but everyday lovely foliage is even better. Below are my top 5 houseplants with to-die-for leaves!
1. Thai Calladium
Isn’t this leaf the most beautiful you have ever seen? Pink and vibrant, the Thai calladium is a lovely lady that belongs to fairytales, at least if it became human. It is so pretty!
The key to the nicest, pinkest leaves is bright, indirect light. Of course, there will be some regular leaves but the color encouraged by placing the calladium in high light.
I had plenty of these but they died over the wet season when our garden was unfortunately flooded. Calladiums in general hate sitting in wet soil. This also highlights the importance of keeping plant insurance.
2. Hoya Carnosa Compacta
This is the large intestine. It has to be. In the best possible way. Also known as hoya hindu rope, I cannot help but fall in love with these tight, chunky, and crunchy-looking leaves. I wish it was edible – like a crazy veg spaghetti!
My sister gave this to me last month and I was over the moon. This is a drought-tolerant slow grower so I do not expect much but this single vine is giving me life! I also only watered it once since I received it – super low maintenance.
3. Sedum Morganianum
I first saw the sedum morganianum or donkey tail or burro’s tail from one of Planterina’s houseplant tours and I was smitten. The leaves look like small fingers and in a bunch just makes a visually interesting plant. Mine is not bushy at all but it will be one day!
I heard some people pass them up because they drop too many leaves but my plants have so far been very well behaved. This is a plant I would also recommend to those who tend to forget about watering their plants – so forgiving and communicative. The leaves wrinkle when it needs water, similar to a hoya hindu rope actually.
4. Monstera Adansonii
I absolutely adore how this plant is more holes than leaves. Commonly known as Swiss cheese plant, the monstera adansonii was my wish list plant for so long until my sister gave one to me as a present.
The best part is they do not require daily watering and the cuttings propagate like a charm. From one string, we now have several pots and counting. I will not tire of propagating these monstera adansonii and giving them away to new gardeners!
5. Raven Zamioculcas
Your everyday ZZ plant may seem boring but paint the leaves black and it suddenly has character. This raven ZZ is one of the earliest plants gifted to us when we moved to the tiny house last year. It really has not done much except put out this third shoot and be Wednesday Adams gorgeous every day, and honestly, what more can we ask for?
The new growth starts green and is gradually consumed with darkness. Stunning. Bonus: we rarely water this plant – only when the leaves feel papery or the base starts wrinkling.
What do you think of these houseplants? Are they pretty enough for you? On top of that, they are all low-maintenance and easy-care that even beginners can grow them. Oh, just get houseplants already and be my plant friend!
Markus + Micah 
Such beautiful flowers. So magnificent. The Swiss Cheese is wonderful. LOL. It is whimsical to have leaves like that.
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Really crazy, right? It is such a fun plant to have and it grows like crazy. Do you have plants, too? Thanks for your comment and welcome to our blog!
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I grew little Bonsai bamboo before, but that’s really non serious. LOL. Love your plants and may they beautify your home and heart and everywhere.
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Thanks. What do you mean non-serious? That’s the thing about plants, right? It is supposed to just be fun!
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I mean I just have one little thing. I don’t have many. LOL.
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Which is totally okay. I see some people go from 1 plant to 200 and wonder if they understand the demands of what they are doing. Also those who buy plants at ridiculous prices. I mean, why?
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👍😜😂
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thank you!! I think I have just fallen in love with the hoya carnosa! it is soooo pretty! and low maintenance sounds perfect for me!!
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Is it because of the spaghetti reference? I really adore it. I have only watered it once since receiving it!
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I don’t know if it was the spaghetti reference or such an unusual shape, it is so cool!!!
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Yes, I love it, too. I watered it a second time yesterday. I love how communicative it is. I do not expect it to do anything other than that for a long time though. I only have a single vine cutting.
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Oooo. I love houseplants. I love bringing nature into the home and caring for sth. We have some of the same plants as you 🙂 We’ve discovered that the Thai calladium and Swiss cheese plant do well in water. We have both growing out of our fish pots and fish tanks. Warning though: they will go crazy so depending on what you like, you’ll have to trim these babies back quiet a bit.
Have you ever heard of the YT channel Plant One on Me? It’s a great one in case you’re interested. 😀
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Oh, that is cool. I have only tried to rescue a Thai calladium so I placed it in water but never thought of leaving one there permanently. Many of my Thai calladiums died though when we were flooded. So glad to see another plant person in you! Yes, I have seen this channel before. My favorites are Planterina and Only Plants. What other plants do you grow?
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I have a ZZ like you, spider plants are easy, and lots of philodendrons and pothos – basically, plants that are easy to keep. Or hard to kill! Bwahhahhaa! We have bougainvilleas, some cacti and succulents, too. I don’t know all the names of them.
And must listen to Plantasia! https://youtu.be/l0vrsO3_HpU 😉
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Do you also have the raven zz? It is so much fun! Love bougainvilleas, too. And thanks for the link – will check out Plantasia.
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Those are very pretty! Some of them even look fake 😅
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Yes, it makes them more interesting, right? I know you get some orchids sometimes, and some of those blooms look incredibly beautiful and unreal, too!
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Your plants and photos are gorgeous. I’d much rather look at yours than our sickly things.
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Spring is coming, Anne. Your plants will recover!
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I hope so. Poor plants!
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I love that monstera plant! I’ll have to look for it, the next time I go plant hunting at the garden center!
I’m just getting back into houseplants, partly because of the pandemic, but also because my apartment has a patio that I’d like to eventually turn into a small potted garden. The problem is that the patio and my windows all face north, so I have to focus on shade-loving plants like pothos and ferns. The other “problem” is my cat, who loves dirt and will eagerly dig into any plant I leave on the floor. Everything has to go up on high shelves or on the top of my kitchen cabinets, which actually works as a partially sunny spot since I have fluorescent lights there. But no palms or tall plants, which is kind of sad since I love old-fashioned parlor palms (Chamaedorea elegans).
(Yes, I’m also aware some plants are toxic to cats, especially the pothos, so that will be hung up by the ceiling and won’t be allowed to grow more than a foot.)
Someone gave me a cutting of a Christmas cactus a few months ago: it’s sprouting beautifully, and I’m looking forward to pink blossoms in a year or two. I’ve heard about Christmas cacti that are over a hundred years old and have been passed from their original owners to descendants two generations down. I don’t think my kids are inclined to take care of any plant for that long, but it’d be fun to see how long I can get this little plant to flourish.
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Wow, thank you for the Christmas cactus trivia. That is awesome. I hope yours have a long and wonderful life and maybe becomes a legacy plant for your family, why not? I admire you for enjoying parlor palms and growing them – they do not seem too easy to me and those that I have seen only look nice during their first year and then it is just a steady decline. Yikes! And yes, pets can be challenging with plants. My mother’s dogs are hopeless. So far, the cats at the tiny house never ate plants but they do knock off pots every now and again. Good luck with decorating your new apartment with plants. There are so many low light tolerant plants and I am excited for you. Maybe get a large peace lily – it can work out in your space in place of tall plants. You can also maybe hang some plants! That looks good, too. I hope you find an adansonii. They should be pretty standard and sold at an affordable price. I wish I can see your place once you are done! So exciting.
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Thy are all so pretty. How have you guys been?
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Thank you! We are well. It is the summer here and it is incredibly warm and humid. Also, our capital has locked down again. We seem to be in this cycle of open-close-reopen and it is frustrating because people seem to have learned nothing from the past year and just keep blaming others. Have you been vaccinated?
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Shame about the lock down. No, not yet, but I hope soon. Hang in there and do the best you can.
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All the best with the vaccination and thanks for the encouragement. We need it!
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🙂
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They’re all beautiful!
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Thanks, Rebecca. Today, I found my mother’s dog chomped on one of my newest plants. It is a silver, bush-looking plant that I have not IDed yet. It is a tragedy. Wonder why dogs eat plants?
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The plants are very pretty. I especially love the one with the pink leaves.
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Thanks! It is a Thai calladium. Maybe it is available where you are? The Thais seem to be good at plants. They also developed the Thai monstera constellation, which is variegated and pretty, but also incredibly expensive for reasons I do not understand.
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More beautiful plants! Thank you, you must have green fingers! 🌿🙏
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Like Shrek. Haha! Plants are relaxing. They are super nice. I watch plant YouTubers and look at what plants are available in other sides of the world. The entire task is relaxing to me. When I drive or walk around, I also notice plants more and may or may not stolen some cuttings. Haha!
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