Whether you’ve been nurturing houseplants for years or you’re thinking about buying your very first one, there has never been a better time to bring the beauty of the garden indoors. As part of its Make it Bloom campaign, British Garden Centres is celebrating the nation’s love of houseplants and making it easier than ever for everyone to find the right plant for their home and lifestyle. Here’s our guide to the varieties people keep coming back for, each one beautiful and genuinely straightforward to care for, even for a complete beginner.

Phalaenopsis Orchid: The Moth Orchid is the UK’s most gifted houseplant for good reason. Each spike carries blooms lasting up to four months, and with a little care, the plant will rebloom year after year. Available in colours from pure white to deep magenta, it suits every interior and delivers exceptional visual impact for your home. Make sure you water once a week and let the roots dry between waterings. When flowers drop, cut the spike back to a node, and it should bloom again.

Peace Lily: A timeless classic prized for its air-purifying properties and graceful white blooms. The Peace Lily thrives in low light, making it perfect for hallways and shaded rooms where other plants struggle. It is also easy to look after; when it needs water, the leaves gently droop to let you know. Give it a good drink, and it will perk back up within hours, but make sure you keep it away from direct sun and cold draughts.

Sansevieria: Also known as the Snake Plant, this is bold, architectural, and practically indestructible and is a favourite for good reason. It tolerates low light, infrequent watering, dry air, and temperature swings without complaint. It also releases oxygen at night rather than during the day, making it an ideal choice for the bedroom.

We recommend watering every two to six weeks and even less in winter. Overwatering is the only real way to harm it, so when in doubt, leave it alone.

Monstera: The Swiss Cheese Plant has become the defining houseplant of a generation, with its enormous, fenestrated leaves unfurling quickly, each one larger and more dramatically split than the last. A mature Monstera transforms any room into a statement, and it is far easier to care for than its exotic looks suggest. You only need to water when the top inch of soil feels dry and give it a bright spot away from direct sun, and adding a simple moss pole will encourage bigger, more dramatically split leaves.

Umbrella Plant: Also known as a Schefflera, this houseplant boasts elegant, radiating leaves that create a graceful canopy that brings real architectural presence to any room at a very accessible price. A well-regarded air purifier, it grows steadily and handles fluctuating temperatures and the odd missed watering without complaint — a genuinely unfussy plant that still looks quietly spectacular. Make sure you give it bright indirect light, though it will manage in lower light too. Yellow leaves usually signal overwatering, so if you spot these, then ease back, and it will recover.

Calathea Sanderiana: Few houseplants are as visually arresting as the Calathea Sanderiana, with deep green leaves painted in rosy, pink pinstripes and rich burgundy undersides. As a ‘prayer plant’, it raises and lowers its leaves in response to light throughout the day. It is also completely non-toxic, making it ideal for homes with pets or young children. Calatheas love humidity, so mist them regularly or keep them in a bathroom. Use room temperature water where possible, as they can be sensitive to cold tap water.

Indoor Bonsai: A well-formed Bonsai is simultaneously a living plant, a sculptural object, and a meditative practice. Caring for one is widely regarded as genuinely therapeutic. A healthy indoor Bonsai can live for decades, making it one of the most meaningful and long-lasting gifts you can give or treat yourself to. We recommend placing it on a bright windowsill, watering when the soil surface begins to dry, and misting the foliage every few days.

Andy Little, Houseplant Buyer at British Garden Centres, said: These houseplants each have their own individual personality, and every single one is achievable if you are a new plant parent. We want everyone to experience the satisfaction of a thriving houseplant, and our teams are on hand across all our centres to help customers find their perfect match.”

British Garden Centres (BGC) is the UK’s largest family-owned garden centre group with 80 centres around the country. The group is owned and led by the Stubbs family, who also own and operate Woodthorpe Leisure Park in Lincolnshire.