Best Pet-Friendly Houseplants
Houseplants are a great way to add some life and vitality to your home, but not all of them are pet friendly. Here are a few of my favorite pet-friendly houseplants.
Best for Small Spaces: Air Plant
Because of their versatility, air plants are a great low-maintenance choice for small spaces. They can be displayed in hanging glass globes, as wreaths and even on magnets! Air plants give you room to get creative. Use your imagination and have some fun!
Best for Foodies: Tea or Herb Garden
If you love food, why not grow something that tastes as good as it looks? Lemon balm and lemon verbena are pet-friendly and good for making tea. Basil, cilantro and sage are good for cooking. Some herbs, like thyme, are good for both. For bonus points, throw some catnip into the mix. Your favorite feline will thank you.
Best Conversation Starter: Ponytail Palm
For those who like to keep things interesting, we recommend the ponytail palm. These plants have trunks that look like elephants’ feet and leaves that sprout out of the top like a heavy metal hairdo. They also grow slowly and come in a variety of sizes, so you should be able to find one that fits with the dimensions of any room.
Best for Newbies: Spider Plant
The spider plant is one of the most popular houseplants, and for good reasons: they are easy to grow indoors and they are low-maintenance. These plants do okay with low light, but best with indirect sunlight. You may consider hanging them or putting them on a pedestal so they can show off their long leaves.
Best for Low Light: Friendship Plant
These plants are named for how easy they are to divide and share as new plants. Friendship plants only need 6 to 8 hours of indirect sunlight, and they only grow to about 12 inches, so they are also great for small spaces. They are low-maintenance, but they do need a lot of humidity, so make sure you keep them near a humidifier if you live in a dry climate.
Best for Black Thumbs: Fake Plants
Let’s face it: some of us kill every plant we touch. That’s okay! If you are no good with live plants or have too many animals to spend time memorizing a watering schedule, find a good fake and forget about it. Fake plants have come a long way in the last few decades and are now a very trendy option.
A Note on Succulents
It’s good to note that not all succulents are pet friendly! If you decide to pick up a succulent, do a quick search to make sure that it’s a safe species.
Good luck out there, and happy planting!
