Houseplant Ideas for Your NYC Apartment

We couldn’t be luckier that garden stores, particularly ones stocked with plenty of houseplant ideas, are considered essential businesses. Whether your thing is gorgeous greenery or colorful flowers, both are quarantine necessities for cheering up your apartment — not to mention purifying indoor air. 

In fact, New Yorkers are doing what they can to amp up the greenery in their apartments these days.

“Many orders are coming in for seedlings, herbs, and flowers,” says Dimitri Gatanas, co-owner of Urban Garden Center NYC, a family business that has been a Harlem fixture since 1959.

These items are available via curbside pick-up or delivery.

“I had one lady buy 30 packets of seeds — you could fill an acre of vegetables with that many seeds,” Gatanas says. “People are ravenous about purchasing seeds and plants, from SoHo to the Upper West Side.”

At The Sill, a plant shop with (currently closed) locations in Manhattan and Brooklyn, a New Jersey–based fulfillment center is now shipping tabletop-size plants to eager New Yorkers. Their team is also available to answer plant-related questions.

“We’ve always invited customers to send in photos of their plants and share their questions and concerns,” says Erin Marino, The Sill’s director of brand marketing. “We’ve had people write in from as far away from Italy!”

So, now that you’re working from home all the time, it’s the optimal time to polish your green thumb and order some new and cheery houseplants online. To get you inspired, we compiled these six houseplant ideas and tips for giving your home a verdant vibe.

Best Houseplant Idea for Low Light

The words “low light” in plant-speak actually mean “low light tolerance.” “Plants love the sun,” Marino says. “All you need is a window, and even if it faces a brick wall, low light is fine.” A snake plant is ultimately your best pick for low-lit rooms. “Snake plants have a ‘Mad Men’-esque, midcentury vibe that’s fun and quirky,” she says. It acts as an air purifier, too, filtering out common household toxins like formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, and benzene.

How to Water Houseplants

What is one of the most essential houseplant ideas? Less is more when it comes to watering your plants, Gatanas says. “It’s a natural mistake we all make,” he says. “What you should do is water your plants a lot less often. Most plants can last for 10 days without repeat watering. When you do water, you’ll want to move all of your plants into your tub and shower them with water.”

How to Tell if a Plant Needs Water

If you can’t face schlepping all of your plants into your bathtub, just place a stick or your fingers a couple of inches into the pot to check the moisture level. “This ensures that the soil is completely dry,” says Peter Hlawitschka, a plant influencer on Instagram @homedeco. “Only then should you add more water.”

This Popular Houseplant Is High Maintenance

While a gorgeous fern can make a room, they’re a bit fussy, Gatanas says. “Ferns are hard to deal with and require more care than one might expect,” he says. “I don’t know why they’re considered a low-maintenance plant!” To best care for your fern, ignore the advice you might hear to put it in your bathroom. “That’s nonsense, as all plants need some form of light to grow,” he says. “I like to say that some plants can tolerate shade better than others. After all, ferns grow on the bottom of trees, so they can tolerate filtered light.” Here’s a list of low-maintenance houseplant ideas.

This Plant Boosts Positive Energy

We could all use some positive energy right now, and Emma Sothern, who runs the Garden Zoo website, says your best pick is a spider plant, which is (surprise!) a member of the lily family. “This plant is often gifted to people who have just moved into a new home to wish them good luck,” she says. “In feng shui, the spindly-leaved spider plant is said to alleviate stress and promote positive energy, while its air-purifying and cleansing qualities help to remove toxins from your home. Plus, its bright, stripey green leaves are a beautiful way to add color to your apartment.”

Here’s a Houseplant Idea for Better Sleep

Get a good night’s rest with a jasmine plant. It is a wonderful one to grow indoors, Sothern says. “Not only does it look pretty and smell great, but it can also ease anxiety and help you sleep,” she says. “We put a little potted plant of this in our bedroom, which we thought smelled nicer than essential oils, and it’s much safer than lighting a scented candle.”

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