20 Coolest Plants to Grow Indoors (With Pictures)

Indoor plants have a way of bringing nature into your home. Many are easy to plant and care for. Most of them are cool and unique, adding to the glamor and aesthetics of your interior space.

In this article, let’s explore some of the coolest indoor plants you can find. You can use this as your guide to starting your plant collection. The results will be wonderful green, colorful and pleasing foliage that brings a cool vibe to your space.

The 20 Coolest Plants to Grow Indoors

1. Lipstick Echeveria

Imagine having an indoor plant that’s so colorful and turns your interior into the perfect space. Well, lipstick echeveria is a good example of an indoor plant that oozes with glamor. Have a look at its different varieties that range from pink leaves to green ones with some pink edges.

It’s a perfect indoor plant that thrives in all USDA zones, provided you protect it from direct sunlight. This succulent plant is ideal for a beginner plant collector since it is quite low maintenance.

2. Silver Dollar Plant

Another example of a cool and perfect indoor succulent is the Silver Dollar Plant. It has a lot of charm, and many people know it by fond names like the coin or penny plant. It’s an evergreen plant that does well indoors, producing thin stems and thick round leaves.

The silver dollar plant thrives with ample natural light, so ensure you consider this when choosing a spot for it. It’s a heat-tolerant variety and won’t be affected so much if you leave it to dry out. The plant can grow quite tall, so ensure you add some support sticks in the pot.

3. Begonias

Cool indoor plants are known to have unique foliage. Begonias fit the bill to the tee, given their unique and colorful leaves. You’ll come across so many different species of Begonias and can create a whole collection in your house.

The plant has a wide range of shades from purple, yellow, dark green, red, and many more. Also, with proper care, you can enjoy some wonderful flowers from your indoor begonias. Even the shape of the leaves is unique, ranging from normal leaf shape to a swirl resembling a shell.

4. Nerve Plant

The nerve plant is a unique and quite popular house plant that thrives in pots. It’s an evergreen plant with some distinctive vein coloring all over its leaves. Vein colors can include red, pink, and silvery-white.

It’s an ideal plant for a seasoned house plant owner who can handle a temperamental plant. This is because the plant requires extra care, especially where humidity is involved. You have to ensure it gets constant humidity and keep it away from direct sunlight.

5. Oxalis

Add more color to your home by getting some oxalis plants in your indoor plant collection. This cool indoor plant is native to Brazil. It has bold colors; you can get it from crimson to violet. It looks amazing when you place it in a bright and light-colored pot.

Oxalis thrives in places with bright and indirect sunlight. Thus, avoid putting the pots in areas with low light in the house. In addition, these plants do well in normal humidity and require watering about once or twice a week. But ensure you let the soil dry out before you water the plant.

6. Hoya Plants

Imagine a little heart-shaped succulent in your home! That’s exactly what you get when you buy the hoya plant (lucky heart). It has a cool leaf that’s shaped like a heart. You can only have one leaf per pot as the plant won’t produce anymore.

The hoya plant leaf is fleshy, a common trait with succulents and evergreen plants. It’s a low-maintenance plant that you can easily care for as a novice plant owner. It requires well-drained soil and a little neglect to thrive. So, refrain from watering it until the soil is bone dry.

7. Red Aglaonema

Cool plants offer variety in terms of color which is exactly what you get with the red aglaonema. It is well characterized by its broad green and red leaves. At times the leaves can have pink in place of red. This simple indoor plant won’t give you challenges in terms of care.

The unique foliage looks stunning and goes well with any interior space. This plant can tolerate low light, so you have something for that dark corner in your home. But ensure you keep it where your pets won’t reach it since the leaves may be poisonous to them.

8. Chinese Water Bamboo

Many people picture bamboo as a long plant that grows in the forest. But there’s an indoor version of the Chinese bamboo that you can plant indoors. One of the coolest things about it is the fact that you don’t need any soil to grow it on.

The Chinese bamboo only requires a bowl, some rocks, and moisture to keep growing in your home. You can bundle the bamboo together and tie some sisal around. This is the best way to ensure it grows tall and strong. Remember to change the water after some time.

9. Donkey Tail Plant

Find one of those planters that look like a human head and plant the Donkey Tail in them. The plant will fall to the sides and look like hair! The donkey tail plant is among the coolest flowering succulents.

Keep it in an area where there’s bright light but ensure there’s not too much heat around. While other succulents require less watering, donkey tail needs regular watering, especially when it’s hot. Just ensure you don’t overwater the plant as this can cause rotting.

10. Staghorn Fern

Picture a fern whose foliage resembles the majestic horns of a stag! That explains the name of the staghorn fern. This evergreen indoor plant comes in various sizes and shapes. The unique appearance is so cool that it makes a conversation starter as you show off your collection.

Around the world, you’ll come across 17 different species of staghorn fern. It’s an easy plant to grow and not too fussy in terms of maintenance. It can thrive in medium to low light. All you need to do is ensure it has moderate moisture to thrive.

11. Bunny Ear Cactus

Don’t let the name fool you. These are a species of cactus that you still need to handle with care though they look so fuzzy and cute. The bunny ear cactus is among the most attractive houseplants that you can have in your home.

Each ear has what is known as a glochid, which is essentially a cluster of hundreds of tiny needles. These appear fuzzy but will sting so much when you touch them. Still, the bunny ear cactus is an exemplary plant to have indoors and thrives even when you forget about it for some time.

12. Monstera Deliciosa

Otherwise known as the Swiss cheese plant, this house plant has some cool and unique leaves. The heart-shaped leaves start off like any other plant leaves, but with time, they start to develop holes. These holes grow wider as the plant ages.

The plant can grow quite big and wide, but you can always manage the size. The best thing to do is find an ideal pot size and plant it. The plant’s fast growth rate will mean you have to provide support for the foliage after some time.

13. Rubber Plant

Did you know that rubber plants can actually grow into trees outside? But indoors, you can manage the growth rate. It’s among the most popular house plants, thanks to its unique leaves. The leaves contain patterns that look so cool against the evergreen foliage.

The Rubber Plant thrives in bright areas with indirect light. But it also does well in areas with low to medium light. Ensure you use well-drained soil and give it some moisture when the soil dries up.

14. Hawaiian Umbrella Tree Bonsai

You can definitely have a mini-tree as part of your cool indoor plant collection. The Hawaiian umbrella bonsai is a perfect example of an indoor bonsai with compound leaves. It’s perfect for areas with low light and humidity in your home.

One thing to note is this mini-tree does well in warm temperatures and will require moist soil. It’s best not to let the soil dry out. In addition, you have to employ some thoughtful trimming now and then to shape it. You can even defoliate it after some time to allow new leaves to form.

15. Lemon Button Fern

Ferns are a must-have in any cool indoor plant collection. An example of one of the most unique is the lemon button fern. You can grow it in your home even as a novice plant collector as it’s not a demanding house plant.

The lemon button fern does well in containers and will keep growing if you let it. It could use some pruning if you want to control the growth rate. You can leave the soil to dry out before watering again. This is to ensure there’s no standing water on it, which can cause root rot.

16. Anthurium

Anthurium is one of the coolest indoor plants. It thrives in low temperatures and can tolerate all levels of indirect sunlight. After some time, it produces the most beautiful heart-shaped red flowers with a yellow stalk growing in the middle.

It requires a sizable pot and well-drained soil to thrive well. Just be sure to water the plant often when the topsoil is dry. Anthurium plants are easy to grow and care for indoors under the right conditions. The lighting the plant receives will determine the number of flowers it produces.

17. Lifesaver Plant

Few other plants are as cool and unique as the lifesaver plant. This is a type of succulent whose look is quite unusual, to say the least. You only need a small dish to grow it and marvel at the unique shape of the plant.

The plant produces a flower with five points with zebra-like spots. In the middle is a beautiful thick center. When the plant is in low light, it has a greenish color. But this changes to a dark red when in bright indirect light. The plant doesn’t do well in hot conditions.

18. Pebble Plants

Pebble plants (living stones) are unique and cute little succulents that do resemble little pebbles. The plants are native to Africa and tend to have a slow growth rate. But this can hasten a bit when you grow them inside, where the temperature is much more favorable.

Living stones produce a daisy-like flower and grow well in sandy soil. A good alternative is a well-drained house plant mix, which won’t retain lots of moisture. The plants tend to hug the soil and need ample light to thrive. Therefore, it’s better to find a bright window where you can set the pot.

19. Mother of Thousands

Ideal house plants should have unique foliage, and the Mother of Thousands certainly delivers. The plant’s most unique feature is its tiny plantlets that appear at the tip of the large leaves. These plantlets look like thousands of tiny leaves and are so cool to look at.

The house plant thrives in well-drained soil, although it rarely blooms when kept indoors. It’s better to keep it in a well-lit part of the house where it receives indirect sunlight. The leaves can turn color when exposed to too much direct sunlight.

20. Elephant’s Ear

Lastly, we have the elephant’s ear, which has some of the most elaborate and stunning leaves. It definitely attracts lots of attention and can become the centerpiece of your plant collection. It has enormous heart-shaped leaves.

The cool house plant grows quite fast and thrives in bright indirect light. Grow it in a good size pot in well-drained soil for the best results. The house plant loves water, so ensure you check the soil often.

Final Thought

If you are a plant lover, you will no doubt want to plant some outdoors and others indoors. House plants can add to the amazing décor of your space. In this list, you can find 20 of the coolest and most unique indoor plants. Most are easy to care for and do well inside your home.

See Also: 

• 23 Types of Fuzzy Succulents (With Pictures)
• 6 Indoor Plants for Air Quality (With Pictures)
• How Often Should You Water House Plants? 

Featured Image Credit: AKuptsova, Pixabay