Start simple
The easiest houseplants to keep alive are the ones suited to your home. “The biggest way to waste money is buying plants that aren’t right for your environment. They’ll struggle or die,” says the horticulturist Ellen Mary Webster.
“For a bright, sunny spot, go for crassula or strelitzia,” Webster suggests. Both thrive in bright, indirect light. Place a crassula on a south-facing windowsill, or make a strelitzia a living room centrepiece once it grows tall.
If you have a shady room, try a ZZ plant (Zamioculcas zamiifolia) – they are hardy, low-maintenance and thrive almost anywhere in your home.
Epipremnum aureum, better known as devil’s ivy, is another beginner-friendly option. It’s hardy and popular, and will stay green even in low light. “It grows quickly, propagates easily and is very low-maintenance,” says the houseplant influencer Julz Morris, who shares her plant tips on social media under the name Plantzbab.
Attend a plant swapBring your plants and cuttings to a swap – and take home something you don’t already have. Photograph: Another Plant Swap
If you are looking to expand your houseplant collection on a budget, a plant swap is a great weekend activity. These community events let people trade healthy unwanted plants or cuttings and head home with something new.
Lisa, who runs an event called Another Plant Swap, has turned her passion for houseplants into a nationwide community. What began with 30 people in London in 2022 has grown into regular swaps across the UK. “It’s an event where everyone’s welcome,” she says. “People come to exchange tips, swap plants and connect with fellow plant lovers.”
Tickets for plant swaps are often free or under £20, with many including goodie bags, raffle entries or even a drink in the price. Local swap groups are easy to find on Facebook, such as Hackney and East London Plant Swap or South Manchester Garden Plant Swap.
If there’s nothing nearby, why not host your own with friends? Charities such as Oxfam offer free resources to help, including digital promotional tools, gardening tips and a downloadable poster.
Grow things you can eat
There’s nothing more satisfying than eating something you have grown yourself, even if it starts on a windowsill. To succeed indoors, think like a gardener. “Most edible plants prefer growing outside, so it’s about recreating their environment indoors,” says Webster. That might mean avoiding draughts and radiators.
Kim Stoddart, the editor of Amateur Gardening magazine and author of The Climate Change-Resilient Vegetable Garden, recommends loose-leaf salads such as “salad bowl” lettuce and rocket, and brassica leaves such as perpetual spinach and flat-leaf kale. These are all easy, low-maintenance edibles, ideal for winter windowsill gardening.
You can also experiment with growing things on, such as shop-bought celery and spring onions. And if you have a garden, it’s possible to bring plants indoors for the winter. “Try rooting some mint in water,” Stoddart says. “Bush chilli plants can be cut back and overwintered inside as lovely houseplants.”
Kim Stoddart recommends trying ‘salad bowl’ lettuce and rocket on your windowsill. Photograph: Kim Stoddart
To keep costs down, see if your area has local seed banks, such as the London Freedom Seed Bank or North Tyneside Seed Swap. Even odd or out-of-date seeds can thrive indoors.
Divide and rule
Supermarket herbs are an affordable way to add a bit of greenery, and flavour, to your kitchen – a pot of basil costs about £1.50, compared with £5 to £10 from a garden centre – but they are not always built to last.
“Supermarket herbs have numerous seeds all crammed into one small pot,” says Webster. “They look full, but it’s essentially lots squeezed together, which makes it hard to keep them alive for another harvest.”
To make them go further, she recommends dividing them straight away into several pots so each plant has room to grow.
If that sounds like too much effort, opt for nursery herbs instead. They are better cared for and more likely to thrive once you bring them home.
Take cuttings
Propagating your own plants is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to grow your collection. “Don’t be afraid – take the cutting, it’s free!” says Webster. “Many houseplants can be rooted in water, while others prefer division, so double check which you have first.”
Monstera and pothos are particularly easy to propagate from cuttings. Simply snip below a node – the bit where the leaves grow on the stem – and place the cutting in clean water. “The roots grow so fast, and in a clear vase they look stunning as they develop, and can double as a centrepiece,” says Webster. Once established, transfer them into well-drained compost.
Monstera is easy to propagate from cuttings. Photograph: MmeEmil/Getty Images
To propagate the devil’s ivy, snip above the node, pop the cutting in water, and once the roots reach a few inches, transfer it into a chunky houseplant mix. This type of mix – containing bark, perlite and charcoal – improves drainage and helps prevent root rot.
A healthy aloe vera, spider plant or money plant will produce “babies” that can be potted up once they have formed roots, while calatheas and snake plants can be divided and repotted.
When taking cuttings, patience pays off. “Always let the wound dry before putting a cutting into soil or water. This reduces the risk of the cutting rotting before being able to put out any roots,” says Morris.
Buy sustainablyThe biggest way to waste money is buying plants that aren’t right for your environment. They’ll struggle or dieEllen Mary Webster, horticulturist
Before heading to a garden centre, take a look at your local community of plant sellers. Independent nurseries, weekend markets and pop-up events often offer affordable, ethically sourced plants, cuttings and accessories. Car boot sales, Facebook groups and local plant fairs are also great places to find unique greenery without breaking the bank.
Green Rooms Market, run by the plant experts Sarah Gerrard-Jones and Ian Morrison, brings together small businesses and the wider plant communities across Bristol, London and Margate. “It’s a social event, with talks, traders selling houseplants, live demonstrations on repotting, and an ‘ask the expert’ corner for plant care advice,” says Gerrard-Jones.
Events like these are a great way to support independent sellers and pick up unusual species you won’t find in supermarkets or chain stores.
‘You can make your own potting mix,’ says Joe Bagley, the Houseplant Doctor. Photograph: Daniel Balakov/Getty ImagesUse the right soil
Healthy plants start with healthy soil. “You can make your own potting mix using houseplant-labelled compost,” says Joe Bagley, AKA the Houseplant Doctor. A 10-litre bag costs about £5 to £10 from most supermarkets or garden centres.
For tropical plants, Bagley suggests adding bark and perlite. For cacti and succulents, use perlite and grit. Perlite will cost you about £1 a litre (about £10.99 a bag) from most garden centres.
For smaller collections, a ready-made mix from a garden centre can be more cost-effective. Skip outdoor or general-purpose compost as “it can bring in flies, mushrooms and weeds”, Bagley says.
Save on pots
The plastic containers that plants are often sold in, known as nursery pots, are typically designed for short-term use and can easily crack. But decorative plant pots don’t have to cost a fortune. Charity shops, car boot sales and online marketplaces such as eBay are full of affordable finds. And, with a bit of creativity, almost anything can become a planter.
“I have a couple of nice pots, but most of mine come from charity shops,” says Morris. “I also like to repurpose objects like hair-dye pots and empty candle jars.”
‘Look for salvaged items around the home,’ says Kim Stoddart. Photograph: Kim Stoddart
Stoddart is partial to a “jug garden”, having planted edibles in everything from old wellies and watering cans to small kitchen bins and bowls. “You could use an old veg tray for microgreens, or look for salvaged items around the home,” she says.
Opt for pots with drainage holes and place them on saucers – you can find multipacks for under £5 at shops such as Wilko or B&Q. Or simply use old plates or plastic containers.
Avoid repotting into containers more than one size larger than the plant. Excess soil can trap water, leading to root rot, which shows up as wilting, yellowing leaves or black, mushy roots.
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