Cheapest Houseplants That Look Nice All Year Round

Whether you’re on the lookout for some inexpensive ways to revamp your home or you’re decorating on a student budget, you’ve come to the right place. I’ve compiled a list of cheap and cheerful indoor plants with some handy tips on caring for them. 

Snake Plant

Snake plants have very distinct, pretty leaves and make a lovely statement piece in any pad. A bonus is that they’re pretty much indestructible. Trying to kill a snake plant is more challenging than keeping it alive so it’s a great choice for plant newbies or people who forget to water their houseplants. 

Where to place a snake plant: Anywhere really, they’re the most happy-go-lucky plant in the world! They prefer lighter, sunny spots though and if possible they’d be happier in a room that doesn’t have too much humidity (so avoid bathrooms), but honestly, they don’t really care. 

When to water a snake plant: You barely ever need to, in fact, they seem to enjoy being neglected. When you water them, it’s best only to water them a tiny bit and wait until the soil is completely dry before you water them again to avoid causing root rot. 

Snake plant maintenance: You don’t really need to do anything, but if you want to keep your snake plant as happy as possible you can wipe the leaves with a damp cloth now and again to remove dust, this will help to keep the plant shiny and healthy. 

Spider Plant

Ahh, the humble spider plant really is a budget-friendly and easygoing plant. They’re a great choice if you’re a new plant parent as they don’t require much attention. You also get great value for money because mature spider plants grow stems in the spring that produces baby spider plants (adorably called spiderettes). Spiderettes can easily be made into new spider plants, so you can have a lot of plants if you want (or if you don’t want to keep them all, they make great gifts!)

Where to place a spider plant: A spider plant thrives in a bright or moderate light area but doesn’t do too well in direct sunlight. Spider plants also like a bit of humidity, so a bathroom or kitchen could be a good spot for them. Spider plants look lovely on shelves and also in hanging baskets. 

When to water a spider plant: Spider plants don’t require much water, just when the top of the soil feels dry, about once or twice a week in spring and summer and every couple of weeks in autumn or winter. 

Spider plant maintenance: Spider plants really don’t need much love, you can just water them and that’s it! However, if you want to give them some TLC, you can mist the leaves with water during the warmer months and if the plant gets brown tips on the end of the leaves you can cut those bits off as it’ll help the plant stay healthier (plus it looks a lot nicer).

How to pot spider plant babies: When a spider plant produces a spiderette, you can plant it into a pot filled with compost while it’s still attached to the mature spider plant. Water the spiderette regularly and when it’s rooted into the pot, you can cut it off from the stem of the mature spider plant.  

Aloe Vera

The lovely aloe vera belongs to the succulent family. Not only does it look nice all year round but it’s also a pretty useful plant. The gel inside an aloe vera plant can be used for skin care, including soothing irritated skin, helping reduce sunburn and moisturising - what a helpful chap!

Where to place an aloe vera: Aloe vera plants like being in a bright spot but not in direct sunlight as it can cause the leaves to get sunburnt (sadly factor 50 sun cream won’t be able to fix that problem!) They also prefer to be placed in an area that doesn’t get too much draft as they don’t do too well with drastic temperature changes.

When to water an aloe vera: Aloe vera plants don’t need much water at all, probably about once every 3 weeks in warmer months and even less during the chillier seasons. You’ll know when to water it when the soil feels really dry. Aloe veras don’t need much water when you’re watering them either, so when you water the plant, do it slowly to make sure you don’t overdo it. 

Aloe vera maintenance: Aloe veras are used to growing in tough conditions so they don’t need a lot of attention. It’s worth pruning any dry, dead leaves so that new ones can grow through. Make sure when you cut the leaves back that you make the cut at the bottom of the plant. 

How to cut aloe vera leaves to use the gel: It’s best to wait until it’s a mature plant, around 2 years old. Cut a few of the big, outer leaves close to the stem. Wash and dry the leaves then trim off the sharp edges. Then cut the leaves into chunks, and remove the outer leaf from the gel with your fingers. You can use the gel straight on the skin as it is. If you’d prefer to have a smooth liquid gel you can also blend the gel with some water, then strain it.

Peace Lily

Peace lilies are really pretty plants, they have gorgeous dark green leaves and contrasting white leaves which makes them a standout plant in any room. Not only this, but they’re easygoing, and don’t require much work (we love to hear it). 

Where to place a peace lily: Peace lilies are happiest in a sunny spot but not in direct sunlight. They’re also naturally used to more humid conditions so a sunny bathroom would be their ideal home. Avoid a drafty area if possible because they’re not keen on a quick drop in temperature. 

When to water a peace lily: Peace lilies soil needs to be kept moist at all times, so just water when it starts to feel like the soil is getting a bit dry, but be careful to not overwater as it might cause root rot.

Peace lily maintenance: Caring for a peace lily is an easy job as watering it will suffice. However, it’s worth dusting the leaves with a damp cloth here and there to help keep the plant looking and feeling its best. It may also need to be moved to a bigger pot every few years or so as they can grow quite a lot.  

Cactus

Ah, the prickly cactus. I’ve had many very minor injuries from cactuses over the years, they just seem to love causing pain! However, they are very cheap to buy and they look awesome, so if you can deal with minor prickling injuries, they’re a great plant to have to stand proudly in your home. 

Where to place a cactus: The brightest, sunniest and warmest spot you can find that’s not in direct sunlight - cactus plants thrive on lots of light and warmth.

When to water a cactus: In spring and summer, water your cactus once every couple of weeks. Make sure you give the soil a generous amount of water and drain away any excess water. In the winter, you don’t need to water them at all really. 

General cactus maintenance: Cactus plants can flower when they’re living their best life. If you’d like to see the best flowers possible on your cactus, you could use some cactus food once a month when watering it as it’ll help improve the cactus’ health, giving it more of a chance to flower. However, this isn’t essential so if you don’t want to pay for cactus food, you don’t have to as the cactus doesn’t need it to survive, and there’s still a good chance the plant might flower anyway. 

Time to give some new plants a home

So there you have it, a list of cheap, cheerful and easy-to-look-after indoor plants. Not only do these plants have a low cost when you buy them initially but they’re also cheap to look after, so you don’t need to worry about regular, additional costs. Happy days!  

If you're also curious about the cheapest garden plants that look nice all year round, we've covered that too.