If part of your spring refresh is to bring some new greenery into your home, now’s the time to revisit my tips for purchasing houseplants.

This edition was originally published on July 14, 2022. Enjoy!

Houseplants make a beautiful finishing touch to any space. They add a bit of nature and help purify the air in the room. But they can also be a costly mistake if you don’t look after them properly, which is why it’s important to make the right selections for your home, lifestyle and shade of green thumb.

As someone who has loved and lost my share of houseplants (and moonlighted as a florist for six months way back when), I wanted to share five things to remember when shopping for greenery:

1. Assess your lighting.

Proper lighting is critical for the health of your plants. Our last apartment was in a carriage house surrounded by buildings—not ideal for plants that need a lot of light—which is why I went for snake and ZZ plants. Our current place gets some intense direct sunlight, which is OK in the winter, but it can be too much during the summer, so I have to move our palm and corn plants away from the windows.

2. Remember your roommates.

I’m not talking about your partner who can’t always be relied upon to handle the watering when you’re out of town. I’m talking about your furry friends who may be prone to nibbling on your houseplants when you’re not looking. Many varieties are toxic to cats and dogs, which is another reason to do your research ahead of time and place your plants strategically. Set them up on a shelf or use plant stands to keep them out of reach.

3. Check the watering schedule.

In my experience, even the plants labeled “unkillable” can be easily over or under-watered. Consult a sales rep on the best way to care for your new houseplants and consider the time investment you’re willing to make. If you don’t want something that’s a lot of maintenance (like the formerly trendy/notoriously fickle fiddle-leaf fig), go for a heartier fern that doesn’t need daily misting and can withstand a week or more without water.

4. Pick your display areas.

Your space and interior design style will dictate which plants you bring home and how many. How high are your ceilings? Do you have adequate tabletop, windowsill or floor space, so they don’t get in the way? Do you prefer a maximalist, jungle look or do you like to keep it minimal? Your plants are a part of your decor and should complement the size and layout of the room so you don’t lose functionality.

5. Make a holiday care plan.

If it wasn’t clear by now, plants are living things. When you go out of town, they still need to be taken care of, or you may return home to find a houseplant graveyard. And if you don’t have anyone willing and able to stop by while you’re away, you may have to get creative. I’m loving this pot with hidden wheels that allows me to move my larger plants into a back room when we shut our flat before heading out of town. I’ve also used glass bulbs that self-water my plants.

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