Plants

Any room or space in your home can become your new favourite spot by adding plants or flowers. Whether you’re a gardening expert or beginner, we’ve got plants of all shapes and sizes that can suit any style. 

Before adding a new member to your plant family, you need to make sure it will thrive in the spot you’ve picked out for it. Check out our guide below for tips on choosing the right plant for either indoor or outdoor use. 

Some great choices for indoor house plants

As well as adding colour and texture to your home, indoor plants also absorb harmful gases and substances from the air. They’re a great, practical way to freshen up your interior style and they’re really easy to take care of, but where do you begin? 

Here’s a quick guide to indoor plants that can bring new life and cleaner air into your home. 

Aloe plants

Known as a succulent, aloe plants have thick and fleshy green leaves that allow them to retain water more easily in dryer conditions. As they don’t need to be watered as much, they’re a great option for low-maintenance plant parents. However, they do need a lot of sun, so make sure to put them in a well-lit spot. 

Cactus

The toughie of the plant world, the prickly cactus can add instant attitude to any room in your home. As cacti are able to store moisture longer than most plants, you only need to water them now and again. Simply add more water once the top inches of soil have completely dried out. At IKEA, we’ve got all sorts of potted cactuses to suit every style. 

Dracaena plants

The dracaenas are palm like plants with green and spiky leaves. Some are short and bushy, others can grow quite tall. They make a great first plant as they’re easy to look after and only need to be watered sparingly. A good tip to remember, is to only water them once the top half of the soil is dry. This can take up to a few weeks, depending on the amount of light they sit in. H2: Top outdoor house plants Outdoor plants can make any outside space feel livelier and more inviting. Brighten up your garden with flowers in every colour or dress up your balcony or patio with leafy potted plants. 

Begonias

Begonias are a super easy-going and versatile outdoor plant. They grow just as well in a pot or hanging basket as they do in a flower bed. All they need is a spot in your garden or home that gets partial or varied sunlight to allow their soil to dry out between the watering. 

Begonias come in lots of lovely colours, including red, orange, yellow and pink. They’re a great choice if you like your plants to match your interior style. If you have a balcony, try planting these beauties in a flower box with hangers to add a splash of colour to your outdoor area. 

Hydrangeas (Hortensia)

A popular plant because of its big, colourful flowers, Hydrangeas, otherwise known as hortensia, can grow as trees or climbing vines – but most are grown as a shrub. 

The amount of sunlight they need depends on the variety of plant. Most varieties thrive in full sun to partial shade. Generally, they should be watered thoroughly at least three times a week, but like every plant, you need to be careful not to over water them. A basic rule is to look at the leaves. Are they starting to drop? Then it's time for watering. 

Jasminum

Jasminum plants, or jasmines, have a very sweet scent once the flowers come into bloom. As a climbing tree it can, if you let it, grow quite big. If you have a trellis in your garden or on your balcony, the jasmine plant is a perfect choice. 

This fragrant flower is happiest in a sunny but cool spot. When it comes to water, it can get quite thirsty, so a good rule is to keep the soil slightly moist at all times.