Gardens

These are the world's most Instagrammed house plants

Choose the right plant for the right situation and green fingers are an optional extra when it comes to adorning your home with living plants

Instagram houseplant trends
(Image credit: Polly Wreford)

A well-edited arrangement of house plants will not only lift the spirits and help purify the air, it’s also great for adding colour, style and an artistic flourish.

Whether you’re quite the green fingers or not, house plants are a popular way to beautify your home, and what do we do with beautiful things? We Instagram them.

See: The top 10 house plants – that all interior design lovers should know about

The world's most instagrammed house plants

We wanted to know which house plants people are Instagramming the most, so the team at Flowercard did a little research to find out which are the world’s most Instagrammed house plants.

1. Swiss cheese plant

Most Instagrammed house plants

(Image credit: Mike Marquez/Unsplash)

Robust and sturdy, it is hardly surprisingly that a Swiss Cheese plant is the houseplant of choice for many. 

Otherwise known as the Monstera Deliciosa, this large, green beauty is native to the tropical forests of South Mexico. As they climb, short roots cling and long aerial roots grow down to provide support and absorb water and nutrients.

See: 10 pet-friendly houseplants – to keep cats and dogs safe

2. Fiddle leaf fig

Instagrammed house plants - fiddle leaf fig

(Image credit: Mike Marquez/Unsplash)

Scientifically known as the Ficus Lyrata, the fiddle leaf fig is a species of flowering plant and is native to Western Africa, where it grows in tropical rainforest. With the possibility to climb up to six feet (or higher), this plant is a popular choice for grand areas, creating stunning silhouettes and a unique aesthetic.

3. Chinese money plant

Chinese money plant

Photo by Yu Xuan Lee on Unsplash

(Image credit: Yu Xuan Lee/Unsplash)

Crassula ovata has many names but is most commonly called the money plant because according to the Chinese art of Feng Shui, they give out vibrant energy and improve one’s bank balance. 

This iconic succulent is tree-like, with a trunk and branches, and smooth fleshy leaves. It’s so indestructible, they can be handed down from one generation to the next. Put it on a sunny windowsill and don’t worry if you forget to water it. Use small money plants to add height in succulent bowl arrangements.

See: Health benefits of houseplants: Why you need greenery while working from home

4. Snake plant

Instagram houseplant trend

Snake plant is an air-purifying plant recommended by NASA for its ability to remove unwanted pollutants. The snake plant also produces oxygen at night rather than during the day and is said by some to improve sleep quality. It’s also very forgiving if you forget to water it – a great beginner’s plant.

5. Money tree

Known for bringing financial success, good luck and positive energy, the money tree, pachira aquatica, can grow to 6ft and has beautiful foliage. They are also fairly low-maintenance as they simply need good water every now and again, with an occasional feed.

6. String of pearls

Instagrammed house plants - Chinese money tree

(Image credit: Kara Ead/Unsplash)

The succulent senecio or string of pearls, is an eye-catching indoor plant that looks splendid when hung up. Fast growing, with cascading stems that need little pruning, it is happiest out of direct light and with minimal watering.

7. Spider plant

Instagram houseplant trend

(Image credit: Colin Poole)

There’s a range of benefits to adding plants to your home. Not only do they look great and give us a sense of wellbeing, they also reduce carbon dioxide levels and airborne dust. According to researchers at Kansas State University, plants in hospital rooms speed up recovery rates for patients after surgery. 

Any plants are good to have around but scientists have particularly pinpointed that retro favourite the spider plant as great for air purification and removing formaldehyde (a carcinogen used in many household items, including bedsheets).

8. String of hearts

Instagrammed house plants - string of hearts

(Image credit: Severin Candrian/Unsplash)

String of hearts, also known to botanists as ceropegia, is a trailing, characterful, succulent related to hoya and originally from Southern Africa. It is easy to see where the common names hearts-on-a-string, rosary vine and sweetheart vine come from. 

Mature plants develop sizeable tubers, from which thin, wiry stems trail vertically to five feet or more. These are strung with neat, fleshy heart-shaped leaves, patterned with silver, additional tubers and in summer, small structural purplish flowers.

9. Jade plant

Plants to avoid in the bathroom

(Image credit: istock)

The jade plant or money tree is one of the easiest succulents to try. It grows to form a tree-like, branching structure with shiny green, fleshy leaves that are often tipped red. They are considered lucky and are also referred to as ‘lucky plant’ and ‘friendship plant’, making them a fantastic 'thank you' gift.

10. Peace lily

Instagram houseplant trend

Also, know as spathiphyllum, the peace lily or white sails is in many ways the ideal houseplant. Widespread and affordable, the plants are mass produced by tissue culture (they start their life as a mass of cells in a test tube) and are hybrids varying from miniatures to massive statement plants. 

Research at NASA carried out in the 1970s, looking for ways of absorbing and reducing indoor pollutants found that spathiphyllum were one of the most efficient house plants at cleansing the air inside our homes. So they’re good for us too.

See: Health benefits of house plants: Why you need greenery while working from home

Jennifer Ebert
Deputy Editor (Digital)

Jennifer is the Digital Editor at Homes & Gardens. Having worked in the interiors industry for a number of years, spanning many publications, she now hones her digital prowess on the 'best interiors website' in the world. Multi-skilled, Jennifer has worked in PR and marketing, and the occasional dabble in the social media, commercial and e-commerce space. Over the years, she has written about every area of the home, from compiling design houses from some of the best interior designers in the world to sourcing celebrity homes, reviewing appliances and even the odd news story or two.