The 10 Trendiest Houseplants of 2020

Ok, you guys, some of you might not know this but I LOVE houseplants. I mean, I love plants in general but I especially love houseplants. They add so much life and texture to a space and really elevate the whole vibe of a room. A plant can be a statement (think tree) or an accent (think succulent or small snake plant). Either way, there’s always room for a plant :) I haven’t ever really had the chance to get real houseplants until now because we’ve always moved around so much since getting married but now that we have a house I am finally able to start my own collection and I’m so excited!

When it comes to house plants, there are both real and fake options. Some people prefer one or the other. There are definitely pros and cons to both. Fake ones are more expensive and don’t help your air quality but they require zero care and last forever. Real ones are usually cheaper but require care and can die on you but they look better and act as air purifiers in your home. Personally, I have a mix. In this post, I’ll not only give you a list of must-have house plants but also which ones you can get away with buying fake and which ones you are better off buying real to maintain the proper aesthetic. And me being the perfectionist that I am won’t lead you astray on this. Also, I am by no means a plant expert, just a plant enthusiast so please keep that in mind while reading this.

Olive Tree

I’m starting us off with the olive tree because it’s a trend that has really taken off in the interior design world. I’m starting to see them more and more and feel like they’re the new fiddle leaf fig which feels like blasphemy but I think I’m here for it. I absolutely LOVE the texture of these trees. It gives a completely different vibe and it’s the good kind of different. Here are the best fake options I’ve found. Artiplanto linked here, West Elm linked here, and the most beautiful one of all is from Crate and Barrel linked here. This one is next on my list and it’s going either in the living room or dining room.

Monstera (Swiss Cheese Plant)

This plant is known for its big, split leaves. From what I’ve read, they’re pretty easy to take care of as well. They need to be watered moderately and evenly, about once a week. You just have to wait until the soil is fairly dry before watering again. They like being in a fairly humid environment and can grow to be pretty big and bushy. To curb excessive growth, avoid re-potting too often and prune regularly by pinching off new growth. It would be really cute by an entryway, in your living room or a bedroom!

There are some pretty good fake options for these so you can go probably either way. I still think the real ones look better, though. Target sells a small one on the cheaper side linked here. Artiplanto sells a larger one linked here. I’ve seen real ones sold at Costco, Home Depot, and Lowes. If I were to get one of these I’d put it in a seagrass basket or in a little pot with a stand :)

Cactus/Succulent

Cacti and succulents need sunlight and minimal water. Also relatively hard to kill. Small ones look cute on almost any shelf or surface. I’ve styled mine on my mantle, in the kitchen or bathroom. A large one would look amazing in a living room in the corner or next to a TV stand.

Fortunately, since their stalks and leaves are waxy and thicker by nature, you can get a fake one that looks pretty realistic. For cute, small ones check out Homegoods, TJ Maxx, or Target. For nicer, larger ones go to cb2 or west elm. The one I've been eyeing from West Elm is linked here. Target also has a pretty big one that looks good as long as you don’t get too close to it. Linked here.

Bird of Paradise/Travelers Palm

I love the look of these. They are definitely a statement and look great in a living or dining room. Real ones need bright light and constantly moist soil. The good news is I’ve found that fake ones look just as good as real ones so that’s a plus! The best fakes ones I’ve found are from Artiplanto linked here, Pottery Barn linked here, and CB2 linked here. Not cheap but will last forever.

Rubber Plant

Rubber plants grow into literal trees so keep that in mind. They grow from the top and can grow pretty rapidly. Right now I have mine sitting next to an accent chair in my living room and I wish it would stay the perfect little bush that is is right this moment but it’s not likely to. They require minimal care which is great. They basically need just lots of indirect sunlight and occasional watering. You can use the stick-your-finger-2 inches-below-the-soil-to-test-the-moisture method to know when they need more water. If you do that and it feels dry, you give them water that is ¼ the amount of the size pot they’re in. So if it’s a gallon pot then you give them ¼ a gallon of water.

There’s no synthetic material that can properly mimic the look and behavior of the leaves of a real rubber plant so I would definitely suggest getting a real one. Plus, they’re cheap and really not that hard to take care of. I got mine at Home Depot for $25. You can get them at Lowe’s as well I believe.

String of Pearls

These look super cute draped from shelves or tables too. They’re a succulent. Fake ones look identical to the real thing. If you do go the fake route, I recommend getting something like this and then tucking it into whatever you want.

Snake Plant

Snake plants are succulents so they have very thick leaves, need a decent amount of light and little water. They’re a great accent to any room. They look good in baskets or any kind of mid century looking pot. Pro tip: since the leaves grow straight up, I would try potting them in a pot that is taller instead of short and fat so it looks proportional to the plant’s growth. Snake plants look good anywhere in your house. Style a large one by your entryway table, in a bathroom by the tub, next to your dresser or nightstand, or next to an accent chair in your living room.

I was actually given a baby snake plant as a house warming gift. It was my first real plant. I figured it would be pretty hard to kill it since it requires minimal care (lots of sunlight, warm temps and minimal water) but, no. I somehow over watered it and chilled it at the same time by leaving it on a windowsill in the dead of Utah winter and its thick leaves started to split. Once the leaves of a snake plant have split, there’s no going back and I couldn’t just cut off the split ones or rip them out since the plant was still so small it would look weird. Now that I’ve figured out what I was doing wrong and corrected it, it’s doing well. However, there are some really good fake options out there if you don’t want to worry about ugly, split, dying leaves. But it really is a good real plant to start with.

Fiddle Leaf Fig

A thriving fiddle leaf fig tree that looks like a fat lollipop or a fluffy bean stalk is probably one of the most beautiful things ever to me. I’m pretty obsessed. Stick one in any corner where they’ll get lots of indirect light and it’ll brighten the entire room. However, for someone who isn’t a plant expert or doesnt have a green thumb, they are a bit of an undertaking. They’re pretty temperamental and hate being moved around. (They will respond to being moved by dying or threatening to die. They’re pretty much divas.) They need lots of indirect sunlight and minimal but precise watering. If you’ve never taken care of a fiddle leaf fig before I would recommend starting with one from Home Depot or Costco because they’ll take it back if you kill it. Trust me, my mom has taken back like 7.

Unfortunately, with the way the leaves are, I’ve found it’s a lot harder to find good, fake options that look up to my standard. I really don’t think anything beats a real one. But, if you are set on getting a fake one, Target has a cute small fake one linked here. Ikea has a medium one that looks fairly decent linked here (Just try to push the leaves down so they’re not sticking straight up. Real leaves are floppy). West Elm has a medium one that has very lifelike leaves due to their plastic-y shine but it’s a little sparse (like I said I like when they’re really full) linked here. Pottery barn probably has the most lifelike looking one all around linked here.

My biggest tip when buying a fake one would be to not get one that has multiple trunks. I’ve hardly ever seen real fiddle leaf figs have more than one trunk and the whole idea of a fake plant is for it to look as real as possible. Multiple trunks is kind of a dead giveaway in my opinion.

Areca Palm

Another statement plant. Indoor plant watering devices work best for these because they need pretty regular watering but will die if overwatered. Sounds like I’d kill it. Thankfully fake ones look just as good as real ones. Real ones can get really big and the bigger the better in my opinion lol. Honestly, this plant isn’t at the top of my list because I don’t feel like it would look very good with the way my house is decorated now but I do see them a lot so I included them in this list. I’ve seen real ones being sold at Home Depot and Lowes for pretty cheap. My neighbor has one in her kitchen and it looks super good. Hers is huge and definitely a statement.

Pothos Plant

These look sooo cute draped from shelves or tables. I’ve seen them styled on shelves in bathrooms, to being placed atop kitchen cabinets, to being hung from the ceiling. There are some okay fake options out there (just google fake pothos plant) but I think the real thing looks best.

So far, I have a real snake plant, real rubber plant, and a fake cactus. We won’t be home much in the summertime so I’ll probably wait til we get back to get either an olive tree or a fiddle leaf fig tree for the living room and I CANNOT wait. And as soon as we get shelves up in our powder bathroom, a fake string of pearls is going in there STAT. Anyways, tell me in the comments which plant is your favorite or which one you plan on getting next! We can be crazy plant ladies together!

xxx,

Sam

Samantha GleaveMarch 31, 2020Comment