Species guides for plants that live under a roof
Single-species guides for the foliage plants people actually keep on a shelf: what light they really need, how fast they grow, and the one mistake that kills each of them.
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Photo: Philodendron by Daderot · CC0 · via Wikimedia Commons
Most 'low light' lists are wishful thinking — half the plants on them need a bright window to look like the photo. These nine actually hold up a few metres from the glass.
Spathiphyllum droops theatrically the moment it runs low on water and perks back up within hours. That feedback loop makes it the best teaching plant there is — as long as you don't take the drooping as a schedule.
Ficus lyrata has a reputation for being temperamental. It isn't, particularly — it just hates being moved and shows every mistake on leaves that stay on the plant for years.
Chlorophytum comosum is the plant most people were handed as a child, and it is still one of the best: fast, tolerant, and it hands you free plants on the end of long arching stems.