8 Houseplants You Can Count On When Everything Outside is Wilting – For Luxe Appeal That Lasts All Year Round

By mid-August, many backyards are showing the strains of summer displays that are edging past their best (if they haven’t already started to get decidedly crinkly around the edges!). Grass might be starting to crunch underfoot, tomato leaves are curling by noon, and once-vibrant summer annuals are beginning to look ratty and scorched. But while the great outdoors might not always be looking so great as summer winds down, there is a place where things can quickly be much lusher.

While August leaves many yards brown and brittle, indoors the picture is reversed. Pick the right leafy companions for your indoors retreat, and they remain vital and glossy through late-summer ravages, and well beyond. These resilient houseplants hit their stride as summer ends, holding color and shape while outdoor beds are winding down for the season. So rather than fighting a losing battle against the heat outside, why not turn your focus indoors and create a lush, tranquil sanctuary?

Many heat-loving tropical houseplants use these long daylight hours and warm ambient room temperatures to unfurl fresh growth and massive, glossy leaves. These low-maintenance houseplants love this warm air and extended daylight, not to mention humidity levels that would flatten a peony. Current conditions make them reassuringly low maintenance. And far from being background fillers, they hold their space with lush drama, metallic leaf swirls, outstanding structure, and even flowers. So skip the crispy yard, come indoors, and settle into a stress-free retreat, surrounded by gorgeous plants that look luxe way past summer’s end.

Grow Luxe, Low-Maintenance Plants

Nearly everything on this list shares the same short set of requirements, so these lush beauties really are low maintenance. Before setting up your indoor leafy retreat, just give some thought to the pot and the immediate environment. Pot drainage is critical. A pot without a hole is a slow death sentence in warm weather, as roots will risk sitting in water. A gritty mix with perlite or bark worked through it is best for drainage and root health, so be sure to add some to your potting soil of choice. A dedicated formula like Miracle-Gro Indoor Potting Mix for Tropicals, available from Amazon, comes blended with pine bark and lava rock for superior drainage.

Watering trips up more people in summer than in any other season. Heat dries the top of the pot quickly, but the lower half can stay saturated, so surface dryness is a poor indication. Pushing a finger down a couple of inches (5cm) gives a truer reading, or a dedicated soil meter like the Expert Gardener Digital Soil Meter from Walmart, which is super-easy to use and includes light readings. A ceiling fan on its low setting can also discourage fungus gnats and powdery mildew once the air turns muggy.

Light is the other big consideration to factor in before you expand your indoor plant family. While your local USDA hardiness zone dictates when outdoor temperatures drop in fall, indoor environments need to balance any magnifying window light and any dry airflow from air conditioning units. Cold AC blasts can shock tropical foliage, causing leaf drop or browned leaf margins. So position your plants out of drafts, and pull sensitive foliage back a few feet from south or west-facing windows. This will reduce the risk of shock or scorch. So now to meet the indoor stars of the show…

1. Pothos

Few people put pothos (Epipremnum aureum) at the top of a list for excitement. But it earns this position on merit for its low-maintenance credentials. It is virtually indestructible, and can flourish in a west-facing hallway or even a bathroom with one small window. Pothos even holds up in a dim corner where nothing else establishes. Those epic trailing vines can reach 6 feet (1.8m) indoors in just a couple of seasons.

For striking visual variety, there are some cool variegated varieties such as Marble Queen or vibrant Neon. For ultra low maintenance with vibrant gold star credentials, Costa Farms Golden Pothos Plants from Walmart quickly fills a vertical space with lush, full color. While tolerant of low humidity, you’ll find your pothos plant produces larger leaves when provided a support like a moss pole. Water once the top 2 inches (5cm) go dry: weekly through August, closer to every other week by November. Just note that the foliage is toxic to cats and dogs if chewed, so keep out of harm’s way.

2. Rex Begonia

Foliage this striking usually comes at a cost. But Rex begonia varieties (Begonia rex) are very easygoing in the right indoor setting, particularly as summer winds down outdoors. Its silver and plum leaves carry gorgeous metallic patterns and swirls that do the work of a flowering plant with little of the expectation. For an exquisite pink, green, and burgundy foliage swirl, buy BubbleBlooms Harmony Foliage Harmony’s Ghost Whisperer from Amazon. Just keep this plant clear of direct sun.

Bright indirect light suits August dwelling, maybe a few feet back from an east window indoors. Water at the soil line instead of over the top, as wet foliage in warm still air can invite powdery mildew. A light spritz with Arber Organic Bio-Fungicide Concentrate from Walmart is a great way to protect velvety begonia leaves in summer. Grouping these metallic darlings with other tropicals helps to keep ambient humidity high.

3. ZZ Plant

The ZZ plant (Zamioculcas zamiifolia) is the king of low-maintenance indoor greenery, holding up in low-light hallways where other plants eventually fail. Two weeks without water is no big deal for the ZZ, which stores moisture in thick rhizomes. So your August routine will amount to a deep soak every 2-3 weeks and little else. ZZ copes with low light, though growth accelerates in bright indirect conditions, sending up new spears through the warm stretch.

Arching stems carry glossy leaflets that look constantly polished. Standard green ZZ varieties are effortlessly glossy, and for something even more luxe, the Black Raven ZZ Plant from Plant Addicts develops lush near-black foliage. Overwatering is the one real threat for your ZZ. Yellowing lower leaves usually indicate too much water rather than too little. Just use a well-draining cactus or succulent soil mix, and ensure the pot has ample bottom drainage holes to prevent rhizome rot.

4. BIrd of Paradise

Scale is the main draw with these tropical plants, which are well suited to indoor living as summer ends. Birds of paradise (Strelitzia reginae) send up paddle leaves on long stalks and reach 3-5 feet (0.9-1.5m) indoors, turning a bare corner into a focal point. With huge, banana-like leaves, it brings tropical grandeur and even flowers in orange or white. If you can’t decide which color flower to choose from, the Fam Plants Store Birds of Paradise Plant Bundle from Amazon includes two of each.

A summer outdoors on a bright patio speeds growth noticeably, though the indoor transition needs easing in over a week or so. Adding a shade cloth, such as the Coolaroo 70% UV Block Shade Cloth from The Home Depot, over the patio for the first few days can prevent scorch. Just give this tropical beauty plenty of bright, direct sunlight. It also appreciates having its massive leaf blades wiped to keep them lush and healthy. Don’t panic if you see splits in older leaves, as these are normal and help the plant handle wind in its native habitat.

5. Snake Plant

Durability is the entire pitch with this low-maintenance plant. Snake plants (Dracaena trifasciata) throw up stiff, upright leaves that hold their own water reserves, and a photosynthetic quirk lets the plant take in carbon dioxide overnight instead of during the day. Renowned as one of the easiest houseplants in existence, its sword-like leaves feature striking horizontal banding and yellow margins. It thrives in almost any lighting condition, from dim corners to bright sun.

Watering can drop to roughly once a month even now. Stronger light produces sharper banding, though a north window will do fine. Always allow the soil to dry out between waterings. When in doubt, wait another week! If you fancy a compact form for smaller spaces that grows outward, try the Starfish Snake Plant from Plant Addicts with its thick leaves. For a taller variety with gold variegations, Gold Flame Snake Plant, also from Plant Addicts, is the definition of low maintenance.

6. Ponytail Palm

Featuring a distinctive swollen trunk base (called a caudex) topped with a fountain of long, cascading leaves, the ponytail palm (Beaucarnea recurvata) is like a living desert sculpture. That swollen bulb at the base is a water reservoir, hence a big reason why it is so undemanding. Word to the wise, though: it isn’t really a palm, despite the name. Ponytail Palm from Perfect Plants is a great option for showcasing on a coffee table or windowsill, and you can currently get 18% off.

Full sun suits this easygoing houseplant – and that includes a genuinely hot windowsill that would cook a fern. Watering every few weeks is basically all the plant care required, along with some fast-draining succulent soil. One further point in its favor is that the ASPCA lists it as non-toxic to cats and dogs, which puts this playful house-dweller ahead of much of this list for growers with a pet inclined to chew.

7. Wax Plant (Hoya)

Clusters of waxy little stars sit in a near-perfect dome, heavily scented after dark. And these are just a couple of the charms of this easygoing summer houseplant, with as many names as waxy star blooms! The wax plant (Hoya carnosa), native to East Asia and Australia, is also known as the Hindu rope plant, porcelain flower plant, and the Krinkle Kurl (depending on variety). Rope Plant Hoyas from Plant Addicts are perfect for an indoor spot with bright indirect light.

This plant reaches peak bloom around late summer, so this is the perfect time to set one up. The main care tip is simple: never cut off the spent flower stalk. Those stalks, called peduncles, are permanent, and the plant reflowers from the same point year after year. Beyond that, this plant just needs bright indirect light and a container on the small side (they thrive when kept slightly root-bound). Train vining stems up a plant trellis, like the WellSign Honeycomb Potted Plant Trellis from Amazon, or just let them spill over a hanging basket to display their pretty form.

8. Croton

For a plant that combines an easy gloss factor with dazzling colors, look no further! Here is the plant that earns the word shine. Croton (Codiaeum variegatum) carries foliage streaked in red and gold, with deep oranges running through older growth, and those colors intensify under strong light. Indeed, your croton craves high light levels, so place it near a sun-drenched window for the best displays. For a reliable croton with the iconic neon hues, Nature’s Way Farms Croton Petra from Walmart is a lush statement piece that requires little ongoing care.

Aim for temperatures around 60-85°F (16-29°C) for a happy croton. It doesn’t like being moved around, especially near an AC vent. A tabletop humidifier, like the Levoit Classic300 Humidifier from Amazon, keeps the edges from crisping once indoor air dries out. Apart from that, your croton is unfussy. Just settle it into a bright, stable spot now, protect it from drafts, and the color will retain its dazzle long after the beds outside have finished for the year.

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