best houseplants buy indoor house plants Heyden's Gardens cedarburg wisconsin
best houseplants buy indoor house plants Heyden's Gardens cedarburg wisconsin 3
best houseplants buy indoor house plants Heyden's Gardens cedarburg wisconsin 1

Growing Healthy with Houseplants

Does the long Wisconsin winter wear you down? Would you like to add something to your life that will increase your health, well-being, and happiness? Believe it or not, something as simple as adding a houseplant to your home or office can improve your quality of life. We’ve long known that taking care of plants is a positive activity, and we are thrilled that there has been resurgence in the popularity of houseplants in recent years. We carry tropical foliage plants in a range of sizes as well as succulents, cacti and blooming plants. Learn more about our Houseplants & Succulents.

Did you know that the best houseplants can:

  • Provide cleaner interior air quality
    • Remove up to 10% of the carbon dioxide in the air
    • Remove toxins from the air
    • Increase air humidity
    • Reduce airborne microbes & dust
  • Boost your mood
    • The presence of houseplants has been shown to lower levels of stress, anxiety, and depression while increasing feelings of optimism and well-being.
  • Increase productivity
    • Studies have shown that office workers who kept and tended plants in their work space displayed measurably higher levels of creativity, productivity, memory retention, and work accuracy.
  • Make you a better person!
    • Research out of the University of Texas indicates that caring for plants improves interpersonal relationships by increasing compassion and empathy.

Top 10 Best Houseplants

The 10 houseplants listed are our choices for the best houseplants for improving interior air quality.
*indicates toxic if ingested

Boston Fern

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Nephrolepis exaltata

Showy & elegant. Especially attractive in a hanging basket or elevated container due to its flowing habit. Thrives in relatively low light and loves humidity so makes a perfect plant for the bathroom or other humid room. Studies have shown that ferns have very high formaldehyde removal efficiency. Also reduces toulene and xylene in the air.

Snake Plant

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Sansevieria trifasciata

AKA: Mother-in-Law-Tongue

Upright, vertical form. Tolerant of low light and infrequent watering.  Filters benzene, xylene, formaldehyde, and trichloroethylene. It is a good choice for the bedroom as it removes carbon dioxide and produces oxygen primarily during the night. For over 20 years, NASA has used this plant on their space shuttles!

Chinese Evergreen

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Aglaonema commutatum

Easy care houseplant that thrives in medium to low light. Prefers warm temperatures. Appreciates humidity but does not like to be overwatered. Considered one of the best plants for air purifying. Available in a range of foliage colors including silver, red and green. All new growth is from the crown of the plant, so it should never be pruned. If it begins to look leggy plant a second, smaller, low-light plant in the same container to cover the bare stems.

Pothos

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Epipremnum sp.

Heart shaped leaves on sturdy trailing stems that can vine to 6’ long. Extremely durable houseplant that also filters impurities from the air. Offering foliage in a variety of shapes and variegations, this plant is the natural choice for commercial settings where it displays its hardiness by thriving on neglect!

Ivy

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Hedera helix

A very easy-care plant that tolerates cool temperatures and low light. Trailing habit makes it perfect for hanging baskets or elevated containers. Rated highly by the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology in reducing indoor air pollutants.

Dracaena

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Dracaena sp.

Slender, narrow foliage in a range of variegated colors. Easy to care for and tolerant of neglect. Reduces benzene, formaldehyde, xylene, and toluene. Depending upon the variety, this plant can reach tree-like proportions so is a good choice for larger spaces.

Areca Palm

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Dypsis lutescens

A large, lightly airy plant that makes an excellent focal point while softening the hard edges of a room. Filters benzene, formaldehyde, xylene and toluene.

Peace Lily

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Spathiphyllum wallisii

Bold, attractive foliage and lovely long-lasting white flowers. Tolerates low light. Appreciates added humidity. Reduces levels of trichloroethylene, benzene, formaldehyde, xylene, and toluene.

Rubber Plant

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Ficus sp.

AKA: Fiddleleaf Fig & Weeping Fig

Ficus are a hugely popular group of houseplants that are available in a variety of shapes, sizes, and forms. Most are larger plants that make exceptional specimens for the indoor landscape. Filters trichloroethylene, benzene, and formaldehyde.

ZZ Plant

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Zamioculcas zamiifolia

A newcomer on the houseplant scene, becoming increasingly popular since its introduction to the trade-in 1996. High gloss dark green leaves zig-zag along the sturdy upright stems. One reason for this plant’s popularity is its ability to withstand neglect. It thrives in bright, diffuse light but will grow in even the darkest of rooms. It also has very limited water needs.

Its thick rootstock stores water so it needs to be watered very infrequently (we’re talking weeks between waterings!). While all houseplants will make interior air healthier to breathe, the ZZ is not among the very best in this role. We had to include it on the list, though, simply because it’s such a great plant.