Our favourite house plants

Gasteria carinata

Chosen by Nick Bailey, Gardeners' World presenter

This South African native not only looks great year-round, with its fleshy, speckled leaves, but unusually for a succulent it likes to grow in part shade. This rare trait means it’s perfect for low-light rooms. It rarely needs watering and mine's been growing away happily (in numerous different houses) for over 20 years!

• Best succulents to grow

Homalomena rubescens

Chosen by Arit Anderson, Gardeners' World presenter

My ‘current’ favourite house plant is my Homalomena rubescens. I love the large, heart-shaped leaves (which give it the common name Queen of Hearts) and the stems are a gorgeous deep burgundy on some varieties. It's not over demanding, and even when I’ve been away and it's become a little parched, with some love and care it has bounced back! I’m enjoying watching it grow, as they’re great as larger specimens.

Turmeric

Chosen by Frances Tophill, Gardeners' World presenter

Choosing my favourite house plant is a little like choosing my favourite child! I suppose the house plant I am most proud of though is... turmeric (Curcuma longa). It's a member of the ginger family and produces the well known rhizomes so valued for their supposed health benefits and lovely flavour. The reason I love it so much is because not only is it lovely and healthy and lush as a plant, but it only cost me as much as a tuber of turmeric cost in the local shop. I just put the tuber in the soil and it grew from there. Easy, beautiful, tropical and useful.

Peperomia

Chosen by Flo Headlam, Garden Rescue presenter

My current favourite house plant is peperomia – I have a variety called 'Flamboyant Florence'! It has thick, sturdy evergreen leaves and forms a strong branching plant that is bold in its simplicity, as well as being super easy to care for.

• Colourful house plants to grow

Snake plant

Chosen by Gynelle Leon, Prick founder

The snake plant (sold as both Sansevieria and Dracaena trifasciata) is such a resilient plant, I applaud them for surviving the neglect I put them through when I have a busy schedule, and for that reason, you'll find one in every room of my house.

Monstera

Chosen by Jason Williams, Cloud Gardener

My very first house plant was a birthday gift from my mother. It was a Monstera deliciosa (Swiss cheese plant). I named him Chad and he sparked my fascination with house plants. As he grew, I learned the joys of watching new leaves unfurl and the fenestrations get larger.

Rubber plant

Chosen by Isabelle Palmer, The Balcony Gardener founder

Rubber plants (Ficus elastica) have large, glossy, stylish leaves, and in varieties like 'Belize' those leaves are variegated in shades of green, cream and pink. These unusual colours give a striking alternative to the more usual green house plant suspects. One of the features I love about this plant is its versatility in size. It can be comfortably pruned for a small pot on a book shelf, alternatively you can grow it into a magnificent tree, holding pride of place in any room.

Swiss cheese plant

Chosen by Toby Buckland

The Swiss Cheese Plant (Monstera deliciosa) is my favourite house plant. Its size, plus the rips in the glossy foliage, give it a magnificently luxuriant look that can transform a boring box-room into what looks and feels like verdant jungle. Regular water, the occasional mist and feed are all it requires to thrive and I’ve had mine for so long it’s become part of the family - a bit like a botanical pet!

Golden pothos

Chosen by Catherine Mansley, GardenersWorld.com deputy editor

I have one of these on top of my kitchen cupboards, and its glossy leaves cascade down the side in a lush, messy tangle. Also known as devil's ivy, Epipremnum aureum tolerates very sporadic watering and low light levels, making it perfect for the busy/neglectful gardener. It grows pleasingly quickly, and can also be trained upwards as a climber.

Snake plant

Chosen by Blake Roberts, GardenersWorld.com Premium content manager

If, like me, you've been known to neglect your house plants a little too much – you can't go wrong with the snake plant (also known as mother-in-law's tongue). Often cited for its air-purifying qualities, this low-maintenance plant is visually striking with its tall, sword-like leaves, and it's pretty unfussy about where you choose to site it. I've moved house several times in the last couple of years, and wherever my sansevieria has ended up, it's thrived. Just make sure to wait until the compost has dried out before watering.

Prayer plant

Chosen by Lily Middleton, GardenersWorld.com content creator

One of my favourite house plants, and a staple in my collection, is the prayer plant (maranta). There are many things that I love about it – its delicately striped foliage is beautiful, and occasional lilac flowers on the end of long stalks are a treat. I love the way it closes its leaves up at night, as if in prayer, although it can be slightly unnerving when I hear it rustling in the corner of the room. And it’s also wonderfully easy to propagate, my friends and family have been the recipients of many cuttings over the years.