These days, video chat is the new normal and a vital tool for staying connected with family, friends, and coworkers. And whether you’re looking to up your game for working from home meetings or impress your friends at a virtual happy hour the only thing more important than your face is your zoom-room background. Looking for ways to take you video calls to the next level? Why not add a little greenery to your virtual interior. Plants can boost your mood, increase productivity and efficiency, and add texture and color to any space. From a large, sculptural plant filling in a drab corner to charming succulents for a desktop- there's a place for plants in every home. Share your green thumb and beautify your cybernetic background and your home with some of these low maintenance, zoom-worthy plants:
PLANTS FOR LOW LIGHT
Snake Plants (Mother-in-law’s tongue) add style and modern charm to any room with their upright, sword-like foliage that can grow to four-feet in height. Snake plants are easy to care for and will even tolerate some neglect. They like bright light but will grow in everything from direct sun to shade. Allow the soil to dry before watering. Use larger snake plant varieties to fill a vacant corner or place smaller varieties on a table or desktop.
Chinese Evergreens (aglaonema) are another versatile, low light houseplant option. Adored for their big, beautiful, colorful leaves, their low-maintenance requirements and their ability to adapt to a variety of conditions makes them great for houseplant beginners. Aglaonema will tolerate a wide range of lighting scenarios from very low light to bright but not direct sunlight. A moderate drying between waterings is okay, but the soil shouldn’t dry out completely. Perfect on tabletops and desktops.
PLANTS FOR MEDIUM LIGHT
Monstera (Swiss cheese plant or split-leaf philodendron) is a tropical favorite. The foliage is deep green and lush with an intricate cut-leaf shape. As a tropical plant, it’s no surprise that monstera likes warm indoor temperatures between 68 and 86 degrees. A little humidity makes them feel right at home. Monstera prefers bright or filtered, indirect light. Water when soil becomes dry. Use larger plants on the floor by a table or sofa or to fill an empty corner.
Anthuriums are a low maintenance, flowering plant that boasts heart-shaped blooms and comes in several colors including pink, purple, red, and white. Anthuriums do best in bright, filtered light. Water enough to keep the soil lightly moist but never wet. The bright, showy flowers make a great color accent on a table, desk, bookshelf, or countertop.
PLANTS FOR HIGH LIGHT
Fiddle Leaf Figs are a wildly popular houseplant with large, heavily veined, violin-shaped leaves that grow upright on a tall plant. Fiddle leaf figs are native to the tropics, where they thrive in very warm, high light conditions. Give them a vacation outside during warmer months and bring them indoors when cold weather sets in. Fiddle leaf figs perform best in bright light. Perfect in any sunny room location.
Succulents are one of the most versatile plants on the globe. Because they have shallow roots, they can survive without a great deal of care and thrive in drought-like conditions. Succulents also come in a variety of shapes and colors. Succulents prefer bright light, the brighter the better. Water whenever the soil gets dry and pulls away from the edges of the pot. Water just enough to soak the soil evenly. Overwatering a succulent is as bad as not watering it at all, as these are drought-resistant plants designed to withstand extremely dry conditions. Succulents can be used in all sorts of ways; as table arrangements, on a desk, in a bookshelf, on a kitchen island, or in a bathroom– the skies the limit.