Adding a little bit of greenery with house plants can make a big difference. Not only can they provide that perfect finish touch to a room, but studies have shown that indoor plants can also help reduce stress, boost your mood and improve the air quality of your home. But, if you have a pet, unfortunately not any old plant will do as many indoor plants can be harmful to your furry friend. Luckily, we’ve compiled our favourite pet-friendly plants so you can add splashes of green throughout your home that your pet companion will love just as much as you.
Calathea Orbifolia
Also known as the prayer plant due to the nature of its leaves – which open up in the sunlight and curl up in the darkness – the entire Calathea family boasts air purifying and pet-safe qualities. From the Orbifolia’s white-wisped leaves to the Whiteplant’s striking darker leaves, these low-maintenance plants come in a variety of gorgeous forms and are ideal for pet owners. Size doesn’t matter either; they’re just as happy as a small potted plant on a fireplace as they are a sprawling centrepiece.
Rattlesnake plant
Native to Brazil, where locals use their leaves for handicrafts and food wrapping, Rattlesnake plants have distinctive lance-shaped leaves with smooth-yet-jagged edges that can add a wow factor to any unused corner of your home. The underside of its leaves, meanwhile, is an impressive burgundy red and is velvety to the touch – it’s a plant that really demands your attention. Even if that means it grabs the attention of your curious cat or prying pooch too, they can explore to their heart’s content with you safe in the knowledge that they are harmless to them.
Money trees
Whilst unfortunately coins don’t bloom like petals from money trees (aka pachira aquatica), they are considered a symbol of luck and prosperity. With its impressive braided trunk and pet-friendly nature, it can make a real statement piece in nearly every room of the house. Good fortune is said to be interwoven through its trunk, a look created by knotting three separate trees together while they’re young. With the ability to grow over 6ft indoors, they represent one of the tallest options to add some air-purifying greenery to your home.
Livistona Rotundifolia
With shiny, fan-shaped leaves, the plant also known as table palm offers elegance despite its low maintenance needs. Able to grow up to 2m indoors, it can bring a chic, tropical feel to your living space, but beware that its thorny stems and be a menace to overly-inquisitive pets so a degree of carefulness is needed. One of the smallest indoor palms, its glossy leaves are still attention-grabbers. Native to southeastern Asia, Australasia, and the Horn of Africa, it gets its name from Patrick Murray, a Scottish horticulturist who helped establish botanical gardens in Edinburgh.
Boston Fern
Native to the Americas, this evergreen plant can reach as high as 90cm and is a go-to for many pet owners. One of the oldest plants in the world, its versatility is its secret weapon as they make for great potted plants, on the floor or on shelves and tables as well as glamorous hanging plants for those wanting to make sure it stays out of paw’s reach.
Honourable mentions
If you’re after leaves that can dazzle, Watermelon Peperomia, named for the eye-catching watermelon aesthetic of its leaves are a must. The wild, stringy leaves of Ponytail Palms and the tall, sleek and sophisticated Coconut Palm, meanwhile offer something completely different and, thankfully, your pets will love them all.
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