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The PILF-opedia

Best fronds: the ones that are always there, never needy

Easy to keep and easy to live with: Ease 3 or higher and Presence under 3. Quiet enough for a desk, a counter or a small room.

  1. 1

    Cast Iron Plant

    Ease 4.7 · Presence 2.8. A classic that looks modern in a plain, heavy pot: tall, dark, glossy leaves and nothing fussy.
  2. 2

    Cylindrical Snake Plant

    Ease 4.7 · Presence 2.7. Spiky, graphic and sculptural, it looks modern in a plain pot and holds its shape without any help.
  3. 3

    Aloe Vera

    Ease 3.9 · Presence 2.9. Sculptural and desert-modern, it looks best on a sunny sill in a plain clay or concrete pot.
  4. 4

    Zebra Haworthia

    Ease 3.9 · Presence 2.7. Small and graphic, with crisp white stripes on dark green that suit a modern desk or windowsill.
  5. 5

    African Milk Tree

    Ease 3.6 · Presence 2.7. Sculptural and a little desert-modern, it reads like a piece of architecture in a sunny corner.
  6. 6

    Bromeliad

    Ease 3.6 · Presence 2.6. A shot of color that lasts for months: a tidy, glossy rosette with a bright spike, at home on a table or a desk.
  7. 7

    String of Pearls

    Ease 3.6 · Presence 2.6. A cascade of green beads: playful, sculptural, and best seen hanging at eye level.
  8. 8

    Jade Plant

    Ease 3.6 · Presence 2.5. A living bonsai: a stout trunk and a crown of glossy leaves that suit a sunny, uncluttered sill.
  9. 9

    Ponytail Palm

    Ease 3.6 · Presence 2.5. Sculptural and a little funny, with its fat trunk and wild hair: it suits a modern room, a desert-toned one, or anywhere that needs a conversation piece.
  10. 10

    Dracaena Marginata

    Ease 3.2 · Presence 2.8. Spiky and graphic, it reads modern: a tree shape with a narrow footprint.
  11. 11

    Bamboo Palm

    Ease 3.3 · Presence 2.6. Tall and airy, it softens a corner without filling the room.
  12. 12

    Kalanchoe

    Ease 3.2 · Presence 2.7. A block of saturated color for a bright windowsill, and a table centerpiece while it blooms.
  13. 13

    Chinese Money Plant

    Ease 3.1 · Presence 2.7. Playful and graphic, its round coins on long stalks read as mid-century modern.
  14. 14

    Pencil Cactus

    Ease 3.7 · Presence 2.1. Wild and sculptural, it gives a sunny corner a desert-modern look, like a bundle of green sticks in a pot.
  15. 15

    Parlor Palm

    Ease 3.2 · Presence 2.5. Soft and feathery, it adds a relaxed, tropical note to a dim corner without taking over the room.
  16. 16

    Yucca Cane

    Ease 3.5 · Presence 2.2. Architectural and a bit desert-modern: bare canes and spiky tufts make a strong, clean silhouette.
  17. 17

    Corn Plant

    Ease 3.2 · Presence 2.4. A classic office tree that still looks sharp at home: tall, bare canes with a burst of striped leaves on top.
  18. 18

    Mistletoe Cactus

    Ease 3.1 · Presence 2.4. Soft, airy and a little wild, it suits a relaxed, plant-filled room and looks like nothing else in a hanging pot.
  19. 19

    Fairy Castle Cactus

    Ease 3.8 · Presence 1.5. Small and architectural, it suits a sunny kitchen, a modern desk or anywhere a bit of sculpture fits.
  20. 20

    Hoya

    Ease 3.3 · Presence 2.0. Wound around a hoop it reads as a small sculpture; trailing from a hanging pot it softens a bright window.
  21. 21

    Lucky Bamboo

    Ease 3.4 · Presence 1.9. Clean, graphic and a little Zen: green stalks in glass suit a desk, a counter or a pared-back room.
  22. 22

    Sweetheart Hoya

    Ease 3.9 · Presence 1.4. Sweet without being cute: fat, glossy hearts that read like a little sculpture on a desk or wound around a hoop.
Other lists
Soilmates: the ones you’ll grow old withFerns with benefits: the ones that are easy on the eyes, hard on the heartTrophy plants: the ones that you show off on your gridHard-to-kill: the ones that survive with a smilePet-safe: the ones that can co-exist with your crittersLow lights: the ones that love it with the lights offPocket plants: the ones that are short king looking like snacksSee all 100 in the PILF-opedia →