“The one always posting thirst traps just to get a drink.”

Peace Lily

Spathiphyllum

White sails rise over glossy, dark green leaves. Shade suits it, and it droops when thirsty, so you won’t have to guess.

Forever

3.6/5

how easy it is to care for

4.0/5

how much it stands out visually

: Dim to bright

Near a window, out of the sun; shade slows its blooms

It does best near a window in bright shade, with no sun on its leaves. It can get by in deep shade, though it grows slowly there and rarely blooms.

A north-facing sill suits it.

Its blooms follow the calendar more than the window: UF/IFAS notes it sets buds during the short days of December and January, so the white hoods tend to open in spring and early summer.

Mind cold glass in winter. NC State notes that 40-60°F slows its growth considerably, and long stretches below 40°F can damage leaves, stems and roots, so a winter sill may want a few inches of room.

: Weekly+

Keep it moist, never soggy; it lets you know when

About every 5-7 days in summer and 7-10 in winter, letting the surface dry a little between. Its leaves sag when it’s thirsty, a clear signal; sogginess is the thing to avoid.

Few houseplants faint so dramatically or recover so fully: a peace lily left dry flops flat, and NC State notes that watering from below works very well for it. Stand the pot in a saucer or sink of water for a while so the roots can pull up what they need, then empty what’s left.

If its leaf tips turn brown and that bothers you, NC State points to a few likely causes, among them sun on its leaves, too little water, dry air and salt build-up from feeding. For that last one, it suggests fertilizer at a quarter strength, with plain water flushed through between, since built-up salts can burn roots as well as tips.

A pot that suddenly dries far faster than it used to is likely packed with roots (NC State Homegrown).

Gone for a while? Ten days is fine if it’s watered the day you leave. It may be wilting when you get back; a good soak revives it within hours.

: Medium

Glossy leaves up to about 3 feet tall and wide

Glossy leaves arch out from the soil to about 3 feet tall and wide, with white blooms held above. Small ones sit on a table; bigger ones belong on the floor or a sturdy plant stand, where the hoods can catch the eye.

Every leaf comes up on its own stalk from the roots (NC State), so the plant is really a widening crowd of leaves (RHS), ending about as round as it is tall.

Size depends heavily on the cultivar. NC State lists compact ones like 'Gemini' at about 12 inches and 'Sensation' at over 5 feet, while 'Mauna Loa' carries leaves nearly 3 feet long.

It does best a little pot-bound (NC State), stalks jammed shoulder to shoulder. When it truly outgrows its pot, pull the crowd apart at the roots: each piece is a whole small fountain of its own. Repot in February or March.

That rounded fountain is made for low, wide spots: the floor beside an armchair, or a side table, if yours is a compact one.

: Mildly irritating

Not a true lily: chewing stings the mouth, no kidney risk

DogsMildly irritating
CatsMildly irritating
KidsMildly irritating

A chewed leaf lets loose tiny crystals that can leave a mouth sore and drooling, sometimes with vomiting. The ASPCA calls it toxic for cats and dogs, yet it’s no true lily, so a cat’s kidneys aren’t at risk.

Good news: it isn’t a true lily, so it doesn’t cause the kidney damage true lilies cause in cats.

The peace lily belongs to the arum family, and its insoluble calcium-oxalate crystals aren’t absorbed into the body, so organs aren’t expected to be harmed (ASPCA, Pet Poison Helpline). The crystals sit in its flowers too, along with its leaves and stems (Poison Control).

In one case Poison Control describes, a 4-year-old chewed a leaf; the advice was sips of milk or a popsicle, then watching for lasting vomiting, swelling, or trouble breathing. For pets, breathing trouble is very rare (ASPCA); if symptoms don’t settle or anything worries you, call your vet or ASPCA Animal Poison Control (a fee may apply).

It’s too big for most hanging baskets (UF/IFAS), so with a chewer at home, set it on a stand they can’t reach, and trim spent flowers straight into the bin.

ASPCA: mild for dogs.
Pet Poison Helpline: mild for dogs.
ASPCA: mild for cats.
Pet Poison Helpline: mild for cats.
Poison Control: mild for kids.

Cats and dogs: Most of the leading sources agree.

Kids: Poison Control lists it; the effect is mouth pain from oxalate crystals.

: Dry OK

68-85°F; average humidity is fine

Happiest at 68-85°F, and it shouldn’t sit below 55°F. Keep it away from cold glass in winter. Humidity can drop to 25% without trouble.

Temperature: 68-85°F

: Mealybugs

Mealybugs, scale, mites: check under the leaves

Mealybugs are the likeliest guests: check leaf undersides and the leaf bases. Scale hides under the leaves and along the leaf stalks, and mites also sit under the leaves. Wiping the leaves lets you look as you go.

Mealybugs
Scale
Mites

Not many. Mealybugs are the usual one indoors; scale, spider mites, and fungus gnats turn up now and then, and root rot if the soil stays soggy.

Mealybugs look like tufts of white cotton where the leaf stems meet; scale looks like small brown bumps stuck to the leaves. Wipe them off with a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol (a fingernail lifts scale), then check again next week.

Spider mites leave pale speckles and, in a bad case, fine webbing, mostly in warm, dry air. Rinse the whole plant in the shower, undersides of the leaves included; if they come back, an insecticidal soap spray is the next step.

Fungus gnats are tiny dark flies around the soil; their larvae live in soil that stays wet. Water a little less often and empty the saucer, and a Bti product (sold for fungus gnats) in the watering can finishes off the larvae.

Root rot shows as leaves that wilt and brown at the edges even though the soil is wet. Let it dry out, empty the saucer, and water less often from then on.

: Some

Wipe 6× a year, feed 3×, cut spent blooms

Wipe the leaves 6 times a year, undersides too. Feed 3 times in the growing season at quarter strength, and cut dead blooms and leaves promptly. Repot in February-March, only if it needs it.

Feed3× a year
Deadhead4× a year
Clean leaves6× a year
Repot1× a year

A potting mix rich in organic matter that drains fast, in a pot with a drainage hole. It likes being a little snug.

Repot when roots poke through the drainage holes, into a pot an inch or two wider, ideally in spring or summer, when it recovers fastest.

Food is optional, and a little goes a long way: a balanced liquid fertilizer at a quarter strength every six to eight weeks in spring and summer. Too much burns the leaf tips and the roots.

: Suave

Glossy dark green leaves with white sails, filling the pot

Dark green leaves have a glossy, waxy finish, and white blooms rise above them like small sails. The foliage is full and covers the soil completely.

Fun fact

Each white bloom ages on the plant like a slow-motion bouquet: after about 10 days it fades to pale green, then holds on looking good for at least another month.

Designer tips

A classic that suits almost any room: dark, glossy leaves and clean white flowers in a simple pot.

In flower on a plant stand beside a north window

The moodCalms a dentist’s waiting room without asking for the window seatDark, glossy leaves and white sails read quiet and clean, and it keeps flowering well back from a window where most bloomers won’t. A waiting room needs exactly that.

The colorAnswers a white-and-wood room in its own colorsWhite flowers over deep green repeat white walls and pale wood instead of adding a new color, which keeps a calm room calm.

The spotBelongs where you pass daily, so you see it droopIt wilts flat when it’s thirsty and stands back up after a drink, which makes it the one plant that tells you when. Put it where you’ll catch the hint: a hall table, a kitchen counter, the corner of a desk.

The trioFills in as the middle note under a rubber plantIn a group of three, give a rubber plant the height, the peace lily the middle mound and a heartleaf philodendron the trailing edge from a shelf beside them. All three take a spot a few feet from a window, and all three are mildly irritating if a dog or cat chews them.

Troubleshooting

It’s suddenly drooping

Usually thirst: peace lilies wilt flat when they’re short of water, and UF/IFAS says a thorough watering brings them back within hours. If it wilts while the soil is still wet, the roots are too wet instead, so let it dry out and empty the saucer.

Why won’t it flower?

Usually too little light, or a plant under a year old; closer to a window, still out of the sun, gives it the best odds. Growers often start blooms with a plant hormone, which is why a store-bought one can flower and then take a break.

The leaf tips are turning brown

Usually too much fertilizer, dry soil, dry air or sun on the leaves; Clemson and NC State Extension name all four. Snip the brown bits if they bother you, and if you’ve been feeding it, a long flush of plain water rinses out the salts.

See all 9

Why are some leaves turning yellow?

Too wet and too dry both yellow the leaves (SDSU Extension), and older ones also yellow when it’s long overdue for a bigger pot. Cut yellow leaves off at the base; the plant carries on.

The white flowers are turning green

That’s normal: they fade to pale green as they age and stay good-looking for weeks. Once one browns, cut its stem off near the soil.

Is it one of the lilies that are dangerous to cats?

No. It isn’t a true lily, so it lacks the kidney risk the FDA warns about with true lilies and daylilies; its crystals irritate the mouth and throat instead, a mildly irritating rating. If your cat chewed some and seems unwell, call your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center.

Tiny flies around the soil

Likely fungus gnats, whose larvae live in soil that stays wet. Watering a little less often and emptying the saucer usually thins them out; a Bti product sold for fungus gnats, added to the watering can, finishes off the larvae if you want them gone.

Can it live without a window?

It needs a room with a window, but it can sit across from it: NC State Extension rates it for deep shade. Farther from the light it stays green and blooms less.

Can it go outside for the summer?

Yes, in full shade like a covered porch, since sun on the leaves burns it. Bring it back in before nights drop below 55°F, and check it for bugs on the way in.

Propagation

By division, when you repot in spring: a full clump splits into several plants.

Ease it out of its pot and pull or cut the clump apart into pieces, each with a few leaves and its own roots.
Pot each one at the same depth it grew before and water it in well.