46 Houseplants for a bright, sunny window
A hot, bright, south-facing window scorches a lot of houseplants - but these actively want it. Every plant here is one whose own care notes call for direct sun or the brightest spot you can give it, so a windowsill that bakes in the afternoon is a feature, not a problem.
Even sun-lovers can burn if moved straight from a dim shop into blazing glass. Introduce full sun gradually over a week or two, and watch for pale or crispy patches.
Agave
Agaves are bold, architectural succulents that form dramatic rosettes of thick, pointed leaves…
Baby Toes
Baby toes is an oddball little succulent that grows a cluster of upright, finger-like leaves…
Baseball Plant (Euphorbia obesa)
The baseball plant is a curious, spineless, ball-shaped euphorbia patterned with subtle…
Bird of Paradise (Strelitzia)
With huge, glossy, paddle-shaped leaves rising on tall stalks, the Bird of Paradise brings…
Bishop's Cap Cactus
The bishop's cap is a spineless, sculptural little cactus shaped like a plump star or a…
Blue Columnar Cactus
The blue columnar cactus is one of the most beautiful cacti in the world - an upright column of…
Bunny Ears Cactus
The bunny ears cactus is a charming small opuntia whose flat, oval pads sprout in pairs like a…
Calico Hearts (Adromischus maculatus)
Calico hearts is a small, slow, charming succulent whose thick, flattened, heart-shaped leaves…
Cape Sundew
The Cape sundew has glistening tentacles that visibly bend toward a stuck gnat within minutes…
Cholla Cactus
The cholla is a shrubby, branching cactus of cylindrical segments cloaked in barbed spines so…
Claret Cup Cactus
The claret cup is a hardy, clustering hedgehog cactus that mounds into a dome of spiny green…
Desert Rose
The desert rose is a spectacular caudex succulent that swells into a fat, sculptural…
Echeveria
Echeveria is a rosette succulent with a plump, symmetrical, flower-like rosette.
Echinopsis (Sea-Urchin Cactus)
Echinopsis cacti are small, globular desert cacti famous for a spectacular disappearing act…
Fairy Castle Cactus
The fairy castle cactus is a charming, slow-growing cactus that branches into a cluster of…
Fiddle Leaf Fig (Ficus lyrata)
The Fiddle Leaf Fig is a tall, sculptural, photogenic houseplant with huge violin-shaped leaves…
Fishhook Barrel Cactus
The fishhook barrel is a big, ribbed desert globe armed with fierce, hooked red spines that…
Golden Barrel Cactus
The golden barrel is a plump, globe-shaped cactus wrapped in dense golden-yellow spines, one of…
Hoya Australis
Hoya australis is a glossy, round-leafed, sun-loving vine from Australia that grows with…
Hoya Kerrii (Sweetheart Hoya)
Hoya kerrii has thick, perfectly heart-shaped leaves, sold by the millions as single-leaf…
Indoor Citrus (Dwarf Lemon, Lime & Calamondin)
Indoor Citrus brings something few houseplants can: fragrant flowers, glossy evergreen leaves…
Jade Plant (Crassula ovata)
The Jade Plant is a small, sturdy succulent tree that can become a lifelong companion - often…
Ladyfinger Cactus
The ladyfinger cactus is a neat, easy mammillaria that forms clusters of slender, upright…
Lithops (Living Stones)
Lithops are among the strangest and most fascinating plants you can keep on a windowsill.
Madagascar Palm
The Madagascar palm is not a palm at all, but a striking spiny succulent with a thick, silvery…
Old Lady Cactus
The old lady cactus is a plump, globe-shaped Mammillaria wrapped in a soft-looking veil of fine…
Organ Pipe Cactus
The organ pipe is a majestic columnar cactus that, true to its name, sends up a cluster of…
Parodia (Ball Cactus)
Parodias, or ball cacti, are neat, globular desert cacti that ring their crowns with cheerful…
Peanut Cactus
The peanut cactus is a small, fast-clustering cactus whose finger-like stems really do look…
Peruvian Apple Cactus
The Peruvian apple is a tall, columnar, blue-green cactus that grows faster than almost any…
Pincushion Cactus
Pincushion cacti (Mammillaria) are small, rounded, easy-going desert cacti that reliably ring…
Portulacaria Afra (Dwarf Jade / Elephant Bush)
Portulacaria afra - known as Dwarf Jade or Elephant Bush - is a fast-growing, bushy succulent…
Prickly Pear Cactus
The prickly pear, or opuntia, is the classic flat-padded cactus, forming chains of…
Propeller Plant (Crassula falcata)
The propeller plant is a sculptural crassula whose thick, sickle-shaped grey-green leaves stack…
Rat Tail Cactus
The rat tail cactus is a trailing desert cactus grown for its long, slender, pendant stems that…
Rebutia (Crown Cactus)
Rebutias are tiny, clustering desert cacti that flower so freely and so young that a small pot…
Saguaro Cactus
The saguaro is the giant, tree-like cactus of the American Southwest, an icon of the desert…
Sarracenia (American Pitcher Plant)
Sarracenias, the trumpet pitchers of American bogs, are tall nectar-baited funnels that drown…
Sempervivum (Hens and Chicks)
Sempervivums, or hens and chicks, are tough little rosette succulents that multiply into tidy…
Silver Torch Cactus
The silver torch is a slender, upright columnar cactus wrapped so densely in fine white spines…
Spiral Cactus
The spiral cactus is a mesmerising columnar cactus whose ribs twist gently around the stem in a…
Star Cactus
The star cactus is a small, spineless, geometric gem - a low, ribbed dome divided into neat…
Tiger Jaws
Tiger jaws is a small, characterful succulent whose fat triangular leaves are edged with soft…
Totem Pole Cactus
The totem pole cactus is a smooth, spineless, sculptural column covered in soft, knobbly bumps…
Vanda Orchid
Vandas are orchids grown in empty baskets with roots dangling meters in the air, crowned with…
Venus Flytrap (Dionaea muscipula)
The Venus Flytrap is a carnivorous plant that catches and digests insects in hinged leaf traps.
Prefer to filter yourself? Try the Plant Finder to narrow all houseplants by light and watering.
Choosing a plant for a home with pets? Our table of plants toxic to cats and dogs shows what every profile says - and the reference behind it is the ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant list.
Houseplant basics
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