Easy House Plants Beloved by Thai Homeowners

Thailand is absolutely blessed, with its lush landscapes and rich natural splendor. The Thai people, like in many tropical countries, have a deep appreciation for nature’s beauty — one that extends into the Thai home. 

Many Thai homeowners cultivate houseplants, which add a refreshing touch of green to everyday life. This is especially important in bustling cities like Bangkok, where nature gives way to the concrete jungle.

But not all houseplants are created equal, with some much easier to maintain than others. Instead of practicing some kind of trial by neglect, this handy guide compiles the best and most popular plants for Thai homes, chosen for their ease of care, availability, and some unique characteristics.

How to pick houseplants

One of the first steps in choosing good plant-didates is remembering where you’re growing them. In fact, some people prefer to cultivate wild greens, which tend to thrive in harsh, local conditions.

These are the four main factors to consider when growing plants in Thailand:

• Tropical: Thailand is very close to the equator, meaning that plants that like high temperature and humidity are going to be easier to maintain.
• Indoors: Depending on the room, this usually means the plant will get less sun, so plants that prefer lower light conditions is another plus.
• Soil: Many plant shops like those in Chatuchak Plant Market or Sanam Luang 2 won’t use the best quality soil when they pot your plants or they’ll only provide a teeny-tiny container for convenient transportation. Consider repotting the plant in a larger container with a pack of all-purpose, high quality soil, which usually comes premixed with compost.
• Water: This is probably the one thing that people forget the most (or overdo). If you don’t mind getting your hands dirty, good trick is to feel the soil: if it’s dry or crumbly, then you know it’s watering time. It’s also important that water is allowed to drain out to avoid waterlogging the roots. 

For beginners, there’s nothing more discouraging that the slow death of a high-maintenance houseplant. For this reason, we’ll be steering clear of orchids, staghorn ferns, and Thai chilis, which require a fair amount of attention and specific watering techniques to yield the best results. 

With that said, let’s take a look at some easy indoor plants to grow. We’ve divided these plants as either purely decorative or useful. 

Decorative indoor plants in Thailand

Spider Plant (Chlorophytum comosum) / Thon Setthi Ruean Nai (ต้นเศรษฐีเรือนใน): These plants look more like peeled cucumber slices than spiders, so don’t you fret about that! They like moderate sunlight and only need to be watered once a week. Plus: they sprout mini spider plants on long stems that you can simply cut off and plant in another pot. Free plant! Thai people believe that the spider plant is a particularly lucky plant (🇹🇭), believed to bring fortune and safety to the home.

Golden Pothos (Epipremnum aureum) / Phlu Dang (พลูด่าง): You’ve probably see these growing all over the place, cascading and clinging onto almost anything. Golden pothos can be grown in soil or in water, and you can be gloriously neglectful when caring for them. Like the spider plants, you can take cuttings from them and replant them for more golden pothoses. They also thrive in most light conditions. The golden pothos is considered another lucky plant in Thai culture, thanks to all the merciful shade and coolness they can bring to the home. Maybe that’s because this plant is also effective at purifying the air of volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

Elephant Ear (Philodendron giganteum) / Bon Hu Chang (บอนหูช้าง) – These beautiful plants have lush huge leaves from which they get their name. You’ll find them growing in the Thai rainforest. The leaves very rarely need to be trimmed off, which makes them super easy to clean up after. They like medium sunlight, and only need to be watered once a week. One thing to note is that elephant ear plants also come in variegated or multicolor varieties (Thai: bon hu chang dang lueang or “yellow-dappled elephant ear”), which are considered extremely valuable.

Source: Oat Natchawal / Shutterstock.com

Purple Heart (Tradescantia pallida) / Thon Hua Jai See Muang (ต้นหัวใจสีม่วง): This is a very popular plant in public gardens all over Thailand. They’re a gorgeous purple color and occasionally sprout little pink flowers. Best of all, they are incredibly tough and very easy to care for. They also propagate easily and are even prized for their ability to purify air and absorb various toxins better than other plants.

Useful indoor plants in Thailand

It’s all well and good to have a beautiful plant in your Thai home that will still be there after your week-long island-hopping vacation, but what about a plant that’s useful, too?

Aloe Vera (Aloe barbadensis Mill.) / Wan Hang Jorake (ว่านหางจระเข้): Aloe vera, whose Thai name literally translates to “crocodile tail” due to its appearance, is used in all sorts of cosmetics and are often applied to skin to treat sunburn — a problem you might be all-too familiar with after a beach trip in Thailand! Best of all, they’re very easy to grow at home. They only need to be watered when the leaves show signs of wilting — typically, around once a week. They do like a lot of water at once, though. They also like a lot of sun so being close to a window is a plus. If you ever need to use it you can cut one of the leaves off and squeeze or slice it. 

Onions (Allium cepa L.) / Hua Hom (หัวหอม): Onions are so easy, they’ll even grow in your fridge if you forget them long enough. You can very easily grow, trim, and harvest spring onions (Thai: thon hom / ต้นหอม) by putting the onion bulb in a pot. However, if you’re willing to wait a little, that same onion will sprout more onions in about four months. They require water about once a week and usually prefer 12 hours of sunlight, so having them close to a window is best.

Thai Basil (Ocimum basilicum var. thyrsiflora) / Horapha (โหระพา): There’s nothing quite like cooking with fresh herbs. Thai basil only needs moderate sun and water once a week. If you plant enough of it, you’ll be able to harvest it whenever you need it for cooking and never need to buy it ever again. Thai basil is used in a wide range of Thai dishes like Tom Yum soup, rice noodles, Thai omelets, green curry, and stir-fried eggplant.

Thai Mint (Mentha arvensis) / Saranae (สะระแหน่) – Being part of the same family, Thai mint grows under the same conditions as regular mint. It has a stronger sweeter taste than conventional mint which makes it excellent for cooking and desserts. It also has a wonderful smell.

There you have it. Some excellent easy plants for your Thai home that will add a splash of life and should (hopefully) last a good long time. To add some icing onto this green cake, all the plants covered in this article are easily obtainable from local markets and plant vendors and are all very inexpensive.