When looking online for cottagcore decor inspiration, you will find that each room has a common theme.
Besides all the natural light, the gingham and linen patterns, all the plants and floral decorations are really what catches your eye.
Bringing nature inside is a big theme in cottagecore design and how could better achieve that than by adding lots of greenery to your home?
I have created a small collection of 10 cottagecore plants that are featured and used time and time again and that best round up and complement the aesthetic.
I personally own most of them and can truly report from experience how much plants and botanical decorations transform a room.
1. Pothos
Who hasn’t seen the cottagecore bedrooms filled with vines on Pinterest?
Pothos and really any vine-like plants are the perfect choice for bringing some natural tones into your home.
Decorating a canopy bed with vines or guiding them around a bookcase can create a cozy atmosphere.
My very first plant was a pothos which still thrives and trails down my movie cabinet.
They can be placed in low to medium indirect light and require water every 1-2 weeks.
With lots of stems or plants, you can create real artworks by weaving them around the tops of your walls, letting them hang down ceiling hooks, or surrounding furniture pieces with vines.
With the right care, they grow super quickly and you will be left with a heart-shaped leave jungle in no time.
2. Peace Lily
I recently purchased a Peace Lily just because my home is filled with green plants and I wanted to add a flowering plant.
They bloom twice a year in spring and fall and the flower will last for about a month before turning brown.
Its brilliant white flowers and acceptance of dark places make it a perfect indoor plant.
Although they tolerate low light they will flower much better in indirect sunlight.
Watering this plant is also quite easy and they require deep watering once a week.
They can also grow in water alone and are therefore often sold in vases without soil.
3. Prayer Plant
The prayer plant is a real beauty with evergreen patterned leaves that turn upward at night similar to folding hands in prayer hence the name.
They do produce blooms in spring however this rarely happens for indoor plants.
Moist soil and high humidity are its preferred living environment with bright indirect light so the leaves fully open during the day.
You can purchase a prayer plant in four main varieties: rabbit’s foot prayer plant, black prayer plant, herringbone prayer plant and lemon-lime prayer plant.
They all have different colored veins and appearances so choose the one that best fits your home.
4. Ferns
There is something really cottagecore about ferns and I love their diverse forms and leave shapes.
Instead of stems, ferns have rhizomes that are mostly underground and often confused with roots.
Ferns love moist air which makes them perfect for bright kitchens or bathrooms.
Place decorative mulch such as pebbles on top of the soil to help retain moisture.
They are also great for growing in hanging baskets and add natural structure to any room.
Ferns can be quite difficult to care for so if you want to make it easier on yourself, you can choose a variety such as the birds nest fern or the blue star fern.
5. Birds of Paradise
A beautiful plant that gets its name from the flowers that resemble tropical birds in flight.
Given the right conditions, this tropical plant will reward you with a vibrant display of colors.
It has gorgeous big leaves and is a real eye-catcher when you first walk into a room.
Birds of Paradise is also one of the few plants that tolerate bright direct sunlight and you can even place it outside during the summer.
Such big leaves require regular cleaning but apart from that, they require minimal care.
6. Monstera Deliciosa
Monstera Deliciosa is the ultimate house plant and a widely popular choice.
It has giant green leaves that develop these unique holes as they grow which kinda reminds you of cheese.
That’s why it’s also called the swiss cheese plant.
In my language, german, this plant is called “Fensterblatt” which translates to window leaf.
Quite a fitting name as this plant loves light and lots of it.
They are super fast-growing and require a big spot in your home as they can grow up to 20 m (66 ft) high in the wild.
In subtropical and tropical climates, monsteras are commonly grown outdoors as ornamental plants.
They can also bear fruits that look similar to green corncobs and are edible.
However, flowering is rare indoors and it will most likely never produce fruits.
7. Olive Tree
Olive trees are the perfect plant for greening up your patio or balcony.
Despite their Mediterranean origin, they are quite tough and can even grow in stony soil.
They are slow growing which makes them ideal for cultivating in large pots.
Simply choose the sunniest spot for your olive tree and it will be the happiest plant.
At about three to four years old, they should start to produce olives that ripen in mid-winter.
For this to happen they require temperature fluctuations between day and night time as well as a 2-month period below 10°C.
So if you don’t have harsh winters, you can even leave it outside all year around.
8. Rubber Fig
Ficus elastica or also called rubber fig is a pretty easygoing plant without many requirements.
The Tineke variety is my favorite plant which has a striking pattern with reddish and green tones that tint the cream-colored leaves.
Apart from giving it 6 hours of indirect light each day and watering it every 1-2 weeks, you should keep an eye out for pests.
I just struggled with a pest infestation on my plant which ruined nearly every leaf so it’s best to check for any damage when you are watering.
When you are pruning your plant or removing leaves, be careful as the rubber plant excretes a mildly irritating sap that should not be left on the skin or ingested.
The sap contains latex and is actually used to make rubber hence the name.
9. Calathea Orbifolia
Calathea Orbifolia is truly an aesthetic plant and features almost shiny metallic patterns that reach across the big round leaves.
The veining runs across the leaf like a zebra pattern and stands out in silvery green stripes from the rest of the light green.
It’s a species of prayer plant meaning that similar to the prayer plant, the leaves straighten up at night and stand close together.
Unlike other plants, Calathea doesn’t require as much light and should never be exposed to direct sunlight to prevent sunburn.
It’s a bit particular with watering and tap water can cause brown tips so try to use rain or distilled water instead.
10. Philodendron Scandens
This philodendron (like the pothos) is a climbing plant that can add a lot of structured greenery to your room.
With heart-shaped velvety glossy leaves and a light and dark green pattern, this eye-catcher is a perfect choice for hanging planters and baskets.
It’s best to use soil rich in humus and at the same time low in lime as it can be quite sensitive.
From April to October, this plant loves to be constantly moist however it has a relatively low water consumption for its size and should only be watered when the top soil is dry.
You may have to repot the philodendron scandens every two years not only because the plant grows larger, but also because any planting soil collapses over time and trace nutrients – not all of which are present even in fertilizers – run out.