Why I Love Aldi Houseplants

Houseplants have increased in popularity during the last couple of years, and for good reason. Adding a little greenery to your home comes with plenty of benefits, from visual beauty to improved air quality.

I used to only keep a few African violets — most of them splits given to me by my grandmother or other friends — in my kitchen window. Being a long-time Aldi fan, though, I’ve gradually added to my houseplant collection. How could I resist the allure of all those inexpensive plants the discount grocer constantly rotates onto its shelves? Aldi houseplants also make great gifts. In addition, at different times of the year, Aldi sells all kinds of limited-edition plant stands, tiered plant stands, planter boxes, and other accessories for displaying your houseplants.

I started with an umbrella plant from Aldi here, some lucky bamboo there. Now I have a kitchen window full of Aldi plants, a fully stocked plant stand in front of my living room window, and several other Aldi plants scattered around my home.

As someone who enjoys outdoor gardening — and Aldi sells plenty of supplies for gardening in the fresh air — I have an appreciation for how comparatively easy it is to raise houseplants. As long as I don’t overwater them, which seems to be their primary nemesis, they are a lot easier to care for versus plants grown outdoors where I have to contend against nibbling wildlife, insects, and weather conditions.

That’s not to say that growing houseplants is always easy. But buying inexpensive plants from Aldi makes the whole experience much less risky. If one of my plants kicks the bucket, I’m only out a few dollars, and at least I got to enjoy it for a short time.

With all of that said, I shared about my Aldi houseplants a few years ago, but it’s time for an update. Here’s a look at my current crop of Aldi houseplants.

Why I Love Aldi Houseplants

I purchased the Belavi Wooden Plant Ladder Stand pictured above from Aldi in the spring of 2021. It is perfect for loading up with Aldi plants, and it’s an improvement over a converted Aldi laundry cart I had been using in this spot to hold my plants. This stand holds African violets my grandmother gave me several years ago. The rest of the plants here are all Aldi specials, which I’ll detail below.

Umbrella Plant

Why I Love Aldi Houseplants

Aldi umbrella plant.

I’ve owned this umbrella plant pictured above for at least four or five years. I repotted it a few years ago and it’s grown a lot since then. It’s an easy plant to care for, doesn’t like wet feet, and likes bright indirect light. Low light will cause it to grow slow and get leggy. Sometimes a few of its leaves will turn yellow and fall off, but overall my plant seems pretty happy.

Pothos

Why I Love Aldi Houseplants

Aldi pothos.

I bought the pothos plant pictured above from Aldi two or three years ago. It was a tiny thing in a plastic pot. I repotted it, and it has grown vigorously, vining and trailing all over the place so it’s now about three to four feet long. I water it once a week with a small quick pour from my watering can, and it’s thriving. It prefers bright indirect light but will tolerate low light, and placing it on a bookshelf or some other high spot can showcase its vining properties.

Early on, I overwatered my pothos and the soil developed a gnat infestation. I corrected that issue by reducing watering, and I bought some nifty little gnat traps from Amazon. (Just keep the sticky traps away from curious pets or young children, and if you have long hair be careful when watering or pruning your plant. Trust me on the hair thing.)

Aloe

Why I Love Aldi Houseplants

Aloe plant from Aldi.

I purchased this little aloe plant pictured above from Aldi about three years ago. Great for treating minor burns, aloe is a challenge for me to keep alive. Most plants in the succulent family are difficult for me. While I water most of my plants once a week with a small to modest amount of water, I water this aloe plant less often, maybe every two to four weeks. It seems to be happier that way, and so far, so good. I keep it in bright indirect light.

Snake Plant

Why I Love Aldi Houseplants

Aldi snake plant.

One of my favorite Aldi houseplants is this snake plant or mother-in-law’s tongue, which I bought within the last year or two. I like how it looks, and it ranks up there with my Aldi pothos plant for ease of care. I water it a little once a week and it’s doing great. Snake plants prefer bright indirect light, but they’ll do okay in areas with low light, although they’ll grow more slowly. In addition, snake plant roots can crack planters, so when I eventually repot it I might use an inexpensive plastic pot. If you have a reputation for killing plants but would still like to keep a few houseplants around, I highly recommend trying a snake plant.

Jade

Why I Love Aldi Houseplants

A succulent. I think it’s jade? (And a string of pearls plant purchased from my local botanical garden on the left.)

The succulent pictured above is a jade plant, I think? It was sold in the pot shown in the picture, and the pot contained two other different types of succulents, both of which died long ago because I struggle to keep succulents alive. I’ve had this one for at least four or five years, and it keeps on keeping on, although it might be a bit etiolated. I like how it looks like a tiny tree.

Moving on, when my husband and I bought our house years ago, the greenhouse-style kitchen window was one of my favorite features. Centered over the sink, this window juts out toward my back patio, making it the perfect spot for a group of houseplants.

Why I Love Aldi Houseplants

My kitchen window.

Why I Love Aldi Houseplants

Things are often crowded in the greenhouse window, so I photographed some of these plants in my sunroom so you can get a better look.

Orchids

Why I Love Aldi Houseplants

My Aldi orchid collection.

All three of these orchids pictured above are from Aldi. The ones on the left and in the middle are at three to four years old, and over the last few years they’ve consistently produced multiple blooms about twice a year. The orchid on the left has a bloom about to open, and the middle orchid has a developing flower stalk. The orchid on the right was a miniature orchid that has not done much in the year or so I’ve had it, so I recently moved it to a larger pot. The other orchids are also in different pots than what they originally came in. Orchids don’t like wet feet, so I use pots with drainage holes in the sides, which are specifically made for orchids. I also recommend using a special orchid potting mix that consists of more chunky bits of bark rather than fine soil. Orchids are some of my favorite houseplants because they are low maintenance, requiring only about 1/4 cup of water a week, and when they bloom the blooms last for months. Plus, they’re gorgeous.

Crispy Wave Fern

Why I Love Aldi Houseplants

I bought the crispy wave fern shown above within the last year at Aldi. It’s cute, but I’m still figuring out the best watering routine. I’ve cut off a few leaves that started to brown, and while it’s in a plastic pot with holes in the bottom inside this decorative tin container, I think I’m going to need to repot it because the drainage isn’t the greatest. It prefers bright to medium indirect light.

Thanksgiving Cactus

Why I Love Aldi Houseplants

I bought the Christmas cactus shown above three or four years ago years ago from Aldi. Based on the leaf shape, it may actually be a Thanksgiving cactus, which I didn’t know was a thing until about a year ago because garden centers typically call all of them a Christmas cactus. The first few years I had this, it didn’t rebloom. Then I set it in my sunroom with bright light all summer, and that seemed to make it happy enough that it’s bloomed for two years in a row now, right around Thanksgiving. I repotted it last spring in a Belavi ceramic decorative planter I purchased at Aldi, and it made a great table centerpiece while it was blooming last Thanksgiving.

That wraps up all of the Aldi plants I keep in my kitchen window, but I have more Aldi plants around my house. I keep some of my taller houseplants in front of the sliding glass doors in my dining room. The light isn’t the greatest here, but they seem to do all right, especially if I move them to the sunroom or front porch during the summer for some extra light. They’re pictured below in my sunroom, which is a better spot for plant photo shoots.

Fiddle Leaf Fig

Why I Love Aldi Houseplants

Aldi fiddle leaf fig. (Notice the little yellow sticky gnat trap tucked into the soil. It works wonders if you have fungus gnats in your potted plant soil.)

I bought the fiddle leaf fig pictured above about a year and a half ago at Aldi. Fiddle leaf figs have been extremely popular among interior decorators and houseplant collectors. They’re a somewhat more finicky plant, requiring a bit more water and bright indirect light in my experience, so they might not be a great choice for a houseplant newbie. They also can grow quite large, so make sure you have a good spot to keep it before buying one.

Neanthe Bella Palm

Why I Love Aldi Houseplants

Aldi neanthe bella palm.

I bought this neanthe bella palm from Aldi about five or six years ago. I repotted it a few years ago, and it has grown to fill the space. It’s not easy to keep the leaf tips from turning brown, but this is otherwise a hearty houseplant that continually puts out new shoots. It also thrives in lower light.

And I have one final Aldi plant in my house. I like to put an easy-care plant on a top shelf in one of my bathrooms, where it can take advantage of the bright light that comes in through the window.

Lucky Bamboo

Why I Love Aldi Houseplants

Aldi lucky bamboo. (Next to some Trader Joe’s facial tissue.)

The current plant resident in the bathroom is a lucky bamboo pictured above, which I’ve had for three or four years. It’s virtually impossible to kill as long as I keep some water in the container, and it doesn’t seem to require a lot of light. For a while, this lived in low light in my daughter’s room when she wanted a plant on her desk. This is probably twice as tall now compared to when I purchased it from Aldi a few years ago.

Closing Thoughts:

Aldi is a great place to buy houseplants. I have plenty and counting. Whether you want orchids or snake plants, succulents or fiddle leaf figs, Aldi is on trend when it comes to supplying you with a little — or a lot of — indoor greenery.

About Rachael

Rachael is the Co-founder of Aldi Reviewer. When she isn't busy shopping at Aldi, she enjoys cooking, gardening, writing gothic romance, and collecting more houseplants than she probably should. You can learn more about her at rachaelsjohnston.com.

8 Comments

  1. Hi there Rachael. Thank you so much for sharing your plants, you are gifted! I learned a lot and really enjoyed seeing your collection. Well done!

  2. What a great article! I liked the referral to Another source for the sticky traps. It inspires me to install a greenhouse window in our kitchen as soon as the weather permits, too. Thank you!

  3. If you live in a cold weather area, be aware that houseplants may go into shock and die from the cold temperature while taking from the store to your car. The plants usually won’t die immediately but may over time. When I buy a plant during the cold season I put it into an insulated bag while transporting. If the plant is too large to protect I choose not to buy it at that time. I believe poinsettia plants usually suffer the worst since they are sold during the cold months.

  4. They are the best! I love buying house plants from Aldi because there’s a high chance I will not keep them alive… but the investment isn’t too much if that happens. There were a ton at my store today but I don’t have any more room. 🙂

  5. I’ve been looking around for some house plants recently. Used to have a bunch, but not in awhile. Was surprised to see how the expensive they were everywhere I looked. Then I came across the plants at Aldi…nice and healthy and about half the cost. They have really improved the house, in more ways than one.

  6. Your plants are lovely, Rachael! I read up on succulents and found that they don’t like being watered a little at a time, rather it’s best to soak them (weekly) until the water drains from the bottom. I have several and they seem to do okay with that regimen. Now, orchids…that’s another story.

  7. I believe the real name for your umbrella is Schefflera?

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