by TARYN WILLIFORD
Illustrations Credit: Kath Nash
We’ve taken the joy of mapping sun signs to their houseplant counterparts based on the traits of both the plants and the personality that will be caring for them. Whether you love or detest zodiac signs, we think anyone could use an excuse to bring another plant home.
An independent and sometimes impatient Aries will get along great with a houseplant where you can sort of forget it’s there. ZZ plants truly thrive on neglect, so you two self-sufficient souls can exist in your apartment together without cramping each other's style.
Nobody knows devotion like a Taurus, so you’re actually the perfect zodiac sign to take on a fickle fiddle leaf fig. You’ll make it your job to pamper it and create the perfect environment for your tree to thrive, so it can pay you back with beautiful foliage.
A social butterfly like a Gemini loves to have people over, so instead of buying cut flowers for every drop-in on the calendar, save yourself some money and pick up a flowering houseplant. If you’ve got good bright light, an African violet will stay in bloom almost constantly.
Cancers, both a water sign and a natural nurturer, will want plants that become part of their routine. An air plant is the perfect fit. Leave it in a beautiful bowl or terrarium and give it a light mist each morning as you get ready.
Leo’s regal energy is a magnet for everything so you’ll find a good match in an equally captivating houseplant. Bring home a polka dot begonia and you just might find that your friends gravitate to its dramatic spotted leaves as much as they do to your dramatic, creative self.
Practical, analytical Virgos have an unmatched attention to detail, so you might love an expressive plant that can show you how it’s feeling. A monstera adansonii plant can be pretty picky so you’ll love studying its particular tastes almost as much as you love doting on others.
Libras are known to love the finer things in life, so just any garden-variety plant won’t do. Your relationship-centered sign might like the social lore of the Chinese money plant. They grow slowly and you can give cuttings to friends.
You’re intense and tough, Scorpio, and you expect everyone else to be the same. Your perfect plant is a cactus: protective, trendy and ready to prick you. Your cactus can handle a bit of neglect, too, for those moments you’re drawn away to follow a new passion.
There is no other sign in the zodiac that’s more apt to travel than the Sagittarius so you’ll need a houseplant that can handle being left alone while you take your stints around the world. Try a snake plant. They love dry soil and can handle nearly any sort of light condition.
There’s nothing a Capricorn loves more than success. Get yourself an eye-catching succulent and make it a mission to learn how to propagate them. You have the determination it takes to make your one plant into more so you can live out your plant parent dreams.
You love to be unconventional, Aquarius, and refuse to play by anybody else’s rules. You’ll love having a houseplant like the calathea triostar. They’re highly variegated with cream, green, purple, and pink leaves—meaning (just like you) no two are alike.
Any Pisces deserves to have a houseplant that’s going to be as easygoing as you are. A string of pearls plant will be selfless, just like you. They need minimal care and store water in their leaves (a perfect match for your water sign) so they can survive during dry spells.