Have you ever wanted to differentiate your home spaces with unusual and cool plants? While we have all seen some of the more usual suspects like the fiddle leaf fig and the mother-in-law’s tongue, there are some amazing and unique and interesting plants that mean that your garden will be the talk of the town.

In this article, we will detail both indoor and outdoor plants that have interesting characteristics. In addition, we will take you through the care they need to thrive and grow in your home paradise.

Not all of these are appropriate for home gardens. Some ofthem are cool plants to grow and others are just cool plants to know.

Cool House Plants: Indoor and Outdoor Varieties

Some of the most interesting plants have unique flowers and greenery that make them stand out in the sea of common home and outdoor plants. While many of these interesting plants belong to the tropical plant kingdom, there are many that will thrive in more temperate climates.

Indoor Plants

There is more climate flexibility with types of houseplants as you can control the climate inside your home easier than outside your home. Also, you can control the amount of light they get as some houseplants will prefer direct sunlight and other plants indirect light.

We have rounded up some houseplants that are well-beloved as well as some more unusual houseplants that you might like to add to your collection.

Jade Plant

Jade plants, also called money tree or money plant, are cool houseplant that is a succulent with glossy deep green leaves. These plants are easy to grow indoors, but they do require low moisture like other succulents and bright indirect sunlight.

They need bright light for at least 4-6 hours a day. For soil, make sure that is a mixture that works well for succulents like well-draining soil. Pick these plants up at your local nursery.

Pebble Plants

Pebble plants, also called living stones, are a type of succulent that resembles small individual stones. These plants prefer full sun all year round and well-draining soil with a sandy consistency.

The most important thing to remember about living stones is that they cannot tolerate overwatering. Therefore, these plants need occasional watering during their growing season in the spring and the fall, but little water at all during the summer and winter seasons.

Peace Lily

Peace lilies are cool indoor plants with the tropical appeal. They have deep green leaves with unique white flowers. This beautiful plant is easy to grow indoors.

They need well-draining soil and bright indirect light. They do need a consistent supply of water though not too much and not too little.

These plants also work in vases with just water and no soil. However, if you do grow these plants in water, keep the base of the plants above water with just the roots in water.

Umbrella Tree Plants

Umbrella tree plants are an interesting plant that is easy and forgiving enough for anyone to grow. Like many houseplants, these prefer bright and indirect light.

Also, they are more tolerant to overwatering than other houseplants, but they do like well-draining soil rather than moist soil. If you water these plants well, you should allow them to dry out before you water them again.

These plants can grow up to 30 feet tall, but most plants grow to around 10 feet tall.

Prayer Plants

Prayer plants get their name because their leaves are open during the day but fold up like prayer hands at night. These lovely plants like bright indirect light but are tolerant of less light too.

These plants work well with regular potting soil but if this is too moist, try a mixture of peat moss, loamy soil, and perlite.

When you water the soil during their growing season, do it at regular intervals never allowing the soil to dry out. If the leaves begin to turn yellow, cut back on the amount of water they are receiving.

Snake Plants

If you are looking for a good plant for a beginner, a snake plant is a good choice. This is not a super-sensitive plant; instead, it is one of the hardiest plants which can survive under a variety of circumstances.

Snake plants prefer indirect light but can adapt to both bright light and dim light conditions. Use soil that has been modified for dry plants like cacti so that it doesn’t pack down and become too dense for the roots of the snake plant.

These plants prefer dry conditions, so do not water more than necessary and allow plants to dry out between waterings.

Chinese Money Plants

The chinese money plant has become a popular indoor plant because of its attractive look and its ease of care. This small plant has lovely round green and glossy leaves and small white flowers during the blooming season.

This plant does not do well in bright direct sunlight but instead prefers indirect light. In addition, use well-draining soil so that the roots do not get too moist.

If the leaves begin to droop, it means that you need to water this plant, but allow it to dry out between waterings.

ZZ Plant

The ZZ plant (Zamioculcas zamiifolia), or the Zanzibar Gem, is a popular and low-maintenance plant. It has wand-like stems with dark green leaves that make it an attractive option for homes and offices alike. Many love it for its attractive looks but also because it is one of the more hardy houseplants out there.

The ZZ plant is fine with any well-draining soil and grows best in indirect light.

Do not overwater the ZZ plant; instead, make sure to let the soil dry out before watering each time.

Nerve Plants

The Nerve plant, or Mosaic plant, is a perennial that you can grow outdoors and indoors as a houseplant. This plant has beautiful foliage with green leaves and white or pink veining.

This is a tropical plant and its natural habitat has high humidity and bright indirect light which it needs to thrive.

This plant does not like to dry out, so plant it in a soil that retains some moisture. If your house is not humid, misting this plant or keeping it in a terrarium will help it grow well.

Outdoor Plants

Many of the cool plant names belong to the outdoor species in this list. These are difficult to grow in every climate and are not to be found at every garden center. Yet, if you have the right conditions and can manage to find one of these beautiful plants, you will know just how to care for them.

Venus Flytrap

The venus flytrap scientific name is Dionaea muscipula which is as exotic as this plant looks. This plant is one of the most unique plants, and people know it best for its carnivorous diet of small flies and other insects.

The plant features two hinged lobs with hair-like projections that look like teeth. This magnificent plant works well as an indoor and outdoor plant. This plant loves boggy and moist soil that is native to coastal North and South Carolina.

If you like these plants but don’t live in a moist area, you can grow these in a terrarium which holds its moisture inside. These have become popular plant making them a threatened species.

Cape Sundew

The cape sundew is another carnivorous plant variety similar to the venus flytrap. The cape sundew scientific name is Drosera Capensis and is a native species of southern Africa. You can grow this plant indoors in high humidity or outdoors in warm climates.

This plant needs bright light to thrive and you should keep the soil around it moist. It will produce beautiful flowers of a violet hue that have a sweet fragrance. This plant will also require small insects for food.

Mimosa Pudica

The mimosa pudica is one of the coolest plants because of the property of its leaves. It is also known as a sensitive plant or action plant because the compound leaves fold inward when you touch them.

This plant can be grown indoors or outdoors as a ground cover. It needs bright light and warm climates to grow well.

Dragon Arum

The dragon arum plant has an exotic appeal. The dragon arum scientific name is Dracunculus vulgaris, and it is native to the temperate climates of the Mediterranean.

It has a striking and architectural form as well as a deep purple flower that make it an exciting addition to any garden. This unique plant will grow well in partial shade to full sun. However, it will need more water in sunny locations.

The one negative of this plant is that the flower gives off a terrible odor for three days when it is ripe.

Elephant Foot Yam

If you’re wondering about contenders for cool plant names, try the elephant foot yam. The elephant foot yam scientific name is Amorphophallus paeoniifolius and is also called the whitespot giant arum.

This is a tree grown for food, but it is also known for its male and female flowers on the same plant. The female flowers are able to be pollinated for one day and attract pollinators with their stench that some have compared to rotting flesh.

Titan Arum

The titan arum, also known as a corpse flower, has an unforgettable shape and smell. When these amazing flowers are in bloom, they stick to rotting meat.

These plants are a native to Sumatra but they are cultivated in botanical gardens for their impressive flower display and interesting shape.

These flowers take 7-9 years to bloom and bloom once a decade.

Rubber Tree

Rubber trees are another plant that will work as either a house plant or in an outdoor space. If you use one as a houseplant, make sure to buy it as a small plant, so that it will get used to indoor conditions.

As an outdoor plant, this tree can grow up to 50 feet tall, but they can be much smaller as a houseplant. During their growing season, they need to be kept moist and watered on a regular basis and be kept in an area that has bright indirect light.

Tropical Pitcher Plants

Tropical pitcher plants’ scientific name is Nepenthes. These are another carnivorous plant as it has pitcher-like lobes that trap small insects and use them for food. This exotic style plant can be cultivated both indoors and outdoors, but it is very difficult to get home conditions correct because they need high heat and humidity to thrive.

However, they work well inside a terrarium.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)FAQ

What is the weirdest plant?

Some of the weirdest plants include carnivorous plants like Venus flytraps and pitcher plants because they gain nutrients from trapping small insects. Another strange plant group are corpse flowers because they smell horrible and they bloom around once every decade. Bleeding heart plants are also strange. They have small heart shaped leaves that look like they have drops of blood coming from them.

What is the rarest plant in the world?

One of the rarest plants in the world is the Middlemist Red as there are just two specimens remaining in the world.

What is the most beautiful plant?

The most beautiful plants are a matter of opinion. Yet, some of the important contedenters are the orchid, which has a delicate and interesting shape. Also, the peony has an intricate blossom that is lush and elegant.

Where can I find cool plants?

Interesting and unique plants are not found at your local nursery. However, there are many plants available online from the exotic to the classic. Also, look for ways to find plants with a long pedigree from older gardeners where you can take cutting and transplant into your garden.

Can plants help cool a room?

Plants do release moisture into the air, and so many claim that plants will lower the temperature of indoor spaces, but the effect of houseplants toward cooling your room will be minimal is noticeable at all.

Conclusion

Plants are, indeed, a wonderful way to bring more joy and interest into our lives, and cool plants for indoor and outdoor spaces make your garden and home areas unique.

After all, who isn’t fascinated by a Venus flytrap or a mimosa pudica.

While these plants are a bit more trouble to cultivate and too tend, they are worth the extra effort to bring just a little bit of paradise to earth.