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Duncan Hilder
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Plant Guide
A big plant changes a room in a way a small one can't. Done well, it makes a room feel finished. Done badly, it slowly browns in the corner while everyone politely ignores it.
In this guide
Statement plants Floor-fillers Corner plants Climbers
The honest truth about large indoor plants is that they're not just bigger versions of small ones. A 1.8-metre Fiddle Leaf Fig has different demands to a 200mm Pothos — more light, more water in one go, more mix, more thought about where it lives. The plants on this list will handle Australian homes well if you give them what they need. The bigger question, almost always, is whether the spot you're picturing them in actually does.
Here are the plants we'd recommend, grouped by what they're actually doing in a space.
Group 01
Some plants exist to be looked at. They're the visual centrepiece of a room — the thing you put behind the sofa or in front of a window because it's meant to draw the eye.
The most photographed indoor plant of the last decade, and not without reason. Big, glossy, paddle-shaped leaves; an architectural growth habit; and presence that few plants can match.
The reputation for being difficult is mostly fair. Fiddles want bright, consistent light — a north or east-facing window with no harsh afternoon sun is usually the sweet spot. They can drop leaves after sudden changes, and they don't forgive over- or under-watering the way tougher plants do.
If you can give one a bright, stable spot and commit to a steady watering rhythm, they're spectacular. If you can't, pick something else from this list instead. More on the specifics in our Fiddle Leaf Fig care guide.
Ficus lyrata — spectacular in the right spot, unforgiving in the wrong one.
A small Monstera is a houseplant. A mature one is something else entirely — sprawling, climbing, with leaves the size of dinner plates and fenestrations that look almost artificial. Given a moss pole and enough light, a Monstera will grow into the kind of plant that defines a room.
Easier than a Fiddle. Forgives a wider range of light and watering. Less fussy about humidity than the internet suggests. The full Monstera care guide covers the detail, but the short version: bright indirect light, water when the mix has dried down meaningfully, give it something to climb.
A mature Monstera defines a room in a way a small one never will.
The plant that gives you the most visual impact with the least fuss. Big paddle leaves on tall stems, an immediately tropical look, and serious height — a happy Strelitzia indoors can hit 2.5 to 3 metres. They want as much light as you can give them. A bright north-facing window or sunroom is usually ideal, especially if it's not getting blasted by harsh afternoon heat. In lower light they survive but won't push the kind of growth that makes them worth having. Worth knowing that Strelitzia leaves naturally split over time, especially with movement or wind exposure — those tears aren't damage, they're the plant doing its thing.
Strelitzia nicolai — the split leaves aren't damage, they're the plant doing its thing.
Group 02
Some spots in a home want a plant that takes up volume without dominating. Behind a couch, beside a console, anchoring an empty corner. The plants in this group bring softness and bulk without demanding to be the centre of attention.
Soft mass at ground level — volume and texture without demanding attention.
A genuinely underrated indoor plant. Thick, leathery leaves in deep green, burgundy or variegated forms, an upright growth habit, and far more tolerant of imperfect conditions than its Fiddle cousin. A Rubber Plant in a 300mm pot can hit 2 metres comfortably, with proper care.
Bright indirect light suits them best. They'll tolerate lower light at the cost of growth speed and leaf density. Water properly when the mix dries down, don't overdo it, and don't move them around constantly.
Ficus elastica — genuinely underrated, and far tougher than its Fiddle cousin.
Tall, narrow, architectural — Dracaenas grow into living sculptures over time, with bare lower trunks and a tufted crown of strappy leaves. Good for narrow spots where a wide plant wouldn't fit. More tolerant of lower light than most large indoor plants, which makes them one of the better options for a dimmer corner — as long as there's still enough ambient light to read comfortably during the day.
Slow growing but long-lived. The taller specimens you see in nurseries are decades old, which is reflected in the price tag.
The classic indoor palm, native to Lord Howe Island and used in Australian homes for over a century. Soft, arching fronds, a graceful growth habit, and remarkable tolerance for indoor conditions — including the cooler, lower-light spots most palms can't handle.
Slow-growing and pricier than most large plants, but they keep their good looks for decades. Worth the investment if you've got the right spot.
Group 03
The corner of a room is one of the harder spots to fill. A statement plant overwhelms it. A small plant disappears in it. These are the plants that work in that in-between zone.
Worth mentioning again at this scale. A 1-metre Kentia in a corner does exactly what you'd want it to — softens, adds texture, fills the space without trying to dominate.
Spiky, sculptural, and seriously forgiving. Yuccas tolerate bright direct light better than most common indoor foliage plants, which makes them ideal for sunny corners that fry softer leaves. Architectural without being precious, and very hard to kill through neglect — most Yucca deaths are from overwatering.
Yucca elephantipes — happiest in the sunny corners that fry softer leaves.
Named for a reason. The Cast Iron Plant tolerates low light, irregular watering, cool temperatures, and general indifference better than almost any indoor plant we know. Strappy dark green leaves, a clumping growth habit, and slow but steady growth.
It's not the showiest plant on this list, but if you've got a difficult corner — a south-facing apartment, low-light entryway, or a spot near a draughty window — Aspidistra will live there for years while other plants give up.
Aspidistra elatior — named for a reason.
Group 04
The right large plant for a tall ceiling or a bare wall isn't always a freestanding tree. Sometimes it's a climber that wants to head upward given the right support.
Given something to grow on, a Monstera will climb. Older leaves get larger and more fenestrated as the plant gains height — the leaves coming off a climbing Monstera are dramatically bigger than the ones off a sprawling one. A 2-metre climbing Monstera is one of the best-value statement plants in the indoor plant world.
The true climbing Philodendrons — things like Philodendron giganteum and various climbing hybrids — fill a similar niche to climbing Monsteras but with their own character. Heart-shaped or arrow-shaped leaves, a willingness to head upward, and many are fairly forgiving in bright indirect light. Aroid family, so similar care: bright indirect light, water when meaningfully dry, aroid-appropriate mix for the chunky roots.
Trained upward, the leaves get dramatically bigger — that's the whole trick.
Yes, Pothos is mostly a trailing plant. But trained upward on a moss pole, given decent light and time, a Pothos will produce dramatically larger leaves and a vertical column of foliage that surprises people who only know it as the shelf-trailer. Long-term project, but a beautiful one.
Epipremnum aureum — a long-term project, but a beautiful one.
Before you buy
Big plants aren't just scaled-up small plants. The bigger the plant, the more punishing the small mistakes get.
A small plant in mediocre light can often sit and wait. A large plant in mediocre light can go downhill fast — it has more leaves to maintain and more mass to support, and a slow energy deficit shows up quickly. Put the plant where it can actually thrive, not just where it looks best.
The Pot Weight Test works on big pots too, but the consequence of getting it wrong is bigger. A small plant in dry mix can be rescued in an afternoon. A large plant in hydrophobic, neglected mix can need an hour of soaking just to rewet properly — and if it's been overwatered, the recovery is much harder than for a small plant.
The mix in a large pot has to support a lot of plant for a long time. A cheap, peat-heavy mix in a 350mm pot can compact and lose its structure surprisingly quickly. Whether it's a chunky aroid mix for climbers, or a quality indoor mix for everything else, getting this right at potting time saves a lot of grief later.
A big plant in active growth has a real appetite. Indoor Plant Food every two weeks during the growing season covers most foliage plants; aroid climbers like Monstera and large Philodendrons do better on Aroid Food, which is formulated specifically for them.
The biggest mistake people make with large plants is buying one without thinking about what it'll look like in two years. A Strelitzia in a 250mm pot today might need a 400mm pot and 2.5 metres of headroom in three years. Plan for the destination, not the starting point.
Large plants don't just need space to grow — they need space to turn, water, clean and move. If you can't reach the back of the pot, rotate it, wipe the leaves, or water it properly without moving furniture every time, the spot will annoy you long before the plant outgrows it.
A big plant takes patience to get right, but once you have it dialled in — light good, water consistent, mix breathing — it'll thrive for years. The Kentia Palm in your grandmother's lounge room was probably planted before you were born. That's the upside of getting it right at the start.
A big plant changes a room in a way a small one can't. Done well, it makes a room feel finished. Done badly, it slowly browns in the corner while everyone politely ignores it.
In this guide
Statement plants Floor-fillers Corner plants Climbers
The honest truth about large indoor plants is that they're not just bigger versions of small ones. A 1.8-metre Fiddle Leaf Fig has different demands to a 200mm Pothos — more light, more water in one go, more mix, more thought about where it lives. The plants on this list will handle Australian homes well if you give them what they need. The bigger question, almost always, is whether the spot you're picturing them in actually does.
Here are the plants we'd recommend, grouped by what they're actually doing in a space.
Group 01
Statement plants — when the plant is the moment
Some plants exist to be looked at. They're the visual centrepiece of a room — the thing you put behind the sofa or in front of a window because it's meant to draw the eye.
Fiddle Leaf Fig
Ficus lyrataThe most photographed indoor plant of the last decade, and not without reason. Big, glossy, paddle-shaped leaves; an architectural growth habit; and presence that few plants can match.
The reputation for being difficult is mostly fair. Fiddles want bright, consistent light — a north or east-facing window with no harsh afternoon sun is usually the sweet spot. They can drop leaves after sudden changes, and they don't forgive over- or under-watering the way tougher plants do.
If you can give one a bright, stable spot and commit to a steady watering rhythm, they're spectacular. If you can't, pick something else from this list instead. More on the specifics in our Fiddle Leaf Fig care guide.
Ficus lyrata — spectacular in the right spot, unforgiving in the wrong one.
Monstera deliciosa (mature)
Monstera deliciosaA small Monstera is a houseplant. A mature one is something else entirely — sprawling, climbing, with leaves the size of dinner plates and fenestrations that look almost artificial. Given a moss pole and enough light, a Monstera will grow into the kind of plant that defines a room.
Easier than a Fiddle. Forgives a wider range of light and watering. Less fussy about humidity than the internet suggests. The full Monstera care guide covers the detail, but the short version: bright indirect light, water when the mix has dried down meaningfully, give it something to climb.
A mature Monstera defines a room in a way a small one never will.
Bird of Paradise
Strelitzia nicolaiThe plant that gives you the most visual impact with the least fuss. Big paddle leaves on tall stems, an immediately tropical look, and serious height — a happy Strelitzia indoors can hit 2.5 to 3 metres. They want as much light as you can give them. A bright north-facing window or sunroom is usually ideal, especially if it's not getting blasted by harsh afternoon heat. In lower light they survive but won't push the kind of growth that makes them worth having. Worth knowing that Strelitzia leaves naturally split over time, especially with movement or wind exposure — those tears aren't damage, they're the plant doing its thing.
Strelitzia nicolai — the split leaves aren't damage, they're the plant doing its thing.
Group 02
Floor-fillers — soft mass at ground level
Some spots in a home want a plant that takes up volume without dominating. Behind a couch, beside a console, anchoring an empty corner. The plants in this group bring softness and bulk without demanding to be the centre of attention.
Soft mass at ground level — volume and texture without demanding attention.
Rubber Plant
Ficus elasticaA genuinely underrated indoor plant. Thick, leathery leaves in deep green, burgundy or variegated forms, an upright growth habit, and far more tolerant of imperfect conditions than its Fiddle cousin. A Rubber Plant in a 300mm pot can hit 2 metres comfortably, with proper care.
Bright indirect light suits them best. They'll tolerate lower light at the cost of growth speed and leaf density. Water properly when the mix dries down, don't overdo it, and don't move them around constantly.
Ficus elastica — genuinely underrated, and far tougher than its Fiddle cousin.
Dracaena
Dracaena fragrans, Dracaena marginataTall, narrow, architectural — Dracaenas grow into living sculptures over time, with bare lower trunks and a tufted crown of strappy leaves. Good for narrow spots where a wide plant wouldn't fit. More tolerant of lower light than most large indoor plants, which makes them one of the better options for a dimmer corner — as long as there's still enough ambient light to read comfortably during the day.
Slow growing but long-lived. The taller specimens you see in nurseries are decades old, which is reflected in the price tag.
Kentia Palm
Howea forsterianaThe classic indoor palm, native to Lord Howe Island and used in Australian homes for over a century. Soft, arching fronds, a graceful growth habit, and remarkable tolerance for indoor conditions — including the cooler, lower-light spots most palms can't handle.
Slow-growing and pricier than most large plants, but they keep their good looks for decades. Worth the investment if you've got the right spot.
Group 03
Corner plants — bright, manageable, present
The corner of a room is one of the harder spots to fill. A statement plant overwhelms it. A small plant disappears in it. These are the plants that work in that in-between zone.
Kentia Palm (smaller specimens)
Howea forsterianaWorth mentioning again at this scale. A 1-metre Kentia in a corner does exactly what you'd want it to — softens, adds texture, fills the space without trying to dominate.
Yucca
Yucca elephantipesSpiky, sculptural, and seriously forgiving. Yuccas tolerate bright direct light better than most common indoor foliage plants, which makes them ideal for sunny corners that fry softer leaves. Architectural without being precious, and very hard to kill through neglect — most Yucca deaths are from overwatering.
Yucca elephantipes — happiest in the sunny corners that fry softer leaves.
Cast Iron Plant
Aspidistra elatiorNamed for a reason. The Cast Iron Plant tolerates low light, irregular watering, cool temperatures, and general indifference better than almost any indoor plant we know. Strappy dark green leaves, a clumping growth habit, and slow but steady growth.
It's not the showiest plant on this list, but if you've got a difficult corner — a south-facing apartment, low-light entryway, or a spot near a draughty window — Aspidistra will live there for years while other plants give up.
Aspidistra elatior — named for a reason.
Group 04
Climbers — plants that go up
The right large plant for a tall ceiling or a bare wall isn't always a freestanding tree. Sometimes it's a climber that wants to head upward given the right support.
Monstera deliciosa (with a moss pole)
Monstera deliciosaGiven something to grow on, a Monstera will climb. Older leaves get larger and more fenestrated as the plant gains height — the leaves coming off a climbing Monstera are dramatically bigger than the ones off a sprawling one. A 2-metre climbing Monstera is one of the best-value statement plants in the indoor plant world.
Philodendron (large climbing species)
Philodendron giganteum and climbing hybridsThe true climbing Philodendrons — things like Philodendron giganteum and various climbing hybrids — fill a similar niche to climbing Monsteras but with their own character. Heart-shaped or arrow-shaped leaves, a willingness to head upward, and many are fairly forgiving in bright indirect light. Aroid family, so similar care: bright indirect light, water when meaningfully dry, aroid-appropriate mix for the chunky roots.
Trained upward, the leaves get dramatically bigger — that's the whole trick.
Pothos, trained upward
Epipremnum aureumYes, Pothos is mostly a trailing plant. But trained upward on a moss pole, given decent light and time, a Pothos will produce dramatically larger leaves and a vertical column of foliage that surprises people who only know it as the shelf-trailer. Long-term project, but a beautiful one.
Epipremnum aureum — a long-term project, but a beautiful one.
Before you buy
A few notes on caring for large plants
Big plants aren't just scaled-up small plants. The bigger the plant, the more punishing the small mistakes get.
Light is the single biggest factor
A small plant in mediocre light can often sit and wait. A large plant in mediocre light can go downhill fast — it has more leaves to maintain and more mass to support, and a slow energy deficit shows up quickly. Put the plant where it can actually thrive, not just where it looks best.
Water properly when you water
The Pot Weight Test works on big pots too, but the consequence of getting it wrong is bigger. A small plant in dry mix can be rescued in an afternoon. A large plant in hydrophobic, neglected mix can need an hour of soaking just to rewet properly — and if it's been overwatered, the recovery is much harder than for a small plant.
Mix matters more, not less
The mix in a large pot has to support a lot of plant for a long time. A cheap, peat-heavy mix in a 350mm pot can compact and lose its structure surprisingly quickly. Whether it's a chunky aroid mix for climbers, or a quality indoor mix for everything else, getting this right at potting time saves a lot of grief later.
Feed during active growth
A big plant in active growth has a real appetite. Indoor Plant Food every two weeks during the growing season covers most foliage plants; aroid climbers like Monstera and large Philodendrons do better on Aroid Food, which is formulated specifically for them.
Plan for the size
The biggest mistake people make with large plants is buying one without thinking about what it'll look like in two years. A Strelitzia in a 250mm pot today might need a 400mm pot and 2.5 metres of headroom in three years. Plan for the destination, not the starting point.
Plan for access
Large plants don't just need space to grow — they need space to turn, water, clean and move. If you can't reach the back of the pot, rotate it, wipe the leaves, or water it properly without moving furniture every time, the spot will annoy you long before the plant outgrows it.
A big plant takes patience to get right, but once you have it dialled in — light good, water consistent, mix breathing — it'll thrive for years. The Kentia Palm in your grandmother's lounge room was probably planted before you were born. That's the upside of getting it right at the start.