One of the few houseplants that flowers happily away from a window, and it tells you plainly when it is thirsty.
The peace lily is grown for two things: deep green, glossy leaves that thrive in low light, and its elegant white "flower", which is really a leaf-like hood (a spathe) wrapped around a spike of tiny true flowers. Few houseplants bloom as willingly in a dim room.
It likes moisture and even, warm conditions. Its great convenience is honesty — when it needs water the whole plant wilts dramatically, then recovers within hours of a drink, so it is hard to under-water for long. Keep it out of cold draughts and direct midday sun, which scorches the leaves, and wipe the foliage occasionally to keep it breathing.
One caution: like many plants in its family it contains calcium oxalate crystals and is mildly toxic if chewed, so it is best kept out of reach of pets and small children. Given that, it is among the easiest ways to bring a living, flowering plant into a shady space.
A succulent that stores its own water and asks for almost nothing in return — the classic starter plant for anyone who has killed everything else.
A clump-forming grass with a sharp citrus scent, grown for the tender stems at the heart of Southeast Asian cooking.
The knobbly rhizome behind so much cooking will sprout on a warm windowsill from a piece bought to eat.