These Fast-Growing Houseplants Are Perfect For Instant Greenery In Illinois Apartments
Living in an Illinois apartment doesn’t mean you have to miss out on lush, green vibes. Sometimes, all it takes is the right houseplant to make a space feel alive.
Fast-growing houseplants are perfect when you want instant greenery without waiting months for results. Green changes everything, and it happens faster than you think.
Imagine watching new leaves appear week after week. Picture your apartment feeling fresher, brighter, and more welcoming almost overnight.
Yes, you can have a greener home, even with limited light and space. The right plants grow fast and ask for very little in return.
From low-maintenance favorites to leafy growers that thrive indoors, these plants are ideal for busy Illinois apartment living.
If you want quick results and visible growth, these houseplants deliver. Once they start growing, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without them.
1. Pothos (Devil’s Ivy)
You’ve probably seen this trailing beauty in offices, coffee shops, and homes across Illinois, and there’s a good reason why.
Pothos grows so fast that you’ll notice new leaves unfurling almost weekly, creating long cascading vines that look stunning draped over shelves or hanging from baskets.
Its heart-shaped leaves come in various patterns, from solid green to variegated with splashes of yellow or white, giving you plenty of options to match your apartment’s style.
This plant forgives almost every beginner mistake in the book. Forgot to water it for two weeks? No problem. Your apartment only gets indirect light? Pothos doesn’t mind. The dry winter air from Illinois heating systems barely bothers it either.
Simply place it near a window with moderate light, water when the soil feels dry, and watch it take off like a rocket.
Pothos vines can grow several feet in a single year, making them perfect for creating that jungle vibe apartment dwellers love. You can train the vines to climb up a moss pole, let them trail down from high spots, or even propagate cuttings in water to create new plants for every room.
Many Illinois renters love how pothos fills empty corners and adds vertical interest without taking up precious floor space.
2. Spider Plant
Nothing says instant gratification quite like a spider plant producing adorable baby plantlets that dangle from long stems like little green spiders. These babies appear quickly on mature plants, sometimes within just a few months of bringing your plant home.
Spider plants feature long, arching leaves with green and white stripes that create a fountain-like appearance, adding movement and texture to any Illinois apartment room.
If you’re new to plant parenthood, spider plants make excellent teachers because they communicate their needs clearly. Browning leaf tips usually mean your tap water has too many chemicals, easily fixed by using filtered water.
Pale leaves signal too much direct sun, while darker leaves want more light. Once you figure out what your plant likes, it rewards you with vigorous growth and plenty of those charming plantlets.
The best feature for apartment living is how adaptable spider plants are to Illinois indoor conditions. They tolerate the temperature fluctuations common in older apartment buildings and don’t fuss about humidity levels.
You can display them in hanging baskets to show off their cascading babies, or place them on plant stands where the arching leaves create a dramatic effect. Many Illinois plant lovers start with one spider plant and end up with dozens after propagating all those babies.
3. Philodendron
Walk into any thriving indoor garden in Chicago or Peoria, and you’ll likely spot at least one philodendron stealing the show. These tropical plants grow with impressive speed, pushing out glossy new leaves that start out light green and darken as they mature.
The heart-leaf philodendron variety is especially popular in Illinois apartments because its vining habit creates lush coverage quickly, transforming bare walls or empty shelves into green focal points within months.
Philodendrons rank among the most forgiving houseplants you can own. They adapt to low light conditions better than most plants, making them perfect for north-facing windows or rooms without much natural light.
Water them when the top inch of soil dries out, and they’ll keep growing steadily without complaint. The dry air from winter heating doesn’t stress them out like it does more finicky tropical plants.
What makes philodendrons particularly apartment-friendly is their versatility in display options. You can let them trail from hanging planters, train them up a moss pole to create height, or prune them to maintain a bushier shape.
Their deep green leaves add a classic, elegant look that complements any decorating style. Plus, they’re excellent air purifiers, helping to clean the indoor air in your Illinois home while looking absolutely gorgeous.
4. Tradescantia (Wandering Jew)
Prepare to be amazed by how quickly tradescantia fills out and creates a stunning display of colorful foliage. This fast-growing trailing plant comes in varieties with purple, pink, silver, and green striped leaves that shimmer in the light.
Within weeks of bringing one home to your Illinois apartment, you’ll see new stems branching out and leaves appearing along the vines, creating that full, lush look that takes other plants months to achieve.
Bright indirect light brings out the most vibrant colors in tradescantia leaves, though it tolerates lower light by growing a bit slower. The plant prefers consistent moisture but bounces back quickly if you occasionally forget a watering session.
Illinois apartment dwellers appreciate how tradescantia stays compact while spreading horizontally, making it ideal for shallow pots on windowsills or hanging baskets that don’t have much depth.
One of the coolest things about this plant is how easily it propagates. Snip off a stem, stick it in water, and roots appear within days.
You can share cuttings with friends, fill out sparse areas in the original pot, or start new plants for different rooms. The colorful foliage adds a pop of personality to neutral apartment decor, and the trailing habit softens hard edges on furniture and shelves.
Many Illinois renters use tradescantia to add color without painting walls or making permanent changes.
5. Snake Plant (Sansevieria)
For Illinois apartment dwellers who travel frequently or simply forget about their plants, snake plants are absolute lifesavers. These architectural beauties grow upright with sword-like leaves that add a modern, sculptural element to any room.
While they’re not the fastest growers on this list, they produce new leaves steadily and can tolerate neglect better than almost any other houseplant, making them perfect for busy lifestyles.
Snake plants thrive in the exact conditions that challenge other houseplants. Low light? Check. Dry air from heating systems? No problem. Irregular watering? They actually prefer it. Their thick, succulent-like leaves store water, so they can go weeks between drinks without showing any stress.
This makes them ideal for Illinois winters when you might be distracted by holidays or traveling to visit family.
The vertical growth habit of snake plants makes them space-efficient choices for apartments where floor space is limited. They fit perfectly in corners, beside furniture, or flanking doorways without sprawling outward.
Varieties range from tall, dramatic types that reach several feet high to compact versions perfect for desks and shelves. Snake plants also rank among the best air-purifying houseplants, filtering toxins while you sleep.
Many Illinois renters place them in bedrooms specifically for their air-cleaning abilities and low-maintenance nature.
6. English Ivy
Imagine transforming a bare apartment wall into a living green tapestry in just a few months. English ivy makes this dream a reality with its rapid growth and classic beauty.
The small, lobed leaves on trailing vines create an elegant, timeless look that works with any decorating style from traditional to contemporary. Illinois plant enthusiasts love how ivy softens hard architectural lines and adds a touch of European garden charm to indoor spaces.
This vining plant grows enthusiastically in bright to moderate light conditions and appreciates regular watering to keep the soil consistently moist but not soggy.
The cooler temperatures common in Illinois apartments during fall and winter actually suit English ivy perfectly, as it prefers temperatures between 50 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
Higher humidity helps it thrive, so bathroom placement or occasional misting keeps the leaves looking their best.
English ivy offers incredible versatility in how you display it. Train it up a trellis for vertical interest, let it cascade from hanging baskets, or arrange it along shelves and mantels for a garland effect.
The vines root easily from cuttings, so you can propagate new plants or encourage fuller growth by pinning stems back into the soil.
Many Illinois apartment residents use ivy to create privacy screens on balconies or to frame windows with living greenery that grows quickly and looks sophisticated.
7. Coleus
Want a houseplant that grows as fast as it does outdoors? Coleus brings explosive growth and jaw-dropping color to Illinois apartments with its vibrant foliage in combinations of red, pink, purple, yellow, and green.
While many people think of coleus as an outdoor annual, it thrives indoors with bright light and grows so quickly you’ll need to pinch it back regularly to maintain a bushy shape instead of a leggy one.
Bright light is essential for keeping coleus colors vivid and growth strong. Place it near a south or west-facing window in your apartment, and you’ll be rewarded with intense leaf colors and rapid new growth.
The plant prefers consistently moist soil and benefits from regular feeding during the growing season. Illinois apartments with good natural light are perfect environments for coleus to flourish year-round.
The incredible variety of coleus patterns and colors means you can find one to match any room’s color scheme. Some have leaves with intricate patterns that look hand-painted, while others feature bold, solid colors that make dramatic statements.
Pinching off the tips encourages bushier growth and prevents flowering, which can slow leaf production. Many Illinois plant collectors grow multiple coleus varieties together, creating living artwork that changes and grows throughout the year.
The fast growth rate means you’ll constantly see changes, keeping your indoor garden interesting and dynamic.
8. Purple Heart Plant (Tradescantia Pallida)
If you thought regular tradescantia grew fast, wait until you meet its purple cousin. Purple heart plant explodes with growth when given bright light, producing deep purple stems and leaves that create a striking contrast against lighter walls and furniture.
This showstopper brings bold color to Illinois apartments without flowers, relying instead on its richly pigmented foliage that intensifies in brighter conditions.
Bright, direct light keeps the purple coloration intense and the growth compact. In lower light, the plant stretches toward the light source and the purple fades to more greenish tones.
Water when the soil surface dries out, and don’t worry if you miss a watering since the plant tolerates some drought. Illinois apartments with sunny windows are ideal homes for purple heart plants that want to show off their best colors.
The trailing habit makes purple heart perfect for hanging baskets or elevated planters where the stems can cascade downward. The plant grows so quickly that you can propagate cuttings frequently to share with friends or create fuller displays.
Small pink flowers sometimes appear, adding an extra touch of charm. Purple heart pairs beautifully with green plants, creating color contrast that makes both stand out.
Many Illinois renters use this plant to add a pop of unexpected color that draws the eye and creates conversation. The fast growth means you’ll have a full, impressive plant in no time.
9. Arrowhead Plant (Syngonium)
Starting out as a compact, bushy plant with arrow-shaped leaves, syngonium eventually develops a vining habit as it matures, giving you two looks in one plant. The leaves come in shades of green, pink, and white, with some varieties featuring stunning variegation that looks almost painted on.
Growth happens quickly when conditions are right, with new leaves appearing regularly and the plant filling out nicely within months of bringing it home to your Illinois apartment.
Moderate to bright indirect light keeps arrowhead plants growing steadily without burning the delicate leaves. They appreciate consistent moisture and higher humidity, though they adapt reasonably well to typical apartment conditions.
The plant’s ability to start compact and later trail makes it versatile for different spaces as it grows. You can keep it pruned for a bushier look or let it vine naturally.
What makes syngonium especially appealing for Illinois apartment living is how it changes over time, keeping your indoor garden interesting. Young plants have smaller, more arrow-shaped leaves, while mature plants develop larger leaves with more pronounced lobes.
You can train the vines up a support or let them trail from hanging containers. The variety of colors available means you can find one that perfectly complements your decor.
Many plant lovers in Illinois cities appreciate how syngonium offers the best of both worlds, functioning as either a tabletop plant or a trailing specimen depending on how you care for it and display it.
