The best outdoor patio plants are low-maintenance ... When shopping for outdoor patio plants, pay attention to the amount of sun or shade your patio receives throughout the day.

Indoor plants may add instant style points ... A type of succulent, aloe vera thrives best in bright, direct sunlight, so just make sure you have a suitable south or west-facing window.

“It’s a good pollinator, too,” Benner adds. ‘Watermelon Ruffles’ grows about 4½ feet tall and wide and flowers best in full sun. So much perennial breeding has focused on compact variet ...

Ferrari said a couple of additional nontoxic plants he likes are the lady palm, which can thrive in indirect sunlight, and the ponytail palm, which is best in direct sunlight. "On the whole ...