The spider plant is the friendliest starter houseplant there is - fast, forgiving, non-toxic, and endlessly generous with babies. Arching green-and-cream leaves fountain out of the pot, and once it is happy it throws out long stems tipped with perfect little plantlets you can snip off and pot up.
It asks for very little: bright indirect light, a drink when the top inch dries, and a pot it can fill. Brown leaf tips are the one common gripe, usually down to fluoride or salts in tap water - switch to rainwater or filtered water and they ease off. It flushes out the most plantlets when slightly root-bound, so resist the urge to over-pot.
Grows in low to bright indirect light; the brighter the spot, the crisper the variegation. Keep it out of harsh direct sun, which scorches the leaves.
Water when the top inch of soil is dry
Feed with a balanced houseplant fertiliser
Snip off plantlets to pot up, or leave them to trail
Brown leaf tips usually mean tap-water salts - switch to filtered or rainwater
Repot when thick white roots crowd the pot