Does your house look like a jungle full of lush, green plants on every surface? Or do you steer clear of flora due to a black thumb and zero confidence in sustaining the life of a plant? If it's the latter, there's help out there for you.

Besides being pretty to look at, house plants offer a variety of benefits around the house. They can improve the air quality of your home or office and can improve your mood. At the very least they can give you something to do. Still not convinced that you can successfully nurture a living thing in your home?

Not all house plants need to be watered every day. Some can even go days without any water. Not all house plants need to be in direct sunlight, receive fertilizer or be trimmed back. And no, you don't have to talk to your plants in order for them to thrive. You should pick a plant that works with your lifestyle; one that you can devote as much or as little time as you need to keep your plant beautiful.

Easier said than done, right? Wrong. HowStuffWorks has already done a lot of the research for you. All you need to do is visit the House Plants page to get the lowdown on which plant is right for you (and which plants may not be so right for you). If you're interested in turning your thumb from the darkest of black to the greenest of green, then we can help. After all, our thumbs match the greenest of rolling hills in Ireland; or at least that nice, fluffy fern in the kitchen!