Easy aquarium plants are the ones that forgive a late water change or the wrong light for a week and just keep growing. This collection is our pick of beginner aquarium plants that thrive without CO2 injection or a green thumb: Anubias, Java Fern, Cryptocoryne, Hygrophila and more, all species we'd genuinely recommend for a first planted tank. New stock comes in every week, so if something's out today it's usually back within a few days.

Start by working out whether you want to plant into substrate or tie plants to hardscape. Epiphytes like Anubias, Java Fern and Bucephalandra attach to wood or rock rather than rooting in gravel, grow slowly, and are close to impossible to kill through neglect, which makes them the safest first purchase. Rooting plants like Cryptocoryne, Vallisneria and Hygrophila need a few centimetres of substrate and grow faster, giving a fuller look sooner, but need a bit more attention to lighting. Neither group needs CO2 injection to survive, though a liquid carbon supplement will speed things up if you want it. For a full walkthrough of setting up a first planted tank, our [Beginner Planting Guide] covers substrate, lighting and fertiliser basics in more depth.