Interior Plants
in Queen Creek
A dedicated houseplant greenhouse in the East Valley — tropicals, trailing vines, statement trees and easy-care classics, grown to handle real Arizona homes.
The East Valley’s houseplant greenhouse
Desert Horizon Nursery has been growing trees, shrubs and desert-adapted plants for Arizona yards since [YEAR]. The Plant House is where we do the same thing for the inside of your home. It’s a climate-controlled greenhouse right here on our Queen Creek property, stocked with indoor plants chosen to cope with what Arizona throws at them — hard light, dry air, hard water — plus the pots, soil and honest advice to keep them alive once they’re home.
If you’re in Queen Creek, San Tan Valley, Gilbert, Chandler or Mesa, you no longer need to drive to central Phoenix for a real houseplant selection. New plants arrive every week, so the benches never look the same twice. Come see what’s in the house.
pothos ◦ monstera ◦ hoya ◦ snake plant ◦ fiddle leaf fig ◦ philodendron ◦ zz plant ◦ calathea ◦ orchids ◦ peperomia ◦ dracaena
Step inside
Shade cloth overhead, misters running, and every bench full — the Plant House is built for browsing slowly. Bring a photo of the spot you’re trying to fill; we’ll walk it with you.
What you’ll find in the Plant House
Inventory rotates with the seasons and with what our growers have ready, so treat this as the cast of regulars rather than a stock list. For today’s benches, call us at (480) 987-3308 or check Instagram.
Easy-care classics
The plants we hand to first-timers, renters and anyone who travels. Pothos in golden, marble queen and neon; heartleaf philodendron; snake plants in several forms; ZZ plants; spider plants; Chinese evergreen (Aglaonema); peace lilies; and dracaenas including the ever-reliable Dracaena. All of them forgive a missed watering and shrug off dry indoor air.
Trailing & hanging plants
For shelves, macramé hangers and the top of the fridge. Pothos and philodendron ‘Brasil’, hoyas (including the classic Hoya carnosa), string of pearls and string of hearts, tradescantia, and Boston ferns and staghorn mounts for the shadier, more humid corners like a bathroom.
ASPCA non-toxic
Pet-friendlier picks
Plenty of popular houseplants are toxic to cats and dogs if chewed — pothos, philodendron, peace lily, dieffenbachia, ZZ and snake plant among them. If you share your house with a nibbler, start here instead: spider plant, calathea and prayer plant, parlor and areca palms, peperomia, hoya, haworthia, ponytail palm, Chinese money plant, Boston fern, phalaenopsis orchids and African violets. We tag these on the bench, and we’ll always point you to the ASPCA list to double-check a specific plant.
Succulents & cacti for indoors
Statement plants & indoor trees
The one plant that makes a room. Monstera deliciosa, fiddle leaf fig, rubber plant (in burgundy and variegated forms), bird of paradise, ponytail palm, majesty and parlor palms, braided ficus, and big-leaf Dieffenbachia ‘Camille’. We carry these in 6-inch starters up to 14-inch floor specimens, so you can buy the size your space and budget want.
Low light
Low-light & office plants
“Low light” in Arizona still means a bright room — it just means no direct sun on the leaves. These are the ones that hold up across the room from a window or under office lighting: ZZ plant, snake plant, cast iron plant, aglaonema, pothos, peace lily and parlor palm.
Flowering & color
When green isn’t enough: anthuriums, peace lilies, bromeliads, phalaenopsis orchids, African violets, kalanchoe, and crotons for foliage that reads like flowers. Seasonally you’ll find poinsettias and amaryllis from mid-November and Easter lilies and cyclamen in spring.
Rotating
Collector & rotating finds
Alocasias, unusual anthuriums and hoyas, variegated and rarer philodendrons and the occasional plant we only got six of. They don’t last long and we don’t list them online — follow @deserthorizonaz or join the newsletter and you’ll hear first.
Staff picks this season
Swipe → Cards link to each plant’s page as they’re added.
Golden Pothos
Epipremnum aureum
Monstera
Monstera deliciosa
Snake Plant
Sansevieria ‘Black Coral’
ZZ Plant
Zamioculcas zamiifolia
Rubber Plant
Ficus elastica ‘Burgundy’
Hoya
Hoya carnosa
Peace Lily
Spathiphyllum
Parlor Palm
Chamaedorea elegans
In the catalog
Live from our plant catalog — Interior Plants.
Houseplants that thrive in Arizona homes
Most care guides online are written for houses in Ohio. Here’s what actually matters when your houseplant lives in the Sonoran Desert.
Light — an Arizona window is not a “bright, indirect” window
Direct sun through south- and west-facing glass here will scorch a monstera or a fiddle leaf fig by June. Set most tropicals four to eight feet back from those windows, or behind a sheer. Put the sun-lovers — cacti, succulents, snake plants, ponytail palms — in the hot spots instead. East-facing windows are the sweet spot for nearly everything.
Humidity — the desert’s real houseplant problem
Afternoon humidity here regularly drops below 20 percent in summer, and running the A/C dries the air further. Group plants together, set them on pebble trays, or run a small humidifier near calatheas, ferns and alocasias. Or choose plants that simply don’t care: hoya, snake plant, ZZ, pothos, philodendron, dracaena, succulents and cacti.
Feeding and repotting
Feed monthly from March through October at half the label strength, and ease off in winter when growth slows. Repot when roots circle the pot or push out the drainage hole — go up one pot size, not three. We stock indoor potting mix, perlite, orchid bark, and cactus and succulent mix in the Plant House so you don’t have to hunt for them.
Water — our tap water is hard, and your plant will tell you
Valley water is hard and alkaline. Over months, dissolved minerals build up in the soil and show up as brown, crispy leaf tips on dracaenas, spider plants, calatheas and peace lilies. Water deeply until it runs out the drainage hole, let the top inch or two dry between waterings, and flush the pot thoroughly every couple of months. For the fussier plants, filtered or rainwater makes a visible difference.
Heat, A/C and the drive home
Keep plants out of the direct blast of A/C vents and off windowsills where the glass gets hot to the touch. From May through September, make the nursery your last stop of the day: a closed car climbs past 130°F in minutes, and that’s enough to cook a plant. And when Queen Creek nights dip toward freezing in December and January, patio tropicals need to come inside or under frost cloth.
Not sure what’s wrong with your plant?
Bring a photo — or the plant — and ask. Diagnosing is free.
Pots, soil & supplies for indoor plants
The right pot is half the battle in a dry climate. Our containers and pottery yard carries glazed ceramic, terracotta, cachepots, saucers, hanging planters and plant stands in sizes from a 4-inch windowsill pot up to floor planters for indoor trees. Inside the Plant House you’ll also find indoor potting mixes and amendments, houseplant fertilizer, moisture meters, neem oil and insecticidal soap. Buy the plant and the pot together and we’ll pot it up for you before you leave.
New arrivals, every week
The fastest way to see what just came off the truck is Instagram. For the seasonal roundup — and first word on the rare stuff — join the newsletter.
Learn houseplant care with us
Our next houseplant class, Caring for House Plants, covers light, watering, feeding and the common problems people bring us every week. It’s free, it’s at the nursery, and it fills up. See the date and reserve a seat on our classes and events page, and check the Arizona gardening calendars for month-by-month reminders.
Houseplant questions we get every week
Where can I buy houseplants near Queen Creek or San Tan Valley?
Right here. The Plant House at Desert Horizon Nursery, 19250 S Ellsworth Rd in Queen Creek, is a full houseplant greenhouse inside a locally owned garden center — about 15 minutes from San Tan Valley and 20 from Gilbert and Chandler. We’re open seven days a week.
What houseplants do best in Arizona?
The ones that tolerate dry air and bright light: snake plant, ZZ plant, pothos, philodendron, hoya, dracaena, rubber plant, bird of paradise, ponytail palm, and any succulent or cactus in a sunny window. Humidity-lovers like calathea, ferns and alocasia can absolutely be grown here, but plan on a humidifier or a bathroom window.
How often should I water houseplants in Arizona?
Less often than you think in winter and more often than the internet says in summer. Check the soil rather than the calendar: water when the top one to two inches are dry, water deeply until it drains, and never let the pot sit in a full saucer. Most tropicals land around once a week in summer and every 10–14 days in winter, but light, pot size and A/C all shift that.
Do you carry pet-safe houseplants?
Yes, and we flag them on the bench. Spider plant, prayer plant, calathea, parlor palm, peperomia, hoya, haworthia, ponytail palm, orchids and African violets are all on the ASPCA non-toxic list. Ask and we’ll steer you away from the common ones that aren’t — pothos, philodendron, peace lily and dieffenbachia in particular.
Do you sell pots, soil and fertilizer for indoor plants?
Yes. Glazed and terracotta pottery, saucers and hanging planters are in our pottery yard; indoor potting mix, cactus mix, perlite, orchid bark, fertilizer and pest controls are in the Plant House.
Can I bring in a struggling plant for help?
Please do. Bring the plant, or clear photos of the whole plant and the problem leaves, and any of our staff will help you figure out light, water, pests or repotting. There’s no charge for advice.
Do you offer houseplant classes?
Yes — a free Caring for House Plants class runs at the nursery each season. Dates and RSVP are on our classes and events page.
Do you have a plant guarantee?
[Confirm DHN’s policy and state it plainly — e.g. “Houseplants aren’t covered by our tree and shrub warranty, but if something goes wrong in the first week, bring it back with your receipt and we’ll make it right.” Delete this item if there is no policy.]
Visit the Plant House
Desert Horizon Nursery
- 19250 S Ellsworth Rd, Queen Creek, AZ 85142
- (480) 987-3308
- Monday–Saturday 7 AM – 5 PM
- Sunday 9 AM – 4 PM
The Plant House is [location on the property — e.g. “the greenhouse at the back of the pottery yard”]; any staff member can point you to it. Locally owned, locally grown, and a short drive from San Tan Valley, Gilbert, Chandler and Mesa.