Elegant, timeless, and surprisingly low-maintenance, peace lilies are among the most popular indoor plants for New Zealand homes. With their lush green leaves and elegant white blooms, they bring both beauty and health benefits, helping purify the air and create a calming atmosphere.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know before bringing a peace lily into your space — including how to choose the right variety, where to position it for maximum growth and flowering, how to care for it year-round, and what to buy alongside it to ensure lasting success.
These plants are known for their ability to adapt to different lighting conditions, but they grow and bloom best in bright, indirect light. During spring and summer, placing them near an east-facing window where they receive gentle morning sun encourages healthy foliage and consistent flowering. In autumn and winter, lower light levels are sufficient, and growth naturally slows.
Direct sunlight should be avoided, as it can scorch the delicate leaves, causing browning and curling. If the leaves begin to pale or blooms become rare, it’s often a sign the plant needs slightly brighter conditions.
Peace lilies prefer a stable, warm environment with temperatures between 18°C and 24°C. They can tolerate occasional heat spikes but may require more frequent watering during hotter months to prevent wilting. If temperatures fall below 18°C, growth slows significantly, and yellowing leaves may appear.
To avoid cold stress, keep your plant away from drafty windows, air vents, and uninsulated areas during winter. Maintaining steady warmth keeps the foliage vibrant and supports regular flowering.
A consistent watering routine is key to healthy growth. Keep the soil slightly moist but never soggy. Allow the top layer to dry out between watering's to prevent root rot, one of the most common issues. If the leaves begin to droop, it’s a clear signal that it’s time to water — the plant usually recovers quickly. During winter, when growth naturally slows, reduce watering frequency to match the plant’s lower needs. If brown leaf tips appear, consider switching to filtered or rainwater, as these plants are sensitive to fluoride and mineral buildup from tap water.
Peace lilies thrive in a moist, well-draining potting mix. A lightweight indoor blend enriched with organic matter provides the best foundation for healthy root development. Avoid heavy or compacted soils, which can trap moisture and lead to rot. Slightly acidic conditions are preferred, but these plants are tolerant of a range of typical indoor soil types as long as drainage is good.
While not heavy feeders, peace lilies benefit from occasional fertilization to maintain lush growth and support blooming. From spring through autumn, feed once a month with a balanced liquid fertilizer diluted to half strength. In winter, feeding can be reduced to every six weeks or paused entirely. Avoid over-fertilizing, as excess salts can build up in the soil and cause browning leaf tips.
Potting:
Choose a pot only slightly larger than the previous one and ensure it has proper drainage holes.
Repotting:
These plants naturally enjoy being slightly rootbound, which often encourages stronger blooming. Repotting is typically needed once a year in spring to refresh the soil and manage size. If the plant becomes overcrowded, it can be divided during repotting to create new, healthy plants.
Keeping the leaves clean helps maximize photosynthesis and maintains the plant’s elegant appearance. Wipe them gently with a damp cloth to remove dust buildup.
Fading flowers should be trimmed at the base of the stem to encourage new blooms.
While these plants are loved for their glossy leaves, their striking white blooms are just as much a part of their appeal. To encourage regular flowering, provide bright, indirect light year-round and feed lightly with a balanced liquid fertilizer during spring and summer. Avoid heavy fertilizing, as too much nitrogen can lead to lush leaves but few flowers. Keeping the plant slightly rootbound and allowing for a mild seasonal dry period can also trigger more consistent blooming cycles.
Peace lilies are remarkably adaptable, making them one of the best choices for styling different spaces around your home. They thrive in bright, indirect light but are also among the few houseplants that tolerate low-light conditions gracefully. If you have a spot with morning sun or filtered daylight, such as near an east-facing or shaded north-facing window, a peace lily will feel right at home. They can also flourish in medium-light rooms, though the better the light, the larger and more frequent the blooms will be.
When it comes to fitting them into your space, peace lilies offer options for every room size. Compact varieties grow to around 40 centimeters tall and are perfect for bookshelves, side tables, or small corners that need a soft touch of greenery. Standard types, reaching between 60 and 80 centimeters, work beautifully in living rooms, bedrooms, or home offices, adding elegant structure without overwhelming the space. If you have more room to play with, large varieties like 'Sensation' can reach up to 1.8 meters tall, making a bold, sculptural statement beside sofas, fireplaces, or wide entryways.
'Sensation' is the largest peace lily variety available, perfect for making a bold statement in open-plan living areas, wide hallways, or spacious offices. Growing up to 1.8 meters tall under the right conditions, it features broad, deeply ribbed leaves that create a lush, tropical presence indoors. Despite its impressive size, 'Sensation' remains low-maintenance and adapts well to moderate lighting. In New Zealand, you can expect to pay between $80 and $150 NZD for a healthy, established plant, depending on its maturity. If you're looking to anchor a room with a dramatic, sculptural centerpiece that’s still easy to care for, 'Sensation' is an excellent choice.
'Supreme' offers the classic peace lily look in a more compact form, typically reaching 60 to 80 centimeters tall. It produces elegant white blooms more frequently than larger types, especially when kept in bright, indirect light. Ideal for bedrooms, living rooms, and cozy office corners, 'Supreme' brings that familiar clean-lined elegance without taking over the space. It also tends to grow a little faster, rewarding new plant owners with steady, visible progress. Pricing for 'Supreme' peace lilies generally ranges between $40 and $70 NZD, making it an affordable and rewarding choice for indoor greenery.
Buying a peace lily online in New Zealand is a convenient way to find the right size and variety without needing to visit multiple garden centers. Many online plant stores now offer detailed descriptions, plant care advice, and photos that help you choose the healthiest option for your home.
When choosing a seller, look for shops that specialize in indoor plants and provide clear information about plant size, pot maturity, and light needs. Reputable nurseries and garden centers often ship plants safely with protective packaging to ensure they arrive healthy and stress-free. Some retailers also offer starter kits with pots, soil, and care instructions, which can make it even easier to settle your peace lily into its new home.
Propagating a peace lily is simple, and the most reliable method is through division. Unlike some other houseplants, peace lilies cannot be propagated from single leaves or cuttings; they grow from underground stems called rhizomes. To divide a peace lily, it’s best to wait until the plant has outgrown its pot, usually in spring or early summer. Gently remove the plant from its container and inspect the root ball. You’ll notice natural clumps, or crowns, where leaves are growing together — these can be carefully separated by hand or with a clean, sharp knife.
Each divided section should have a healthy cluster of leaves and an attached portion of roots. Once divided, replant the sections into fresh, moist potting mix, keeping the soil lightly damp as the new plants settle in. It’s normal for divisions to look slightly droopy at first, but with gentle care and indirect light, they usually perk up within a few weeks. Propagating by division not only creates new plants but also rejuvenates the original peace lily, encouraging fresh, healthy growth.
Although peace lilies are generally resilient, they can occasionally attract a few common pests, especially if growing conditions are less than ideal. Mealybugs are one of the most frequent problems, appearing as small, cottony clusters along leaf stems and at the base of the plant. If left untreated, they feed on plant sap and weaken growth over time.
Regularly wiping down leaves with a damp cloth, ensuring good airflow around your peace lily, and avoiding overwatering are simple and effective ways to prevent most pest problems. If pests are spotted, gentle treatments like insecticidal soap or neem oil usually clear them up quickly without harming the plant.
Even though these plants are considered easygoing, a few common issues can arise if their basic needs aren’t met. One of the most frequent problems is brown leaf tips paired with drooping stems, often caused by overwatering, overfertilization, or a build-up of minerals in the soil. Allowing the soil to dry out slightly between waterings and using filtered water can help restore healthy growth.
Another issue owners sometimes face is leaves turning pale or curling with brown edges. This usually signals that the plant is either too dry or suffering from a micronutrient deficiency, often magnesium or iron. Regular watering and the occasional use of a diluted, balanced fertilizer can correct this over time.
Lack of blooming is also common, particularly if the plant is growing in a very low-light environment or has become overcrowded in its pot. These tropical beauties tend to bloom naturally in cycles, mainly in spring and early summer. If your plant hasn't flowered for a few seasons, moving it to a brighter spot and dividing overgrown clumps can rejuvenate its flowering potential.
Finally, yellow margins or edges on the oldest leaves often indicate that conditions are too dry or that nutrients are lacking. Maintaining consistent moisture and providing gentle feeding during the active growing season usually prevents this. Keeping an eye on these signs and adjusting your care routine will help ensure long-lasting, vibrant growth.
Peace lilies are considered mildly toxic to both pets and children if ingested. The plant contains calcium oxalate crystals, which can cause irritation of the mouth, drooling, difficulty swallowing, and an upset stomach when chewed. While the effects are usually not life-threatening, they can be very uncomfortable, especially for cats, dogs, or curious toddlers.
Yes, peace lilies can live in water, but it requires a little extra care. When grown hydroponically, the roots should stay submerged while the crown of the plant sits just above the waterline to prevent rot. It’s important to refresh the water every week and rinse the container to keep it clean. Adding a few drops of liquid fertilizer every month can also help support healthy, balanced growth. While growing in soil is usually easier long-term, keeping one in water can create a beautiful, minimalist display.
Most peace lilies naturally bloom during spring and early summer, though with the right conditions, flowering can occasionally happen at other times of the year. A healthy plant kept in bright, indirect light and given gentle feeding during the growing season is more likely to produce its striking white spathes regularly. Lower light levels or older, crowded plants may take longer to flower or stop blooming altogether.
Blooming is rare but possible. A mature, healthy snake plant may send up a flower stalk in spring or summer, typically if it has been slightly stressed (such as being rootbound). The flowers are usually small, white, and lightly fragrant, resembling tiny lilies along a long stem.
The plant produces a single flower stalk that unfurls into a white, sail-like spathe surrounding a central spike called a spadix. Each flower typically lasts several weeks before fading to green and then brown. Good blooming is encouraged by providing steady light, keeping the soil lightly moist, and avoiding temperature extremes. Dividing an overgrown plant in spring can also reinvigorate blooming if flowering has slowed down.
In warmer parts of New Zealand, peace lilies can be placed outside during the warmer months, provided they are protected from direct sun and cold temperatures. They thrive best outdoors in shaded patios, covered verandas, or under large trees where they receive filtered light. Once temperatures begin to drop below 16°C, it’s best to bring them back indoors to avoid cold stress or frost damage.
Absolutely. These plants are famous for their forgiving nature and adaptability, making them a great choice for beginners. As long as they receive moderate light, regular but not excessive watering, and occasional feeding, they grow steadily with little trouble. They also clearly signal when they need attention, drooping their leaves when thirsty and quickly recovering after watering — a feature that makes them one of the easiest indoor plants to understand and care for.
With the right care, these plants can live for over a decade indoors. It’s not uncommon for a healthy, well-maintained plant to thrive for 10 years or more, especially if it’s repotted occasionally and divided every few years to prevent overcrowding. Over time, individual leaves may age and die back, but regular grooming and gentle fertilization help keep the plant looking lush and vibrant. Dividing mature clumps every five years or so can also refresh its energy, encouraging stronger blooming and healthier growth well into the future.
.png){kind=small}
.png)
