20 Easy Indoor Plants Even Inexperienced Gardeners Can’t Kill
Unfortunately, inexperienced gardeners often shy away from keeping their plants indoors for fear that their shrubs will die without proper care. But even if you lack a green thumb, you can still fill your home with easy indoor plants that are so low-maintenance you can almost forget about them.
Take a look below at 20 easy indoor plants even inexperienced gardeners can’t kill.
Aloe
Succulents are the perfect plants for inexperienced or forgetful gardeners because they require very little water to stay alive. As far as succulents go, Aloe is one of the best types to bring into your home.
Like all succulents, Aloe requires very little water. In fact, too much water will result in root rot that will kill the plant, making it the perfect indoor addition for homeowners who never remember to water their plants. Aloe demands bright, but indirect sunlight, so it’s the perfect plant to place next to a large window. Once the aloe grows, you can use the sap from the leaves as a moisturizer or the perfect soothing salve to treat minor cuts and burns.
Cast Iron Plant
Unlike other plants that require bright sunlight to stay alive, the cast iron plant actually prefers low light. In fact, it can thrive outdoors even in a deeply shaded area.
Since it has little need for light, the cast iron plant can adorn any room or corner of your house, even those where very little light gets in. The plant requires little watering and doesn’t need a drink until the top half of the soil is completely dry. Even if you only water this plant sporadically, it should still thrive inside.
Chinese Evergreen
The Chinese evergreen is a gorgeous plant with interesting, speckled leaves. The uniqueness of the plant’s appearance makes it a beautiful addition in any home. While it may look like a complicated plant, caring for it is much easier than you might think.
Chinese evergreen plants prefer medium to low light conditions with just a touch of warmth. Although the plant adapts to many environments, it prefers temperatures no lower than 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The soil needs to dry out between watering, so the plant doesn’t demand constant care and attention. You can place it in any corner of your home and simply let it grow, remembering to water it every now and again.
Christmas Cactus
While having cactus in your home may not sound appealing, the Christmas cactus is actually a lovely addition to your indoor space. In the early winter months, the Christmas cactus produces pink or red flowers that will add an extra dose of color to your home.
In general, the cactus actually prefers to be ignored. Watering it every week is more than enough, and you can water even less during the winter months to promote blooming. The plant can handle low light, but it will be especially beautiful in a bright area of your home. To put it simply, you can do almost whatever you want with this plant and still have a gorgeous green addition to your interior design.
Jade Plant
The jade plant features thick, glossy leaves that bunch together and look beautiful in any home. While the appearance of the jade plant is appealing, most homeowners add this plant to their indoor space because it’s almost impossible to kill.
If you’re the type of person who constantly forgets to water your plants, you need a jade plant. Too much water will cause the jade plant’s roots to rot, so indoor gardeners shouldn’t give this plant a drink until the top layer of the soil is completely dry to the touch. While waiting too long to water the plant will cause the leaves to drop, it can survive in dry soil long enough for forgetful gardeners to remember that it still needs water.
Snake Plant
Snake plant features long, sharp, pointed leaves. However, the plant’s appearance isn’t the only reason it’s commonly known as mother-in-law’s tongue. The plant earned this moniker because it’s known to live for a long, long time.
Snake plant is very tolerant of low light and requires infrequent watering. Other than the occasional watering (when the soil is dry), you can pretty much forget about your snake plant. As an added bonus, snake plants purify the air quality in your home. They’re not just there to look pretty!
Peace Lily
Peace lilies are popular indoor plants in large part because they’re so easy to grow. In addition to the bright green leaves, the peace lily produces white flowers in the right conditions that look gorgeous in any home.
Peace lilies grow best when the soil is kept fairly moist. However, they can withstand short periods of dry soil. If you forget to water, you don’t have to worry that your plant will be dead within a day. The peace lily enjoys warm temperatures, a bit of humidity, and indirect—but bright—sunlight. If you can perfect all those conditions in your home, your peace lily will thrive.
Pothos
Pothos, also known as Devil’s Ivy, grows and grows and grows inside your house with little intervention from you. In fact, the biggest part of taking care of this plant will likely be to ensure that it doesn’t take over your entire home.
Pothos thrives in low light and humidity, and can easily be neglected for long periods of time. It should grow in a hanging container so you can enjoy the full effect of the cascading leaves. It requires indirect light and needs its soil to dry out fully between waterings. While the plant grows up to 10 feet or more, you can easily snip the leaves to keep your Devil’s Ivy in check.
Philodendron
New gardeners looking for their first plants will likely settle on philodendron. The plant is so easy to care for and thrives indoors, making it the perfect choice for new gardeners testing their green thumb.
Philodendrons like indirect, but bright sunlight. Placing them near a window where they soak in the light, but are never actually touched by the sun will yield the best results. The top part of the soil should completely dry out between waterings, allowing you to forget about your plant for a few days without disastrous results. If you check on this plant and give it a drink every once in a while, it will repay your minimal attention by adding some gorgeous greenery to your home.
ZZ Plant
ZZ plants originated in Africa, but their distribution around the world has made them a popular choice for plant lovers everywhere. The ZZ plant boasts dark green leaves that reflect sunlight, so they instantly brighten any room. Also, the plant is fairly small and doesn’t grow out of control, often staying around two or three feet in both height and width.
The ZZ plant requires indirect sunlight and only needs to be watered when the soil is fully dry. Even if you forget one (or three) waterings, the plant will still stay alive. Other than the occasional drink, the ZZ plant thrives in any home without much intervention from its owner.
Asparagus Fern
While bright green leaves are beautiful in any home, the asparagus fern holds a different kind of aesthetic appeal. This fuzzy, light green plant looks absolutely adorable, even if it’s not a common indoor plant choice.
The asparagus fern should be kept in loose soil out of direct sunlight. The plant requires a daily mist, but it rarely needs a full watering to thrive indoors. It likes the warmer temperatures often found inside a home, making the asparagus fern an easy choice for lazy plant owners.
Air Plant
As the name suggests, the air plant doesn’t even need soil—that’s how easy it is to grow. In the wild, air plants attach to other plants or rocks to survive. Inside, however, air plants are often available in hanging terrariums that add a whimsical feel to your interior design.
Although air plants don’t need soil, they do need occasional watering. Mist your air plant every few days to keep the moisture in the plant alive. Every once in a while, remove the air plant from its container and submerge it in a water bath for about half an hour before allowing it to dry and returning it to its home. Other than that, air plants just need to be kept in warm temperatures and indirect sunlight to truly thrive.
Boston Fern
With frilly, dangly leaves and fronds, the Boston fern dresses up any indoor space. Although it looks beautiful and complex, caring for it is almost too easy.
Like most easy-to-care-for indoor plants, the Boston fern prefers indirect sunlight. While the roots should be kept moist, the rest of the plant doesn’t need much watering. The occasional drink and intermittent misting will be more than enough to keep this plant happy inside.
Calathea
Sometimes called the zebra plant, the calathea is one of the most gorgeous options available for your indoor space. The striking leaves are absolutely stunning, featuring tones of light and dark green, as well as purple. Even with such a gorgeous appearance, the calathea plant isn’t too hard to care for.
Calatheas love low light, in large part because direct sunlight will bleach the leaves and ruin the plant’s appearance. Although they require regular watering, they can survive for a few days on a single drink. You can’t forget about these plants entirely, but they’re stable enough to add some beauty to your home with minimal attention.
Dracaena
If you feel like you’re tired of plain old green, opt for the dracaena plant in your home, which features shades of gorgeous yellow. This tropical plant is a taller addition to your home that will certainly make a statement. Thankfully, its larger appearance doesn’t mean that it requires more care.
Find a bright corner of your home that doesn’t receive direct sunlight and place your dracaena plant there. While the soil shouldn’t dry out completely, the top layer should be dry before you add more water. With those simple instructions, this beautiful statement plant will thrive inside your home.
Money Tree
The money tree may not add instant richness to your home, but it will certainly add some beauty. Plus, this plant earns its name because it’s reputed to bring good luck. Money doesn’t grow on trees, but having this plant in your home might coincide with a lucky influx of cash—who knows?
The money tree enjoys lots of humidity, so it may be the perfect plant to have in your bathroom. Other than that, the money tree likes indirect sunlight and soil that dries out between waterings. You can water infrequently and still watch the braided trunk of this tree grow.
Monstera Deliciosa
Also known as the Swiss cheese plant, Monstera Deliciosa features interesting green leaves full of holes and gaps, just like a slice of Swiss cheese. The plant can grow to be very large, so it should be given a space all its own to allow it to become a statement piece in your home.
Other than a large pot, the Monstera plant likes indirect sun and moderate water. Giving this plant a drink once a week should be more than enough to keep it alive. If it’s growing a bit too large for your taste, you can easily pinch off new growths to keep the plant well-groomed.
Spider Plant
While the spider plant was quite popular in the ’70s, it’s still a good choice for lazy gardeners. The plants can survive lots of abuse, so even the most inexperienced and forgetful gardener will be unlikely to kill the plant beyond the point of repair.
Keep the plant in indirect sunlight and water regularly, but only when the soil is dry. Thankfully, forgetting about this plant for a while won’t be the end of the world. Don’t give up on your spider plant if you can’t remember to water it. The plant will stay alive with even the most infrequent care.
Anthuriums
While it’s one thing to keep plants alive, it’s another to see them flower. Allowing a plant to flower often requires a little extra care, except in the case of anthuriums.
Anthuriums feature bright red flowers that can last for a very long time with very little care. It simply needs indirect sunlight and regular water. Don’t allow the soil to dry out too much because it will stunt the growth of the plant. If you remember to water your plant fairly often, however, it will bloom easily and maintain the bright red flowers for weeks on end.
Bamboo
If you want to add a little foreign appeal to your home, turn to bamboo. When it comes to easy to care for indoor plants, bamboo pretty much tops the list.
All you have to do is place your bamboo in water and indirect sunlight. If you want to grow it in soil, you’ll hardly need to water it at all. If you grow it in water, you’ll simply have to put in fresh water every seven to ten days. Other than that, you just have to sit back and watch your bamboo grow.
