8 Hard to Kill Houseplants

By Marissa Ross, Intent

Ah, yes, spring. Makes me want to go outside and frolic in some flowers and enjoy some sunshine. You know, all the things our daydreams are made of! But more so than not, I am stuck inside my apartment staring at a computer screen or cleaning up after my kid (‘kid’, ‘dog’- same thing in this house!).

I am probably the least domestic person anyone I know knows. Famous for only eating frozen veggie corn dogs or blocks of cheese when left to my own devices, it’s also not uncommon to hear about me shrinking my boyfriend’s shirts or killing off my roommate’s hydrangeas. But this Spring, I decided it was high time I get some foliage to brighten up my space! So, what does the girl that can barely remember to turn in her Netflix plant in her house?

Here are some low maintenance and highly rewarding houseplants to consider:

Mother-In-Law Plant: “The plant that never leaves!” is known for its incredible life spans and its sharp, pointed tongue-like leaves. The Mother-In-Law plant is tolerant of very low light environments and actually will rot if you love it too much — only one to two waterings a week!

Christmas Cactus: This plant just loves to give, apparently more the less you give! The Christmas Cactus does well in just about any light environment although bright, indirect sunlight will give you the brightest flower blooms. Also like the Mother-In-Law, too much watering is the one way to kill this guy. You should only water it when the top third of the soil is dry.

Pothos: I like these guys because they’re great for hanging! Pathos need low to medium light and only need to be watered once a week. The only set back to this plant is having to groom them. Just give them a trim when you’re cleaning up your bangs and you’ll be fine.

Dragon Tree: For those of us Black Thumbs with a predilection to the Palm Springs motif, the Dragon Tree resembles a Palm Tree but can be trained to grow into braids or knots. They do well in bright sun and best if they actually dry out completely between waterings. And if you really are a Black Thumb and even let this resilient plant wilt, just some water will make it perk right back up again.

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Read more: Do Good, Home, Nature, flowers, houseplants, lily, orchid, violet

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Trudi G.

1:07AM PDT on Apr 7, 2012

Fine- so they clean the air, BUT- quite a few of them are toxic to cats- peace lily, for example- DO cross-check before populating your house with potential murderers.

send a green star

Heide C.

8:36AM PDT on Apr 4, 2011

Thanks ... great list of 'doable' plants!

Lynn C.

6:03PM PDT on Apr 3, 2011

Have never heard of the ZZ plant. Will have to investigate...Thanks for the list.

James M.

7:22AM PDT on Mar 30, 2011

One commenter said that plants give off carbon dioxide so shouldn't be in sleeping quarters.. As a botanist, I wish to differ with that comment Plants absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen as part of the photosynthetic process. So it's OK to have them in sleeping quarters.

Nikola P.

11:50AM PDT on May 27, 2010

good advices; thanks

Inez Deborah A.

1:57PM PDT on May 23, 2010

Remember plants cannot be kept in sleeping quarters they exhale carbon dioxide!

Nellie K A.

4:15PM PDT on May 19, 2010

Thanks for the info and the article

Past Member .

11:59PM PDT on May 16, 2010

I am probably the person least Slovenian knows someone I know. famous vegetarians, only dogs eat frozen corn or a block of cheese when left to themselves.
memory stick

Suzanne C.

8:19AM PDT on May 15, 2010

Will have to look for some of these. Dragon tree? Sounds neat!