I desperately want to be a Plant Person. I've only ever had the best intentions when bringing home a leafy friend. But if time (and the many shrivelled plant corpses) has revealed anything, it's that I'm actually a gifted houseplant murderer.
Personally, I blame our apartment. The space is very dry and never gets direct sunlight, so it's not the most hospitable environment for growing greenery. But there's another, bigger problem at hand... I'm terribly neglectful and hardly nurturing of my houseplants.
Shockingly, there is a small handful of plants I've managed to keep alive for the long haul (knock on wood). They have a lot of the same qualities: Very low maintenance, not much watering needed, can thrive without tons of sunshine. They're basically indestructible. They also happen to be very pretty :)
I'd like to share five houseplants that have thrived under my spotty care. If you also struggle to raise healthy plants, then you've come to the right place.
Snake Plant
This plant seems perfectly happy sitting by the TV, going weeks without fresh water. I spend more time wondering whether or not it's dead (or fake) than I do actively taking care of it. The plant always looks so strong and colorful. Mine is 6" tall and I plan to buy a 10" sister. That's how much faith I have in this plant's will to live ;)
Philodendron Cordatum
At almost ten years old, this is my oldest surviving plant! It started as cutting from a friend's much larger plant, which I kept in water for months before my mom moved it to a terracotta pot (where it still lives today). Its needs are super straight-forward -- give it tons of water, wait a couple weeks for the leaves to start sagging, then water it again. Like most of my other plants, this one only gets indirect sunlight for half the day, max, which seems to be plenty.
Zanzibar Gem (or ZZ Plant)
One of MANY Ikea plant purchases over the years, but the only one that hasn't perished. In fact, it's grown significantly bigger, and its branches are looking a little haywire. Which hardly bothers me because I'm just thrilled it's alive! I couldn't tell you how to keep it properly watered, though. My system is to forget it exists, remember eventually, then water it in a panic. Seems to do the trick lol.
Lipstick Plant
Mine comes from the flower shop on Mont Royal, just east of Parc Ave. It sits by a window and only gets indirect sunlight for half the day. I wait for the leaves to get a little droopy before watering. Plot twist: I glanced over one day and noticed she'd sprouted red flowers. (That's where the name comes from.) Since then, more blooms have popped up every once in a while. Makes me feel like I'm doing something right ;)
Bunny Ear Cactus
It has NOT been my personal experience that cacti are easy to care for. I've brought home so many, figuring if they can live in the desert, then they could handle my apartment. Incorrect. My Bunny Ear cactus is the reigning champ (meaning: sole survivor). It just hangs out in the front window, gets seldom waterings, and grows pups like crazy. I've also been pricked this plant more times than I'd care to admit, but as long as it keeps growing, all is forgiven.
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There you have it -- my snapshot of durable, resilient houseplants. Hopefully someone out there will find it helpful!
If you also have experience with these plants, or know of other brainlessly easy ones to care for, I'd love to hear about it.
Good luck and happy gardening :)
Image credit: Hass & Co.
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