Top Indoor Plants for People Who Kill Plants

Start with a spider plant, they said.  You can’t kill a spider plant, they said. Challenge accepted!

I’ll start right off the bat here. I love plants.  I really love plants. I love to be outside breathing in the beauty all around.  I love to garden and have my hands in the dirt. I love to wander around the nursery. I love to read books on plants and how to take care of them.  It is a true passion of mine: Hypothetically.  Truth of the matter is, I am no good at it.  I mean, really no good.  I literally kill everything that I touch.  My children enjoy each birthday with a sense of relief that they made it just one more year.  But I do love plants and I try and try to be successful at growing them.  Indoor greenery adds so much to your home: texture, height, beauty and improved air quality, the list goes on.  Maybe this is why I am so excited to share these fantastic natural moments using super-easy-to-care-for plants and greens.

 

Spider Plant  (Chlorophytum comosum)   What a great way to fill in a vacant corner or table top.  Spider plants are one of the easiest, most low maintenance indoor plants out there.  They develop a gorgeous arrangement of variegated light and dark green fronds that cascade over the pot and stand creating a perky, dramatic focal.  These plants are comfy in low light and need minimal water making it the ideal starter plant.  I’ve almost killed mine in the hall bathroom, but it’s hanging on and I am determined to bring it back!

 

Fiddle Leaf Fig ( Ficus lyrata)  I get asked by clients all the time if trees are out of style. My answer and my belief is a resounding No.  Trees are not out of style, it’s the style of tree that matters.  With a bend towards a cleaner edge in many of our home styles, I am not using trees that have dense fussy leaves or the ‘lollipop’ style trees these days. When I need some volume, I love a good fiddle leaf fig.  You can find these in heights ranging from 4’ to 10’ and with their big full foliage and often twining trunk, this guy is a winner no matter what size room you have. The Fiddle Leaf Fig loves a sunny spot, but doesn’t like to get too hot.  You don’t have to move this plant around much but it does enjoy a good rotation from time to time. The fiddle leaf is very happy when you make sure dust doesn’t collect on it’s large paddle shape leaves.

 

Snake Plant, Kentia Palm and Dragon Tree For those of us who need a lot of forgiveness and patience from our plant friends, say hello to these three fabulous trees.  The Snake plant, Kentia Palm and Dragon Tree are terrific house plants if you don’t want to take care of house plants.  Snake plant (Sansevieria trifasciata) can be left alone for weeks and still look like you care.  The tall architectural stems and need for low light make this a great companion plant.  It’s also dust and bug resistant and can tolerate low humidity levels which is great for us desert dwellers!

Kentia Palm (Howea forsteriana) and Dragon tree (Dracaena marginata) bring an elegance to your home without being snooty.  These plants require little maintenance, low light levels and in general, will tolerate a modest amount of neglect and still come through like shining stars when you need to fill a corner, add some extra height or volume, or just simply need to introduce their deep lush green hues to a neutral color palette.  Whatever the treatment, you can count on these plants to do the job right without demanding a lot in return.

Fun Fact:  Typically, we associate luxury and high end experiences with palm style trees and plants.  The large open firecracker style fronds bend towards the expectation of high end and exotic experiences.

 

String of Pearls (Senecio rowleyanus) For a twist on adding height interest to your home, look for hanging plants.  I happen to LOVE String of Pearls.  These aren’t easy to find but if you keep your eye out or ask your nursery about them, they can be had.  This beauty gets its name from its tiny leaves that look like pearls on a, well, string.  (And now a botany lesson from Professor Obvious!)  This is a succulent and like most succulents, String of Pearls requires a bright sunny spot to live, regular water, and well-drained soil.  It doesn’t like to get too hot and I know that sounds like a lot to think about maintenance wise, but listen ya’ll, this plant is really easy to care for and it took me almost 2 years to kill it.  I recommend giving this one a go for an interesting conversation piece that you don’t see every day.

 

Airplants  These little guys have made a big entrance into our home world in the last couple of years.  I picked one up about 4 years ago from the Desert Botanical Garden here in Phoenix and I have had really good luck with this one.  I keep it in a glass terrarium in my kitchen and it makes me happy.  It is a funky little guy that looks like an octopus.  It doesn’t need dirt, just some gravel or a stick.  It needs to be watered occasionally by soaking in a bowl of filtered water from time to time and that’s about it. If you get one of these, definitely read the instructions to make sure that you are taking care of it properly, but otherwise this type of plant, whether on its own or in a group, really makes a statement and brings something interesting to the mix.  The various shapes, styles and colors available allow you to create a natural art piece that can be yours and yours alone.

 

Cactus.  Okay, so I know. You don’t have to go there.  Cactus can be kitschy.  There… I said it.  It’s out in the universe now but stay with me.  If you are looking for an easy maintenance, artful, pokey kind of plant to introduce into your home, Cacti are great options.  No two are the same.  They come in many shapes, colors and textures and can add a great deal of interest to an unsuspecting bookcase, window, or shelf.  I hope it goes without saying, I don’t recommend cactus on your coffee table with a 2 year old grand-baby coming over.  Don’t ask, just trust me.  Cactus are one of the plant varieties that you can have real fun with and not take too seriously.  The container can be just about anything and more often, the weirder the better. These guys only need a bright spot to sit, will tolerate low water and low humidity and like well-drained soil.   If you need a bit of humor or if you want an interesting addition of texture, grab a cactus.  Carefully, though… they bite!

 

Greenery and natural elements bring so much to our home and for me, it can be intimidating to invest in something that I am not confident that I will have for very long, but these low maintenance plant options are a great place to start for beginners and the faint of heart.  Give yourself a little green and see how much better, cleaner and more interesting your favorite room can be.

Go over to Instagram @shawsquaredesign and Share your favorite indoor plant success or What The?? story in the comments.  I would love to see what you are doing in your home.