What are your easiest houseplants?

16 years ago

Reading this forum it seems that the plants each person finds easy or difficult to look after are unique to them. Some people are finding that cannot keep plants alive that other people say are thriving without much effort at all.

A lot of this is probably down to differences in conditions in different people's homes, or people having incorrect information on how a plant should be cared for but it also seems to be down to people's different approaches to plant care... some people find it easy to make sure their plants are always watered on time but constantly forget to mist or feed, while others are very organised about when a plant needs fed, misted or other special treatment but don't get much time for regular watering.

So what plants have people personally found easiest to care for? In particular plants which haven't just remained alive, but which have thrived when you weren't doing all that much to it. What conditions do you have for it and do you have any idea why you find it so easy to look after... especially with plants that other people are struggling with.

I've found Boston Fern very easy to look after. I have one just around the corner from a west facing patio door, so it gets a fair bit of indirect light, but never any direct light. It can get quite chilly in my flat at winter because I'm quite stingy with heating and as I have a small flat with lots of plants, humidity is quite high.

I water it fairly regularly, twice a week in summer, and once in winter... but I'm too lazy to mist regularly... once a month if it's lucky. Since I got it though it has just exploded, it keeps growing and growing (though if you move it away from the wall you will see straggly growth on the side that gets no light at all.

I know some people have said they find Boston Ferns difficult to care for so maybe this will be of some help.

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Comments (24)

hornetwife
16 years ago
Kudos to you and your Ferns. I am glad someone can grow them, I have killed everyone I have ever had.
I'm not sure which plants of mine are the easiest. I guess it would have to be my philodendrons. Can anyone really kill these?? I ignore mine terribly and they just keep growing. My best plant that is "supposed" to be hard to grow is my Sidorasis fuscata. I have never done anything special for it and it is beautiful and growing like mad!
Lori
Jasdip
16 years ago
Mr sub_junctive is going to hate seeing this, but I love the peace lillies. I can't resist buying them. I just bought another little one, and am going to plant a couple together. (He finds them disgusting) :-)

I have a number of plants and find most of them easy. My ZZ plant is easy to grow, but the growth spreads more than I like and my pot tips over. I have to tie string around the stalks to keep them together so it doesn't tip.
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All great suggestions, although I have managed to kill every plant mentioned if I have owned it. *lol* You do have to water at least every once in awhile... I will add the basic, old-fashioned Aglaonema (Chinese evergreen); I can't believe mine is still alive. It ain't thriving, mind you, but it is still alive. And it needs another tier to its trellis; it thinks it's a dracaena (dragon tree, so-called "lucky bamboo") or a diffenbachia (dumb cane) and is trying to become a tree... Great plant for lower light levels, too; mine just barely gets some early sun and then brightish light all day where it sits six feet away from an east window. Over the years I've had good luck with schefflera, the plain green variety in either the small 4-6" wide leaves or the dinner-plate-sized you can sometimes find. (I have abysmal luck with the variegated type. In general, the closer to the "wild" version, the hardier the houseplant whatever the species.) To narrow down the succulent category (yes, I have actually killed jade, but also manage to keep enough pieces going that I still have some): Haworthia. Mine even bud off babies! Always a positive sign when a plant does this and it's not a "must reproduce before I die" reaction... Small, so it does well on the sill or small shelf in a well-lit window (mine's facing S/SW)--above the kitchen sink if possible so you have absolutely no excuse not to water it at least occasionally. ;o) You can get around the whole not enough/too much water problem by growing plants in water. Topic for another post, but for starters: Pothos gets another "easy plant" vote, and it can last a loooong time in just water. All you need is a fresh cutting (no roots necessary so long as it has a couple of nodes [root-growing part]) and a clean jar. A bit of activated charcoal [aquarium supply] in the water will help reduce potential ickiness; a narrow-necked jar doesn't evaporate as quickly as a wide-mouth jar. I've had cuttings last this way for years; why bother potting them up when they seem happy? I may even remember to drop in a bit of fertilizer once a year or so. Spider plants and arrowhead (syngonium) can actually last quite awhile in water as well if you start with a plantlet just getting roots/cutting with nodes. Same with peace lily; I plucked out three young plantlets when we repotted our main plants here at work, rinsed them off, plopped them in water, and now there are new roots on at least one. I suppose it shouldn't be sursprising that most of the mentioned "easy" plants are tolerant of occasional inconsistent watering (can go to the dry side but won't turn up their toes over a good soaking once in awhile) and also of varying light conditions (some full sun to long hours of relatively bright to somewhat lower light levels). Sorry I've rambled but I hope it helps! ~ Wren
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Hi all, My first plant was an African violet. My grandmother was at fault. It was 1979 and I was about 23 years old and in college. I decided I would like to have a house plant and went over to her place to get some pothos cuttings. She grew wonderful looking pothos like nobody I've ever seen since. Anyway she was really thrilled that I was interested in having of houseplant and cut me several good lengths of pothos stems. When we were done with that she took me over to the window and showed me an African violet. She told me that I could take one of those leaves, put it in a glass of water, and that it would grow new plants from the base of the stem. I thought to myself, "no way", but I took a couple of those leaves home, stuck them in a glass of water as she instructed and indeed after couple months little plantlets started to grow from the bottom of the stems. I then planted them in African violet soil and had two plants. I soon took more leaves and started even more African violets. I thought it was such a coup how I was able to produce these "free" plants. Although by the time I bought the pots and soil those plants were not free. lol I then started propagating other plants. I even grew a lemon tree from a lemon seed I had harvested when making lemonade one time. My surprise was that the thing had thorns. Even though I liked my plants I can say that I was really in love with them. That would come later. I graduated from college and married a girl who was in ROTC and went into the army six months later. She was immediately sent to different schools and we traveled around the country to three different places in less than a year. Keeping plants going under those conditions was not very good and I lost a lot of plants, but not my African violets. I wound up in Washington, DC and worked for what was pretty much a white collar "sweat shop". It wasn't uncommon for me to work 60 to 70 hours a week. I needed somewhat of a diversion occasionally though and I found that diversion to be houseplants. I was very lucky to share a corner office with a couple of other people. The sunlight was incredible, and the windows were tinted so that the sun was not too harsh. I bought several starter plants and had them around my desk. To make a long story short I had a spider plant that was just magnificent and I had a Swedish Ivy that was to die for. The Swedish Ivy hung from a 9 foot ceiling and was basically a pillar all the way to the floor. I could not get my arms around the circumference of the plant. Anyway that's when my love of plants really blossomed. I continued to purchase and propagate African violets and had several to give away. My wife, who would eventually become my ex wife, and I moved to Denver. I then became acquainted with other gesneriad cousins of African violets. I went to African violet and gesneriad shows annually and met several people who grew these plants. I love all of my plants but my first love is African violets and their gesneriad cousins. Larry
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mr_subjunctive
16 years ago
I don't hate peace lilies! I just don't think people should buy them 'cause they're supposed to be easy (they aren't, not for everybody: I feel the same way about Dieffenbachia), or because that's the only plant they know the name of (there are at least four or five other kinds of houseplants out there -- I swear), or because they insist on having something that will flower (get over it. Buy some cut flowers if it's that important.). A properly grown peace lily is a thing of beauty: it's just that very few people bother to learn how to grow them properly.

[cough] Where should I put this soapbox? I'm done with it now, I think. Is there, like, a stack of them somewhere?

-

I couldn't pick an easiest plant. Yucca elephantipes and I are totally Best Friends Forever!, but there are plants that are easier.

Haworthia, Tradescantia (wandering Jew, purple heart), Aglaonema (Chinese evergreen), Chlorophytum (spider plant, Fire Flash) and Dracaena species are all very forgiving plants that will tolerate a lot of abuse and neglect and misunderstood care instructions. Because they love you. (Unless you can't keep them alive, in which case that's because they hate you.) If you have bright indirect light and can wait until the soil is dry halfway down, you can keep all of those (though the Tradescantia would really like to be a little wetter than that, thanks, and the Haworthia would like a little bit of sun every once in a while, if it's not too much trouble). Easy-peasy.
nova12
16 years ago
I would have to say my easiest plant is the heart leaf philodendron.....cordatum, scandens, not sure what it goes by these days.....lol. This plant gets the least water in the house. It sits just off from a north window, so there is indirect light most of the day. I repotted it in the spring from a 10 inch pot to a 14 inch I believe, and at that time, it was a massive 10 inch root ball. I took the rootball, plopped it another pot and filled it up. Now it is a massive 14 inch root ball.....lol. I keep it trimmed to about 2 feet long, I take cuttings almost on a weekly basis. It has never gotten pests....knock on wood......I only get the odd yellow leaf ( this is when it needs water) It doesnt really suffer abuse, just a whole lot of neglect, I have other plants like my hoyas and gessies that I baby and dote on, but not this philo......but it keeps going and going.

Here is a pic, nothing spectacular, it was just cut down some yesterday......the yellow in the middle is xmas tree paper doll things put in as decoration....lol.

{{gwi:105292}}
eileen_plants
16 years ago
I have very good luck with syngoniums, they really grow for me. Don't know whether or not they are difficult, but I have 4 that are always growing new leaves and rarely losing any. I have them out of direct sun and water once or twice a week; due to new growth, all have had to be potted up. Even on the rare occasions that they get ignored, they seem to manage.
pageysgirl
16 years ago
Peace lilies I find quite difficult - I've been wondering if hydroculture might be the way to go?

As for easy plants, I've always done well with African violets. They seem to just adore my windowsills. They get bright but indirect light in summer and full sun in winter, and they thrive.
lucy
16 years ago
I have a 4 year old peace lily that was bare-rooted (by me) to float in a tank with my betta fish, and has never lived in anything else but water since then, out of direct sun. I trim roots every 3 mos or so.
greenlarry
16 years ago
Ferns aren't good for me,they need to be sat in water in order to keep them from going brown. But for easy plants I would count my Aloes and other succulents which can be left to their own devices. Also there can be few plants easier than Pelargoniums. I used to find Tradescantia dead easy, they just need regular pinching back but I've not had one for years(must rectify that and get a Zebrina)
christianme
16 years ago
I actually picked plants that are known to be easy to grow that I find myself attracted to.I'm just not a risk taker.The easiest of the easy ones I have found are spider plants,Succulents,Chinese evergreens.
pepperomia
16 years ago
Euphorbia Tirucalli/ Pencil Cactus is thriving for me right now with absolutely no special attention, and water maybe once a month.
water_roots
16 years ago
Well, I have to say that I have had Â and continue to have - a great relationship with my Aglaonemas and Dracaenas for years; we get along so well. Recently, I added some gorgeous Philodendrons to my collection, plants that fall all over themselves to please you. I never realized how terrific they are. What took me so long to bring some home?

I have an amicable relationship with Dieffenbachias, especially since weÂve come to an understanding. I understand their needs and apply them accordingly. They understand that if they don't perform well after I've met those needs, they'll end up at the curb. So far, so good.

My Ponytail Palm, Sago Palm and Desert Rose Â plants I wasnÂt sure about - seem to appreciate me and my efforts since theyÂre all doing so wonderfully; IÂm so flattered. The Spider plants never make any demands and the Snake Plants win awards regularly for Âbest performanceÂ. Of course, my Bromeliads hold a special place in my heart; always thriving, never whining. I just canÂt get enough of them...

The Crotons are finally stable now that IÂm being more responsible and finally providing ample light and sufficient humidity. In lieu of that, IÂve been daring and reckless this past year Â more than any other period of my plant growing years - and actually added more than one of these plants to my collection. Ooooh...itÂs fun living dangerously...

Peace Lilies and I have a rocky but recurring relationship. I love these plants and canÂt seem to live without them for too long. Whenever one fails, I get another one... The latest one has been around for quite some time. Maybe thereÂs hope yet.

But my truest love of all is my Euphorbia MiliiÂ Always happy, always full of bloomsÂall year round.

The term ÂeasyÂ is relative. WhatÂs easy for one may be difficult for another :)
grice
16 years ago
Congratulations on your success with the fern! I have killed two since I started my housplant hobby. I've decided not to get another one. I can't take the guilt over 'murdering' these beauties.Some of my easiest plants are my Marble Queen Pothos.I have four in hanging pots in my livingroom and one on a corner shelf. They all are in front of an east window and get indirect light. My lr is on the drafty side in winter but they grow like gangbusters. I keep a humidifier on in the fall/winter. I also have no trouble with my Aspidistra,Sago Palm,Sansiveria,and Spineless Yucca Cane. They sit in the living room as well. Aside from an occasional yellow leaf here and there they are a breeze to care for. I also have a Florida Beauty(Dracena) that I keep in my plant room which faces west. It has grown like a weed over the summer and requires occasional water.I also find my ficus trees relatively care free. I had a bout with spider mites on one of my ficus but other than that they have proven to be some of the easiest plants I've owned.I have a Midnight Ficus in my kitchen in front of a west window. I just moved it there after allowing it to summer outdoors. So far it has done well.The kitchen is somewhat drafty too (unless I'm cooking) but the plants in there seem to be pleased with the environment. I have two hoyas in my plant room .I keep a vaporizer on in that room during the colder months. I call the Hoyas easy but I wouldn't say they're thriving. They put out new growth slowly during spring and summer but have yet to flower.
Now let's talk about some of the hardest plants for me to keep....LOL
Grice
micke
16 years ago
The easiest for me are Pothos,Bosten Ferns, hoyas, Ponytails, Peace Lilies and Dracaenas. I used to do really well with Spiders but for some reason this year I have killed 2, no idea what I am doing wrong, Dieffs don't care for me at all, I just have to look at them and they start to droop, which is a real shame because I love them so much:(
marquest
16 years ago
I have killed many ferns in my life and I am to dumb to keep a dumb cane alive. They hate me. LOL

These have lived with me for 5+ years or more
.-Ficus elastica Tricolor
.-Peperomia P. clusifolia var.
Â-Wandering Jew - Purple Heart (Setcreasea Pallida), Callisia fragrans
Â-Spider plant-- green, and white green edge and green white edge
Â-Aloe Vera (Medicine Plant)
.-Jade
Â-Stromanthe sanguinea
Â-Purple Passion
Â-Sanseveria Trifasciata Hahnii ÂBirds Nest Snake Plant
Â-Goldfish Plant (clumnea rubra)
Â-Hippeastrum puniceum -Flowering Bulb
Â-Callisia fragrans
Â-calathea picturata
kioni
16 years ago
Plants that grow easily and relatively happy for me are:

*Chinese Evergreen - Agloenema?
*Haworthia's - one looks slightly similiar to an aloe but smaller, the other is a bunching type that grows slowly but well in indirect light.
*Fatsia Japonica - bright light
*Syngonium - Arrowhead vine - I have a variety called Pink Illusion, it is staying very compact and bushy, I'm happy with it.
*Various cacti that bloom in the spring.
*Ivies (hedera) and grape ivy.
*Sanseveria - the short one.
*Tradescantia variegatia - Moses in a cradle or Oyster Plant. This one I really like, green with pinkish striping along the length of it's succulent like leaves, with a new plant starting at the base of each leaf and progressing up the plant. One plantlet, once established, ends up very bushy. Pretty.
*Mini african violets: wow, I got about 10 new plants from 3 donated leaves, so cute, and blooming well. Usually I end up contributing to the demise of this plant family. Too much or too little water during their limited lifespan.
watergal
16 years ago
Easy for me:

Ficus (I have one over 18 years old)
Snake plant
Pothos
Ponytail palm
Clivia
Philodendron
Syngonium - I love my "Pink Illusion" too - a great variety!
Pothos
Hoya
Rubber plant
Rhapis palm
Anthurium
Cactus
Hoya
Phalaenopsis orchids (most of the time)

I tend to keep my plants on the very dry side. My variegated peace lily isn't too happy about that but it's still with me.
dampflippers
16 years ago
Aloes,
cacti,
sempervivium,
bryophyllum,
Sinningia leucotricha (it is ancient),
Amaryllis (I get really cross when people tell me theirs didn't flower so they cut the leaves off, or they let it dry out immediately after flowering. I water and feed mine continually til the leaves die..and then it's nearly time to flower again).
I'm learning at the moment to keep Streptocarpuses alive, Rebutia cacti,
Rhipsalidopsis cacti.
perlite
16 years ago
Many folks are surprised that Saintpaulias (African violtes) do really well for me. I ignore them and off they go, growing to that point of looking like palm trees and needing repotting.

A beefsteak begonia (Begonia erythrophylla) has also survived much of my neglect, and Oxalis triangularis also.

My tendency is to water stuff when it wilts. I don't know how some of these 150 or so plants have made it so long as they have!

perL
GrowHappy
16 years ago
Generally speaking, my philodendrons are easy, with the exception of Micans and 'Brasil'. Micans needs too much water and grows very slowly. 'Brasil' throws a fit every time I bring it back indoors for the winter.
hallgal2
16 years ago
I try to seek out only easy plants, LOL!! But I think the one that looks best with the least effort would be my goldfish plant (nematanthus). It blooms almost year round except for a brief dormant period around February. It has such nice foliage. It has grown like a weed for me.

My other easy plants include chlorophytum, wandering jew, sansevieria, and pothos.
sasha_one56
16 years ago
i always do well with aloes but this over winter and spring i had a lot of cacti and succulent casulties. my hoya has done well as have my spider plants-i just leave them alone pretty much-my purple heart, my pothos and phildendrons, dieffs-they've given me as many babies as my spiders! the snake plant is a goodie and my agave has done well, too. i've murdered a beautiful orchid-but my others are doing well-i tried a potted mini rose and it died a long slow death :*( the song of india kicked the bucket within a week and i had this awesome zebra plant that died in a month...i'm doing so-so with my tropical INDOOR hibiscuses...i think they may be mad at me for bringing them inside now that summer is over. i had a really gorgeous moses-in-the-cradle that looks like craaaaap that u'm trying to bring back. and THEN there was the rather unfortunate plant stand crash that made my poor african violet retarded and stunted...but i'm hoping it recovers :) currently i'm trying to save a violet, a mini rose bush, and 2 potted mums from my job. if anyone has any suggestions, let me know! these poor plants need all the help they can get!
j_nail
16 years ago
If you have the room, Monstera deliciosa (split leaf philodendron, incorrect, but still commonly used name) is my easiest as far as 'neglect' goes. They have very low light requirements (the only plant that can hack my dark living room), are draught tolerant, although they thrive in humidity. Native to Mexico and grow all over Florida. The reason I say "room" is that they spread outward on thick stalks if left untrained, but if you make a "moss stick" (a dowel wrapped with moss and chicken wire, planted in the middle of the pot) the aerial roots will climb the stick and there are less leaves but they get HUGE (3'+ across). I also drag it out onto my covered porch every summer. Followed by heart leaf philo's, pothos, spiders, croton, jade, sanseveria...
I used to dote on my houseplants, but when I started school last year, it has turned into dumping them all in the bath tub and sink every few weeks for a bath...it's ironic because I'm in the Greenhouse/Nursery program!!! Once I'm home for more than a nap every night it should get better...
greenelbows1
16 years ago
I spend most my time with begonias and gessies and such, and most of them do well without knocking myself out, but for really taking little or no care, I'd nominate my gift sans, two of which are starting to bloom now, which is pretty neat, and the anthurium I was given I just totally ignored but is never out of bloom with no care (except a little in the winter--care that is, and no blooms!) and a very nice Dieff I was given and didn't particularly want. The longer I have them and they keep on looking good the more I'm inclined to think they deserve a little care! I should say, most my 'houseplants' grow outside except for a few months in what passes here for winter--not quite so easy then. They actually get fed occasionally!
marquest
16 years ago
Amaryllis (I get really cross when people tell me theirs didn't flower so they cut the leaves off, or they let it dry out immediately after flowering. I water and feed mine continually til the leaves die.and then it's nearly time to flower again).

dampflippers, I understand your feeling. I feel the same way. But people keep giving them the same advice of putting them in the dark and dry for months to force them to flowers. I do not get it. Mine blooms every year and I do not stop watering or put my bulb in te dark.

What are your easiest houseplants?

Comments (24)

hornetwife

Jasdip

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