Easy Indoor Plants | No Need For A Green Thumb!
Are you team fake or live for indoor plants? I have a mix of both and they all serve a purpose. Fakes are great for seasonal decor, or for areas of the house that don’t get much if any light. (Like my laundry room or basement.)
One of my goals this year was to acquire more live indoor plants. There’s just something about watching them grow that gets me excited. Like, “I kept that alive and it looks good!” Plus there’s the health benefits of improved air quality and such. And honestly, they just make me happy.
I counted over on Instagram stories the other day how many live plants I have, and it was a grand total of nine. And friends, I’ve had them all for quite a while and they’re doing amazing.
I’ve had my ups and downs with house plants. I’ve killed more than my fair share. While I seem to rock at the outdoor gardening game. Inside is a whole other story.
But I’m determined to change that narrative! So today, I thought I’d share my favorite easy plants I’ve been able to keep alive, and also talk about a few that I’d love to try my hands at!
Easy To Keep Alive House Plants
Pothos:
This is one the the easiest and prettiest of the indoor plants. The leaves are shiny and a lovely green (though they do come in varying shades) and it grows so well! The reason I was able to propagate mine (which basically means trim some of the leaves off and set it water to root and make new plants) is because it was so happy and big!
If I’m being truly honest here, I use to forget to water it . . . a lot. I’ll wake by and notice the leaves droopy and run to my sink, quickly fill a glass with water, and pour it over the parched soil. It always bounces back quickly!
I have gotten better over the years with watering. I’ve added it to my Sunday routine. After church is deep cleaning in our home. The kids have to clean their rooms top to bottom, I do the bathrooms, all the laundry, we all pick up every room in the house.
It’s just the best because there’s nothing like waking up on Monday morning knowing everything is spotless and a fresh new week can begin. Watering is now something I do after dusting and vacuuming. It’s becoming a habit and I’m sure my plants appreciate that!
Peace Lilly
I bought this Lilly on a clearance rack from our local Fred Meyer last spring. It was root bound (had outgrown it’s pot) and was very sad looking. I figured it was a good $5 risk and brought it home, worked the roots up a bit, and replanted it in a larger pot. Very happy it’s flourishing in my office.
It will also let you know when it needs watered by showing drooping stems and leaves. Once watered it quickly goes back to normal.
Ficus Tree
This tree was a gift and at the beginning, it was losing so many leaves I was sure it was a goner. However, I think it was just a bit of stress from being re-homed, because it recovered quickly! I’ve seen a lot of new growth lately.
This tree doesn’t like to be watered from the top. Mine sits in a little plastic dish and I always have water in it. You’d think the roots would rot, but that hasn’t happened. The tree slowly drinks up the water from the bottom and when it’s almost out I add more. It’s worked great!
Bamboo
One of my very sweet friends brought me over a bamboo plant after our precious dog had to be put down because of cancer. We were so sad, and she brought over the bamboo and a sweet note. The bamboo sits in water, and you just always make sure it’s filled.
That’s it.
And again in full transparence, It’s run out of water before and honestly I have no idea how long it was empty. As soon as I saw it, and it was dry, no condensation or anything, I filled it up and the leaves that were a little droopy perked up and it’s been happy as a clam ever since!
Fiddle Leaf Fig
One of the most popular house trees, our fiddle leaf has been flourishing. Another plant I purchased off the clearance plant area, it’s almost doubled in size over the past two years.
A word of caution: When purchasing, make sure the leaves are clean from any spiderwebbing looking material. We purchased another fiddle leaf from Home Depot for our bedroom a year after this guy, thinking it would also do really well. Sadly, I saw the spider web like material and thought it just needed cleaned. In all actuality, it had mites and I wasn’t able to save it before it died. That was $100 down the drain!
Cactus
When we re-did my office I purchased a few cacti for the corner, and one is still alive, while the other promptly died. (It was a different kind)
This little guy is only about there inches tall and completely adorable. I have him in a hanging pot from the ceiling in my office.
I’ve probably gone a few months without watering it before. Oops. But again, when I remembered I would water it, and it’s never changed. Also I should note, I don’t water it every Sunday like the rest of my plants. It’s more an every other week sort of thing.
Christmas Cactus
This was a gift from my mother-in-law when we got married. It’s been tradition for my husbands family for a long time that each newly married couple gets a start from the cactus that was passed to them. Very neat and also a lot of pressure for a newly married gal! But, I’ve been able to keep it alive, though this past year was the first it’s every bloomed for me. (I’ve had it for 10 years now!)
I keep it by a window where it has constant sunlight but it’s also indirect.
Money Tree
This was a Costco score for $20 last year, and it’s been a very happy, easy, and cool looking plant! When I went to Costco the other day and they had them again! So keep an eye out! Apparently it’s a spring thing.
It’s tried to sprout new trees from the trunk, and I just pull them off. One of them I tried to propagate last year and it stayed alive for a bit, but eventually died. Might have to try it again soon!
And those are the indoor plants I have! Wait, I lie. I also have a fern that was outdoors in the summer, and my dad said to bring it inside in the winter. It’s looking rough right now, because over the Christmas season I placed it in a new spot to make room for the Christmas tree, and forgot about it. Oops.
Plants I want to add:
Along with what we’ve got going on already, I’m anxious to add a few more beauties to my collection:
- A Jade plant. (My dad owns one that’s over 100 years old!)
- Asparagus Fern. I mean, they are stunning and the green so pretty!
- Philodendron. Such cool leaves!
What other indoor plants should I add? What are your favorites? I’d love to hear them all!
