Anyone who’s visited my house (or office at work, back when I wasn’t working from home) knows I’m a huge fan of houseplants! I love the way they liven up the space and bring in some nature and greenery, even in the middle of winter. Some of my oldest houseplants are eight or nine years old, and I’ve tried many varieties along the way. I thought I would share my list of most un-killable houseplants based on my experience!
I should note that a lot of what will work for you depends on your tendencies when caring for houseplants, so it might take some experimentation to find ones that work best for you. As for me, I tend to be an underwaterer. I prefer plants that need water about once a week, but can go two weeks without shriveling up. If you’re an over-waterer some of these plants might not be as happy under your care. Sometimes it can help to consider the natural environments of the plants as well. Most houseplants are either rainforest or desert plants. Those from rainforest or tropical regions often do best in more humid rooms, like bathrooms, kitchens, or laundry rooms, whereas desert plants won’t necessarily benefit from being located there.
Keep in mind lighting needs as well. If you’re in the Northern Hemisphere, Southern windows will give the most light, while I largely try to avoid North-facing windows. However, some of these plants are so tough that I even grew them in my office with no windows and just fluorescent lighting!
Without further ado, let’s get into my favorite easy-to-care-for plants!
1. ZZ Plant
The ZZ plant–so nicknamed for its scientific name, Zamioculcas zamiifolia–tops my list. This is the number one houseplant I recommend to people who are just starting out, and it’s one of my all-time favorites as well. I love the dark green, glossy leaves and the shape of the plant, and own about four of them! They are low-light plants, one of the kinds I kept in my office that thrived under fluorescent light, and also don’t need to be watered very often. The only drawback? Every part of the plant is poisonous, so it’s not the best choice for households with mischievous pets or kids.
2. Snake Plant
The snake plant is also sometimes called “mother-in-law’s tongue” because of its sharp leaves! This is another of my favorite houseplants that can take some serious neglect. There are over 60 varieties of Sansevieria, but they’re all pretty easy to care for. They’re another plant that can survive well in low light and skip waterings now and then, which makes it another of my top choices for new houseplant enthusiasts. However, this is another one that can be harmful to dogs and cats, so it’s one best skipped if you have any plant-nibbling pets.
3. Pothos
Of all the indestructible plants on this list, I think pothos might be the most indestructible. At one of my previous jobs, there was just one pothos plant that had grown to fill the entire room, running along the tops of cubicles and throughout the workspace. And that plant got almost no sunlight and I think was only watered with someone’s leftover coffee! It’s also sometimes known as “Devil’s Ivy” and is an invasive species when grown outdoors in many regions of the world. It can survive in very low light. Even with a small planter and occasional watering, you might find you have an unruly beast on your hands. Don’t worry though, because it’s also an extremely easy plant to propagate. You can trim it back and give your friends the gift of their own little pothos plant! However, again, this one is best avoided if you have pets who might nibble on its leaves.
4. Aloe vera
Aloe vera is one of my favorite plants because, not only is it easy to grow, but it’s a plant with medicinal uses as well as aesthetic ones! I have a couple, but always like to keep one in the kitchen for accidental burns. As a desert plant, you can be lazy with watering this one, though it does need a little more light than the previous ones on the list to be happy. Treat it right, though, and it will reward you with more aloe plant shoots off it’s sides, called “pups”. This one is mildly toxic to pets, so keep it out of the way if you do have any that might be curious about it.
5. Succulents (echeveria) & 6. Zebra Haworthia
Who doesn’t love succulents? There are even subscription boxes now where you can receive new ones every month! While often extolled for being easy-to-care-for, I think they are slightly trickier than some others on the list. They need quite a bit of sun to be happy, so try a South or West-facing window, but they don’t need much soil or frequent watering.
One of my favorites that’s sometimes sold as a succulent is the zebra haworthia, a spiky little guy who gets its name from its white dots/stripes. I swear this one thrives on neglect as long as it’s in a sunny window, and will sprout little pups you can plant and give as gifts to friends and family!
Succulents in general are a little safer for pets, as most are nontoxic, and many are of a spiky enough shape that many pets won’t attempt to try to chew on them anyway.
7. Jade plant
I love my jade plants, one of which is close to eight years old! That’s nothing, really, because these long-lasting houseplants can live 70-100 years, and are sometimes passed down in families. Don’t let that intimidate you, though! They are often sold with other succulents at the store, and are pretty easy to care for. Give them plenty of sun and be sure not to over-water (terra cotta pots can help with this). They also like to be a little root-bound, but be sure to repot if they get too top-heavy.
8. Moth orchids
Orchids sometimes get a bad rap for being high-maintenance. Even if they all were, aren’t they beautiful enough to be worth it? But luckily moth orchids–the Phalaenopsis varieties often found at home improvement stores or Trader Joe’s–are actually pretty easy. I keep mine in a sunny bathroom for the extra humidity and make sure to keep them watered. I’ve even been lucky enough to have some re-bloom for me, despite my somewhat-neglectful care. These are by far my favorite flowering houseplants, as I haven’t had good luck with other favorites like African violets or cyclamen (probably because they want to be watered more regularly than I can manage). As a bonus, moth orchids are also nontoxic to both cats and dogs.
9. Marimos
Marimo moss balls are unusual little houseplants that I really enjoy–and are super easy! They’re actually not moss at all, but spherical balls of algae that, in the wild, grow at the bottom of lakes in Japan and a few countries in Europe. This means they need no soil and very little light. I actually keep mine in a North-facing bathroom not suitable for other plants, and with glass-blown floating fish I bought in Venice. 🙂
Just change the water every couple of weeks, squeeze them out and give them a rinse, and you’re good to go! If they ever start turning brown or seem unhappy, you can actually treat them by just adding a little salt to the water. They’re popular in aquariums and often available near the betta fish at pet stores, but do be careful as recently they’ve been seen to harbor invasive zebra mussels. I actually purchased the ones I own a few years ago from Amazon, though unfortunately that seller is no longer in business.
10. Dragon tree / Dracaena
Lots of varieties of Dracaena are available as houseplants, but my favorite is the dragon tree! (With a name like that, who wouldn’t want one?) I love this Madagascar native’s spiky palm tree-esque shape and red-edged leaves. My husband actually kept this one in an office for a few years before bringing it home. They do best in bright indirect light, but you can be a little lazy on the watering as they’re pretty drought tolerant. Skip it if you have pets, though, as it’s toxic to cats and dogs and has those temptingly chewable, dangling leaves.
11. Moon cactus
If you’ve been to a nursery or the houseplant section of a home improvement store, you’ve very likely seen moon cactus. They’re available in a rainbow of colors (and not because the store painted them that way, which is something you should definitely look out for when shopping for houseplants). The colorful spiky ball on top actually can’t do its own photosynthesis (the lack of green coloring also means a lack of chlorophyll), so it relies on the cactus it’s grafted onto for those needs. They need bright sunlight but very little water, and are a great choice for a pop of color in a place where no humans or pets will get caught in their spikes. I’ve had the one shown here for at least seven years now, and all I have to do is water it occasionally and (wearing gloves) pop off some of the babies every now and then so they don’t overwhelm the main cactus.
12. Chives
Edible plants are awesome, but, living in Minnesota, there aren’t a whole lot that can survive indoors here. I’ve had a little herb garden in my kitchen for a long time, but haven’t had success with very many types (my underwatering tendencies strike again!). Chives, however, are basically a weed and easy to grow indoors provided they have enough sunlight and you remember to water them. We like a variety called garlic chives that actually do taste pretty garlicky!
13. Mint
Mint is the other herb that I actually have a good track record with growing indoors. Like chives, they’re also basically a weed and can quickly overwhelm a garden if planted outdoors. Indoors, though, in a sunny window with adequate water, they’ll keep you sipping mojitos all year round!
The world of houseplants is vast, especially with how popular they’ve become in recent years, so I figured I’d mention a few others I’ve had over the years in case they might work better for you than they did for me!
Mixed-Result Plants
There are some plants that I’ve managed to keep alive for a year or so, but just struggled with long-term. Or I still have them, and they’re still alive, but not really thriving. Most of them are plants that I think benefit from more frequent waterings than I can manage, or more humid settings than I have available. If you’re more of the over-watering variety, you might have good luck with peace lilies, African violets, Areca palms, cyclamen, and air plants (which don’t even need soil but do need high humidity and to be soaked in water every so often).
I absolutely love crotons (with their colorful leaves splashed with yellow and red) and have managed to keep a few alive in my sunny bathroom for a few years, but inevitably I skip a watering (or going on a two-week vacation) and end up killing them. Fingers crossed that my latest one is the one that makes it!
My oldest houseplant was a lucky bamboo (which can actually be grown in just water without soil) that lived nine years under my care, but they can be a little tricky since technically you’re supposed to rinse out their roots every so often, and I was terrible about remembering to do that.
Too Soon to Tell
As I’m sure many people did last year when adjusting to working from home, I went on quite the houseplant shopping spree. I wanted to mention a few plants I got then or maybe two years ago that are doing really well so far, but which I definitely haven’t had long enough to declare “easy” or “unkillable” houseplants. Many of these may not actually be great for beginners, but that’s the nice thing about houseplants. As you get better at caring for them, you can “level up” and start trying trickier plants. Someday I’d like to try a Venus fly trap!
I wanted a spider plant for a long time, and surprisingly was only able to find one last year. They’re super easy, the only thing is that they are sensitive to fluoride and chlorine in tap water, so the tips may turn brown on you. You can solve this by watering with distilled or tap water but I don’t and just live with some brown tips here and there. 🙂
I love the pair of parlor palms I bought last year and the “jungle” feel they can add to a room. They do alright in low or indirect light and do need a little more watering, but so far they are doing well! I also love my anthurium, with its bright red “flowers” (that are really leaves and so last a very long time), and it seems pretty happy even when neglected, as long as it gets enough light. My Easter/spring cactus seems to respond well to similar care as I give my aloe veras, though it sadly didn’t re-flower this spring. My aglaonema (aka Chinese evergreen) has absolutely thrived this past year, putting off little white flowers and nearly outgrowing the pot it came in. I have the red-edged variety and love the look of its leaves.
A few other cool ones I took a chance on this year were the polka dot begonia and a monstera that’s not yet big enough to have “Swiss cheese” holes in its leaves. Both need bright sunlight and a little more water than usual but are so far doing well, and are ones I just love to look at. That’s the fun of houseplants–they’re a cheap and easy way to change up the look of any room, and will grow and change with time, especially as you get better at caring for them!
I hope you now feel ready to pick up your first houseplant (or some new ones, if you’re not a beginner!). My favorite places to buy them are from the local florist, home improvement stores, or–surprisingly–from Etsy. However I’ve also picked up ones from grocery stores, Target, Ikea, or my local farmer’s market in the past. If you have a favorite easy plant or place to discover new ones, please share in the comments below!
Remember, like anything else, houseplants will take some practice to learn how to care for. Don’t beat yourself up if your first attempts don’t go well, and be willing to try different kinds of plants to discover the ones that work best for you. Happy growing!
