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There are so many reasons this generation has become ‘plant-parents’, and personally, I have lots of friends who will happily part with their disposable income for a new fern.
Perhaps it’s a side-effect to the ever-growing wellness industry? If you’re renting, with little autonomy over how you can decorate your home, plants are a great way of changing how your space feels, without any permanent consequences (plus it gives you something to look after).
Having a space filled with greenery is also great for your mood and a home with lots of leafiness is good for your head. Not only that, but plants boost your air quality too.
Regardless of why the plant industry is booming, it can be difficult to keep them alive. Since getting my own place I have experimented with lots of different types of greenery and after a few weeks (sometimes months) I end up saying RIP and popping said plant in the compost bin.
We’ve done our research and here are five of the easiest houseplants to keep alive.
My most successful foray into the plant world to date. I received one of these as a house-warming gift a year ago and it’s still going strong. They like direct sunlight (mine is perched on a windowsill) and need watering about once a month, or when the top layer of soil is dry. My plants usually die because I forget to water them and then overwater them in a panic, so minimal watering is probably why this guy is still alive.
Otherwise known as Pothos, this one looks particularly well on high units or shelves as it is a trailing plant. They like to be in bright but indirect sunlight when kept indoors. They don’t require too much watering, just every week or so, or when you see the soil is very dry. Make sure if yours is growing quite wild (they can get up to (30-40 feet!) that you support it with some hooks so it doesn’t get too tangled.
These look great in larger rooms as they take up a lot of space. This likes lots of light, but not direct sunshine. As well as watering every two-three days, the Areca Palm needs to be misted with water regularly (this will stop the leaves from drying out and turning brown).
Probably the most low-maintenance on this list, aloe plants are easy to look after. They don’t require regular watering (every three weeks is fine), and all they want is lots of bright, but indirect sunlight, so pop it in the sunniest room in your house, just not in the window.
They’re also handy to have around as you can break leaves apart for a gel that soothes skin that’s burnt, irritated or healing.
I did have one of these for two years and looked after it religiously. Sadly, it died when I moved it to a windowsill. Turns out they don’t love direct sunlight. If your leaves start to turn yellow, the light is too strong and you should move them into the partial shade. They are particularly good as a houseplant as they really purify the air around them; what’s more, they only need to be watered about once a week or when the soil is dry.
Hopefully, your days of being a plant murderer are over, but if all else fails? Just get a succulent.
Photography by @indoorplantdecor.
This article was originally published in January 2022.