Having houseplants in your home is a great way to add color and interest to any room. During winter, houseplants add a bright spot in any room of your home. Having low maintenance plants that don’t require daily watering or a specific amount of light during the day is even better. Besides making the oxygen that I appreciate very much, houseplants can help clean the air in your home. Looking for some easy houseplants? Here are six low maintenance ones.
Pothos If you have difficulty remembering to water a plant, then a pothos is for you! This houseplant is highly tolerable to human neglect. Pothos like the soil to dry out in between waterings. They are able to grow in low light areas of your home and also like indirect light. They are trailing plants so placing them on a high shelf highlights their foliage. Just a heads up- ingesting pothos is toxic to cats and dogs.
Snake Plant Ever wonder why that gorgeous potted plant you put in the corner to brighten the space didn’t make it? It needed more light. Luckily, a snake plant tolerates low light areas. It also only needs water every two weeks during the summer and even less in the winter. Taking a month-long vacation? (We can all dream right?) Your snake plant will be just fine on its own. Snake plants even purify the air making it an even more appealing choice for a houseplant.
Kentia Palm If you need a plant with some height, then this one’s for you. In its natural habitat this palm can grow up to forty feet high; indoors its height is limited by the size of the pot. Kentia palms like indirect light and moist (but not wet) soil. You can mist their leaves occasionally to provide some humidity that the inside of your home may be lacking.
Spider Plant This is the houseplant that keeps on giving; spider plants produce shoots with new “baby” plants on them. You can leave the babies on the plant or you can take them off to start a new plant. Spider plants are great at purifying the air in your home. They like indirect sunlight and need water once a week. Note: Spider plants don’t like fluoride, so tap water from non-well sources may not be the best water to give it. You can pick up a gallon of distilled water from a grocery store for it.
Peace Lily These plants show up a lot in offices because they can tolerate low light. Peace lilies will tell you when they are thirsty by their drooping leaves. When this happens, give the peace lily a generous watering, but let it dry out before you water again. Peace lilies produce white leaves in the spring and sometimes in the fall. They can be mildly toxic to people and pets.
Philodendron There are many types of philodendron, but they are all indoor friendly. The houseplants prefer bright but not direct light. Water about once a week when the top of the soil has dried out from the last watering. Ingesting philodendrons is toxic to both animals and people, so keep your plant out of reach.
While big box stores are always a great option for finding houseplants, don’t forget about your local greenhouses too. I’ve gotten awesome houseplants from Deep Roots in Rhoadesville on sale for a fraction of the cost of the other stores. Got a favorite houseplant I didn’t mention? Let us know about it!
