Because there are so many varieties of houseplants available, it is often simple to feel overwhelmed by the options. Which one would be best for you to purchase? Which one requires the least amount of maintenance? In this article, I will attempt to answer the question, “What are the simplest houseplants to care for?”
These are all geared towards novices who want to learn how to care for plants but don’t know where to begin. I’ll only discuss plants that I’ve personally cared for, since this enables me to provide more specific information on the plant’s preferences, both positive and negative.
We’ll cover the following plants in detail:
- Sansevierias (snake plants)
- Chlorophytum comosum (Spider plants)
- Zamioculcas zamiifolia (ZZ Plant)
- Dracaena
- Palms
Table of Contents
Sansevierias (snake plants)
Sansevieria is both one of the simplest plants to care for and one of the earliest plants that I managed to keep alive. Because it is such a simple plant to care for, you may ignore it for several weeks and it will still survive. As a result of the fact that it can be positioned in a variety of various brightness levels, you will never struggle to locate an ideal location for it.
In addition to having a lovely appearance, this feature also has the added benefit of cleaning the air in the area where it is located. Therefore, it is an excellent plant to place in any room that you spend a lot of time in, such as the bedroom or the living room.
Is this the right plant for me? Now, I’ve put up a list of questions for you to ask yourself, and if the answer to any of them is yes, then this plant is an excellent choice for you:
- Do you often forget to water your plants?
- You don’t know or don’t want to fertilize your plants.
- Your house lacks light?
- Does your house have many bright spots?
It is also extremely easy to propagate; simply clip off a piece of a leaf and plant it in the soil.
Chlorophytum comosum (Spider plants)
Because they communicate their requirements to their caretakers, spider plants are incredibly simple to maintain.
- Are you exposing them to an excessive amount of sunlight? They will gradually become lighter in tone.
- Do you expose them to insufficient amounts of sunlight? They will develop a golden color.
- Do you give them an insufficient amount of water? They will begin to sag in appearance.
- Do you give them an excessive amount of water? They will acquire a brown color.
Because of this, they are ideal for people who are just starting out with their plant ownership. Because the plant makes its preferences very plain, you won’t really need to speculate about what it enjoys.
If you take proper care of them for a long enough period of time, they will also reward you with a large number of new spider plants. Who doesn’t appreciate free plants? These young plants will hang down, giving you the option of hanging them from the ceiling or from the edge of a shelf.
Sansevierias and other types of spider plants are great for cleaning the air. Therefore, you should put them in an area where you spend most of your day.
Zamioculcas zamiifolia (ZZ Plant)
The ZZ plant has stunningly attractive dark green foliage and a very unique appearance. It is a wonderful plant that can thrive in any setting, and it does not require a lot of work to keep the plants in good condition. There is a broad range of possible lighting conditions that are suitable for the ZZ plant, ranging from deep shade to intense indirect light.
However, be sure that they are not exposed to direct sunlight. This will cause the leaves to burn. It is possible to neglect to water it for weeks at a time without causing any harm to the plant, similar to the Sansevieria. Because of its ability to clean the air, the ZZ plant, like the philodendron and spider plant that came before it, thrives in high-traffic areas of your home.
Dracaena (any variety)
My very first large plant was a Dracaena Marginata, and I was blown away by how simple it was to care for. The fact that you forgot to water it is not an issue at all since it actually enjoys being dry. Because it does not require a significant amount of fertilizer and can be placed in an environment with indirect sunlight, it will thrive in the majority of environments that you subject it to.
You only need to keep in mind that you should not overwater it, as this will not make it happy in the least. However, if you have animals in your home that enjoy eating plants, you should probably avoid growing this plant because it is highly harmful to animals who consume it.
Either choose a different plant or relocate this one to a location that is inaccessible to your animals. This plant, like the others, helps to clean the air, which makes it an excellent choice for the bedroom or living room.
Palms (Parlor palm or an Areca Palm)
Palms are amazing. It’s out in the open now. Although most people do not consider palm trees to be very exotic, I adore the way they appear in a variety of settings.. In addition to this, taking care of them is not too difficult.
You may put them in areas that receive a lot of bright indirect light and even direct sunlight on occasion. They do require a great deal more water than the other plants on our list. However, this shortcoming may be easily addressed by selecting a soil type that has a high capacity to hold onto water. Even with this soil, you should be able to forget about the plant for at least a week, and maybe even longer. This plant, like the others mentioned thus far, helps to clean the air around it.
Conclusion
These are among the simplest houseplants I’ve ever looked after. All of them filter the air, so if you look after the plant, it will look after you. They all require relatively little upkeep in the appropriate conditions, but creating these conditions isn’t difficult.
I appreciate you taking the time to read my article. I really hope that this information is of use to you in maintaining the health and beauty of your plants.
Pictures used in this article
Photo by Kara Eads on Unsplash
Photo by Lucian Alexe on Unsplash
Photo by Pawel Czerwinski on Unsplash
Photo by Brooke Lark on Unsplash
Photo by Daria Rem: https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-watering-plants-1464796/
Photo by Tara Winstead: https://www.pexels.com/photo/potted-plants-beside-a-window-7663284/
