Favorite – EASY TO GROW – Houseplants
When people find out I LOVE plants, the question I get asked most often is: What can I grow if I’m terrible with plants? Here are my favorite EASY TO GROW houseplants that will brighten your home and your life!
1. Snake Plant
While not pet friendly, is one of the easiest houseplants to grow. Thrives on neglect, but bounces back fast if you forget to water, propagates well (for fun and multiplication!), and looks magnificent in mixed arrangements. There are lots of choices in this variety as well. Easy to find at big box stores, Trader Joes, and your local greenhouse (always my first shopping choice). Here are some of mine:
2. Chinese Evergreen aka Algomanera
I love this plant for its big leafy tropical look and its ability to adjust to low-light conditions. Transitions beautifully from summers to more cloudy winters and looks great in large fancy pots. I’ve had one now for two years and bought another. At my house, if you keep a plant alive for a year, then you can buy another of its same type! Keep pruned and water intermittently and they will reward you with beautiful new leaves. Not pet friendly and really shouldn’t be touched a lot either, but just the lush look you want in your home. I have one propagating now, so I’ll report back on the ease of propagation.
3. Corn Plant aka Dracaena.
This plant can be a little fussy and its need for “direct light” is a straight up lie as I learned when I completely fried this plant in a west facing window. It was much happier with dappled light and near a humidifier. However, if you keep it happy with the right light, this is an easy plant to grow, requires little attention, and makes your space look invitingly tropical.
4. Aloe.
This plant is so easy to grow that you can ignore it for months and it will happily keep on living. It has beneficial medicinal properties for your terrible sunburns. I have, on occasion, given my Aloe too much light. If your plant starts to look gray and sickly it’s not your watering schedule! Move it out of the light. It should bounce back within 24 hours and look happy again.
5. This spot used to be Trailing Jade….
But they have proven to be too fussy over the last few months to keep on this list.
Instead, I offer up creeping inchplant, aka Turtle Vine, aka Bolivian wandering plant. I’m going to share a picture of this plant that has been ignored for several weeks and still looks pretty good. I can revive this little friend and make the windowsill beautiful once again! An honorable mention goes to shamrocks which are easy to grow and their wild and free lifestyle makes any table look like a cottage garden exploded. It’s a welcome sign of spring and if they start to look a little crazy, cut them all the way back and they will re-grow easily!
