My Favorite Easy to Grow Houseplants

Easy to Grow Houseplants

My favorite plants you can’t kill, well maybe.

Wintertime can be brutal for us plant lovers. The trees and fields are bare and the greenhouses are empty, but the inside of my home turns into a conservatory November through April. Yes, I have a Horticulture degree that says I should have a green thumb but that certainly doesn’t mean I like dealing with fussy plants. Especially during farming season, tending to my houseplants falls low on the priority list. I have one rule when growing any plant indoors or out: ‘You better be tough.’

Just like our outdoor landscapes, every home has different lighting and space available and each person has their own level of time they want to spend tending to their plants. If you are like me, you love the look and feel they create in the home but you don’t want to spend hours or even half an hour every week on plant maintenance. Am I right? Here is my list of tough houseplants that thrive on a little neglect and will give you the confidence to declare you have a green thumb.

Jade - Crassula argentea

Jade plants fall under the succulent category but not those finicky ones. They tolerate a fair amount of abandonment which is probably why I have four of them in my house. Jades like bright light but will tolerate lower light as well. I have mine placed near south- and west-facing windows. I admittedly have not watered them for over a month and though they look thirsty, they immediately perk back up and start growing again. Their incredibly long life span and resilient nature make them a great gift to give to any plant lover.

Christmas cactus - Schlumbergera bridgesii

Christmas cactus holds a special place in my heart for several reasons. When I was 20 years old and in college at OSU, I would come home to work my summers at a local garden center (Greenleaf Landscapes, for you local folks). That summer, we got a call to transplant a Christmas cactus that was over 100 years old at a farmhouse in a neighboring town. I and a coworker went because it was a two-person job handling this massive plant AND I wanted someone else to share the blame if I dropped it. The family spoke of how it had been in their family for generations and, in remembering, shared the nostalgia of their story. Fast forward ten years later; I was sharing a similar story with my Aunt Boots about her own Christmas cactus. She allowed me to take a cutting from her plant and this is now the beautiful salmon colored blooming beauty I have in my office.

Christmas cacti get their name because they bloom every year right around the holidays. They come in all sorts of fun colors salmon, hot pink, deep red, pale pink, and white. They are another easy to grow favorite in my book. Indirect bright light and water every few weeks will keep this plant pretty happy.

Interested in stepping up to green thumb status? You can try propagating yours to gift to a friend or spread the love around your house. There are several ways you can start these but I simply place a cutting in a cup of water in a bright window until a good set of roots sprout. I change the water every few weeks. Once I have a good set of roots, I plant it in a small 4” pot. You can also skip the water step and stick the cutting directly into the soil, place the pot in bright light and keep the soil moist. It should develop roots in a few weeks. Give it a try. I think you’ll be impressed by how easy it is!

ZZ Plant - Zamioculcas zamiifolia

Unofficially named "the king of the indestructible plants," by Good Housekeeping, this species tolerates the dangerous trifecta of plant-killers: drought, low light, and really low humidity. I recently found a piece of this houseplant in a pot in our shop, shoved in a corner…growing! Yes, it was alive and I am pretty sure it had been down there for over a year. If that doesn’t make you want to go out and get one, I am not sure what will. ZZ plant is perfect for houseplant beginners and busy, accidental new homeschool moms who run low on time. Seriously, ignore it. It will love you for it.

Swiss Cheese Plant

Swiss Cheese Plant - Monstera deliciosa

I remember learning about this plant in my Indoors class in college and loving its name. Monstera reminded me of deliciosa cheese so I found the name easy to remember. An easy-going plant to grow with beautiful, shiny leaves, Monstera likes indirect light and water a couple of times a month. They are famous for their naturally holey leaves, hence the nickname ‘Swiss Cheese Plant’.

One caution: As with many tropical houseplants, the Swiss cheese plant contains calcium oxalate crystals which are toxic to pets. If you have curious cats or dogs that like to nibble, this might not be the best plant for you. Ingesting it will irritate mouths, lips, and tongues and cause drooling, vomiting and difficulty swallowing. My animals leave my houseplants alone so I do have this in my sunroom.

Aloe vera

Aloe - Aloe vera

I love an easy to grow plant with function and Aloe definitely fits the bill. Aloe prefers indirect sunlight and responds well to deep but infrequent hydration. It falls into the succulent category because of its thick, fleshy leaves so it doesn’t like to sit in damp roots.

Snake Plant- Sansevieria trifasciata

Also commonly referred to as Mother-In-Law’s Tongue, Snake Plant is one of the more popular and super hardy species of houseplants because of its unique architectural shape and its low maintenance qualities. This plant is nearly indestructible. It can grow in bright light or dark corners of a room where not much else will survive.

You can find this easy to grow plant at Scot’s Marketplace in Vienna along with many others to choose from.

Prayer Plant- Calathea medallion

Calathea gets its common name Prayer Plant because its leaves fold together at night like praying hands. If you are an early bird and up before sunrise, you will see the leaves relax as the morning sunrises. The technical term for this process is called nyctinasty, where the flow of watering regulates leaf movement to best capture the sun’s energy, just as sunflowers do when they turn towards the sunlight.

Prayer Plant - Photo by Maddie Barr - Scot’s Marketplace

This plant’s vibrant, variegated leaves make it a show-stopper in any room. It does best in indirect sunlight as too much sun can actually fade its colors. Prayer plant might require the most attention of the plants I have mentioned simply because it likes to have regular watering or the leaves will quickly dry out. I recommend building your confidence with a few other plants to start.

If you are like me, I sometimes don’t give myself enough grace when trying something new. So if you are new to growing indoor plants have fun with it and don’t get discouraged. I have sent many plants to the compost pile that I could not get to live. I promise, whether you have a green thumb or not, there is something out there you can grow.

Have fun and get growing!

With gratitude,

Lyndsay