7 Easily Maintained Plants To Brighten And Diversify Your Living Space
If you’re feeling that your living space is feeling a little drab or lifeless, then here are some easily maintained plants that are perfect for inexperienced gardeners. Any home can really use the subtle but powerful presence of these silent companions. These variety of strange plants all have an unique style and traits that help them survive with more infrequent care than the average plant requires. Add some green to your home with these easily maintained plants!
1. Chinese Evergreen
These large leafed plants have special leaves that come in a surprising amount of variety. While many of them are traditionally dark green, the leaves can have complex patterns of white, or even tinges of purple and pink that make them far from ordinary leaves. These plants are simple to care for, another part of their charm. The Chinese Evergreen does not require much light, and like most indoor plants, it does best in indirect light. They grow better in warmer areas, and prefer a moderate watering of about once a week. The older they get, the more likely they will need fertilizer, but the durability of these leafy plants is bound to make up for that. This isn’t exactly the plant you forget about for weeks at a time, but all gardens need some effort, and these durable plants can be a long lasting addition to your home.
2. African Violets
These beautiful plants offer a sharp coloring contrast between its vivid, bright flowers and the dark, smooth leaves, which really draws the eye and completes a room. African violets can be a little needy, since they require a bright but indirect light. You’ll need to make sure they find a place in your home that provides enough light without damaging them. There are tricks to tell how much light your violets need: if their leaves are thin and dark, they are not receiving enough light, while light, bleached leaves mean they are receiving too much light. Otherwise, they are simple-to-grow flowers, with moist soil and a warm climate being their ideal conditions. Appropriately named, their flowers come in a variety of purples, though some are even white, and make a strong addition to any living space.
3. Air Plant
Of the easily maintained plants, this is a very unique one. The air plant, or tillandsia, does not require any soil, as its name suggests. Therefore, they can be picked up and moved around, which is actually required for watering. Once a week, you’ll need to submerge the plant in water for a half hour, before flipping it to dry off and returning the air plant to its proper place. Besides the weekly watering, these plants have simple requirements of low light and warmer temperatures. These plants have long, spike-like leaves, and may not be the most visually stimulating plant on this list, but they are certainly one of the most flexible.
4. Peace Lily
The peace lily has a fairly unique shape compared to most flowers: their flowers have a single, white, hood-like petal at the end of each stem. While not actually a lily, these flowering plants will let you know when they need to be watered. Once they start to droop, that’s a sign that they’re thirsty and ready for watering. They don’t need much light, but it is important that you keep them away from any curious pets, since their leaves can be toxic. As long as you don’t have any impulsive animals around the house, the peace lily is definitely a low maintenance plant.
5. Phalaenopsis Orchid
Like the peace lily, the Phalaenopsis orchid is a taller, flowering plant, but this one comes in a variety of colors. The orchid’s petals can be pink, white, yellow, and sometimes, a single petal can contain all three. If you’re lucky, these flowers can have truly complex designs. These flowers are also notable for the fact that they stay bloomed for a long time, only starting to wilt around the transition from spring to summer. The orchids do not need much water, but they should be exposed to a strong indirect light to keep them healthy. Similar to other plants, you can tell that darker leaves require more sunlight, while bleached, light leaves can do with less. These orchids also do well in humidity, so if you are willing to bring out your humidifier, these orchids will thank you.
6. Christmas Cacti
Christmas cacti have a very distinguished appearance, especially among cacti, due to the fact that they have long, sectioned bodies that end in vivid pink flowers. These cacti get their name due to the fact they bloom at Christmas time. You can even find Easter or Thanksgiving cacti that are very similar! These cacti are not desert fairing, so they do need a bit more care than the average cactus. They need indirect like, and thrive in humidity and moist soil. While these cacti do require more effort, they bloom much more easily and far longer than average cacti. Their vivid flowers can make other cacti pale in comparison.
7. ZZ Plant
And for the final of our easily maintained plants, we have the ZZ plant, which is considered to be the most indestructible of the house plants. These are a simple looking plant, consisting of stems with rows of dark leaves– they are much more humble than previous plants on this list. But these plants need very little maintenance, and are perfect for those wanting to gain experience caring for a plant. They do need some indirect light, but are fine with low levels. They should be watered twice a month, but gardeners have noted that even when forgetting to water the ZZ, it can still make a comeback. These durable plants are a rookie gardener’s best friend!
