Low-Maintenance Houseplants For Your Dorm Room

Low-maintenance houseplants are perfect to look at and easy to care for. If you have a history of neglecting flora, these are the plants for you.

Low-maintenance houseplants are the easiest way to create a trendy indoor garden. A dying bonsai tree is not a bold interior design piece. If you can only commit to watering plants every few days when you remember, or have no idea what constitutes as ‘too much’ or ‘too little’ sunlight, then these hardy houseplant species are the ones for you.

Monstera

This plant has more to offer than just a cool name, that sounds as if it came from ‘The Munsters’. Monstera’s beautiful leaf pattern is a popular design motif, so you can easily co-ordinate low-maintenance houseplants with prints from Ikea, or bedspreads from Target. Most importantly, it is drought tolerant, so you hardly have to water it.

Aloe Vera

These low-maintenance houseplants easily absorb direct sunlight, so you can leave them on your window sill without much consequence. You won’t need a plant sitter over your next vacation, as Aloe only needs watering every three weeks. As an added bonus when you return from your trip, use the gel from the leaves to soothe any sunburn.

Snake Plant

Unlike their sun-loving, cold-blooded namesake, snake plants prefer indirect sunlight. They only need infrequent watering, but in return, will reward you with the gift of better air quality. Snake plants purify the air in your home.

Pilea

These low-maintenance houseplants do well in direct or indirect sunlight. If you choose to keep them in the light, rotate them every week so the leaf-growth is even and healthy on all sides. The leaves of Pilea are round like dollars, so they are also known as ‘Chinese Money plants’.

Pothos

Only water these climbing plants once it starts to look wilty, and it’ll be fine. Keep it in a darker corner of your room, as Pothos dislikes direct sunlight. The leaves change colour in different light levels, and if you favour green leaves over white, the darker the better.

Rabbit’s Ear

You may not be able to stop yourself from rubbing the fuzzy leaves of this plant, which are just the velvety texture of a rabbit or lamb’s ear. This plant only needs infrequent watering to maintain its fluffy coat.

Rubber Plant

While plastic plants are probably the easiest to maintain, a rubber plant is actually a living organism. They thrive in bright, indirect sunlight. Watering varies seasonally- it’s as little as twice a month in winter, but in summer the soil should be damp to prevent dehydration.

Philodendron

This plant will easily signal to you what its needs are. If the plant’s leaves begin to yellow, it is getting too much direct sunlight. If the plant has several patches without leaves, it is getting too little. Once the leaves begin to droop, you know you’ve watered it too much.

Cactus

These succulents store water like no other, so they’re great low-maintenance houseplants. They can cope with direct sunlight, as they’re used to surviving in the desert.

Echeveria

Unlike some cacti, these succulents prefer the shade. Feel free to neglect these plants in a dank corner of your room, and they’ll still grow like normal. Water them once the soil is very dry to the touch.

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Paddle Plant

Once the Paddle plant has dry soil, water deeply. No more, no less. These low-maintenance houseplants grow very slowly, so you’ll never have to worry about it outgrowing your apartment or pruning it back.

Fishbone Cactus

Unlike the name implies, these plants do not perish into a pile of dried up bones easily. This hardy plants also has a permanent crimped hairstyle, so you will never feel ashamed of your own bedhead again. They thrive in bright, indirect light, and need slightly more water than other cacti.

Ginseng Ficus

If you don’t want to give up on your dream of keeping a bonsai, this low-maintenance houseplant is your best bet. It needs watering every two to three weeks in summer, and even less in winter.

Mikado

The soil of these plants needs to dry out between watering, but you can keep it humid with a spray bottle several times a week. If maintained right, they sprout cute white flowers.

Air Plant

If you love hanging or terrarium plants, then the air plant is the perfect low-maintenance houseplant. Instead of watering conventionally, these plants can be dunked in water once a week overnight to keep the leaves hydrated. Dry in sunlight, re-hang these bad boys to give your room a nice, green aura.