Low maintenance house plants are a match for anyone who loves the vibrant edge that greenness can bring into a space, but might be fated to tend to their plant pots a little less than they’d like to admit. Interacting with house plants can also contribute to your mental health in a beneficial way, with one study in the Journal of Physiology Anthropology suggesting this can help to reduce psychological and physical stress.
If you're dreaming of adding more greenery to your space, then there’s a plant to suit any room of the house. Armed with the best interior design software, which allows you to test out the look of plants in your home and the appropriate knowledge about what each plant needs to thrive, you’ll have a naturally-infused lovely looking home in no time at all. These are our top picks for a low maintenance house plant experience.
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Five low maintenance house plants
1. Bird’s Nest Fern
Houseplants can be exotic too, as the Bird’s Nest Fern proves. This tropical plant, which hails from southeast Asia, is the perfect pick for a low maintenance house plant collector, as it thrives in medium to bright indirect sunlight, and only needs watering every few weeks. It’s also a great choice if you like the look of plants in bathrooms, as it thrives in high-humidity settings.
The Bird’s Nest Fern is studied to an average home temperature and when caring for it, do not water directly into the center, but apply water around it. Within a house, a fern of this sort can grow two to four feet tall and wide, so think about how big your plant might get when you initially pot it.
2. Peace Lily
A peace lily is a wonderful choice as a houseplant, with white flowers that can tie together the look of a room. Those who are seeking to improve their indoor air quality should also have eyes on the peace lily, thanks to its air purifying qualities. In NASA’s 1989 Clean Air study, the potting soil of this plant was found to contain several microorganisms capable of biodegrading toxic chemicals.
Aside from helping with cleaner air, the peace lily is also an undemanding house guest, needing only to be watered once a week usually, dropping down to two weeks in the colder winter months. A peace lily grown indoors can grow to be between one and three feet in size.
3. Ponytail Palm
If you are a little less inclined to remember to water your plants than you might like to admit, then a Ponytail Palm will be a wonderful addition to your home, thanks to its drought-tolerant properties.
Perfect if you aren’t in your home as often as you’d like to be, or if you're simply forgetful, the ponytail palm is also striking in looks and gorgeous as a plant centerpiece. It’s also a standout winner if you have pets in your home, as it's completely non-toxic to plants and humans (especially good if you have little ones around!). You only need to water your ponytail palm when the soil is entirely dry and it thrives in dry air conditions too. These plants tend to grow to between one to three feet tall when grown indoors.
4. English Ivy
If you love the trailing plant look and have designs on a hanging planter to brighten up your space, then an English Ivy can fulfill all of those aesthetic needs. With lovely heart-shaped leaves and trailing tendrils, this Ivy is also great for low maintenance owners, as it hates being overwatered, and is better left in humid conditions to grow.
The perfect spot for an English Ivy plant is in direct sunlight, so position it wherever within your home can deliver that. One important thing to remember is that outside, like on houses, ivy can grow to be an uncontrollable and invasive plant, so look out for it spreading onto your walls as it grows.
5. Aloe Vera Plant
There are so many properties that make an aloe vera plant one of the most sought-after house plants in the world. The most obvious is the gel that lies within its leaves, which can be used for skincare, remedies, to add to foods, and much more. Aloe vera plants also get the seal of approval when it comes to a low maintenance life, as they can handle drought well, and can grow well in indirect sunlight. In the correct conditions, an aloe plant can grow to be up to 3 feet tall.
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