Easy Houseplants You Can Ignore

How is your green thumb? I admit I have killed my share of houseplants over the years. For some reason, as I’ve grown a little older I somehow manage not to kill as many as I used to though. Maybe you need to be a grown-up to have a green thumb? I don’t know…but if you are “green thumb challenged” here are a few suggestions for some greenery that is fairly forgiving.

Plants that can be ignored in a shady room:

• Ivy – Ivy comes in many hardy varieties. Popular ivies are Persian ivy, Irish ivy, Algerian ivy, and English ivy. Don’t overwater an ivy and it will thrive in a low light apartment or house.
• Spider plant – A little water now and then and a little sun and spider plants will usually stay healthy. I love it when my spider plants have babies, too! The baby spider plants just grow right on stems off the adult houseplant. Pick these and repot them!
• Wax plant – The wax plant does well as a hanging houseplant. Wax plants need a little more direct sunlight but otherwise are easy to care for.
• Snake plant – Snake plants can take as much or as little sun as you have to offer and they are notoriously hard to kill. This houseplant can grow to as much as four feet tall.

Best houseplants that can be ignored in a sunny room:

• Cacti – The Prickly Pear and Column cacti are thorny…the Bishop’s Cap and Christmas Cactus are not. All are easy to care for.
• Aloe – Aloe is easy to care for. It is a medicinal plant and can be used to treat superficial burns. Break off a leaf and squeeze the aloe vera gel onto the burn.
• Bromeliads – Needs a lot of sun and a warm room.