8 Plants for Beginners
There are so many great reasons to surround yourself with plants. They smell wonderful, clean the air, look great and add the right amount of Zen to your home. The very act of tending to your plants can bring more mindfulness into your life. However, sometimes the green roommates can feel like too much responsibility. They need water, nutrients, light and the right climate and temperature to thrive. And even if you try your best, they may still die on you. Daunting prospects. But if you pick the right plants, there’s nothing to fear, no matter how black your thumbs are.
We’ve put together a list of eight resilient and easy-to-care-for plants for you.
The Snake Plant (or Sansevieria) is virtually indestructible. They thrive on the dry air in our homes, and can handle a fair amount of neglect. Overwatering and -pampering are its largest enemies
The Jade Plant (or Crassula ovata) is also known as the Chinese Money Plant. In many cultures, people believe it to bring luck and fortune. It’s a very hardy plant that prefers a shady spot and only little watering.
The Chinese Evergreen (or Aglaonema) isn’t picky about light, water or food. It is rather forgiving and thrives even under difficult conditions. The plant’s also known for its ability to filter pollutants out of indoor air.
Here is another air-cleaning plant: the Peace Lily (or Spathiphyllum). Peace Lily’s sag a bit when they need water so you’ll know when it is thirsty. It is also quite forgiving when you neglect it but thrives and blooms easily if you give it some attention.
The ZZ Plant (or Zamioculcas Zamiifolia) is an almost indestructible plant. It tolerates drought, low light, and very low humidity. ZZ plants may appear unimpressive at first sight but trust us: the beautiful dark green, shiny foliage will grow on you quickly. Literally.
The Pothos (or Epipremnum aureum) survives low light and irregular watering, though it is not as drought-tolerant as other plants. You can arrange the Pothos as a hanging plant or let the leafy vines crawl up any furniture of your choice.
The English Ivy (or Hedera Helix) can grow wonderfully long and lush, alas only if you live in a place that gets a lot of light during the day. The Ivy needs a bright spot but is rather frugal otherwise.
This spiky guy is an incredibly tolerant houseplant. The Aloe Vera will put up with low light even though it prefers strong sunlight.