Easy Care Plants to Liven Up Your Home

Houseplants have found themselves in and out of fashion over the last few years – however, open any current décor magazine, and you’ll find that they have officially planted themselves as firmly in fashion (pun intended!).

If you’re like me, this can feel a bit daunting; I love plants, however I’ve had my fair share of wilted and dead plants be shamefully thrown out after unsuccessful attempts to revive them. After sacrificing many plants to the compost (i.e. a patch of dirt in my garden that lawn clippings and deceased plants live), only to whisper “I’ll be better this time”, as I pick up another pot plant from the store, eventually I decided that enough was enough – I needed to figure out what I was doing wrong.

It turns out, some plants are easier to keep alive than others (makes sense when you think about it). It also turns out, plants don’t need as much water as most people think. So, what I had actually been doing was drowning my plants – causing them to wilt. Then, in a well-intentioned attempt to rescue them, I was giving them more water because I assumed I must not have been watering them enough.

Whoops.

Anyway! A wee trick I learned, was to wait until the leaves on my plants started drooping slightly, then giving them a good soak of water in the sink (as long as the pot has drainage holes at the bottom). Using this method I’m pleased to say I’ve managed to keep all my plants alive – yay!

Here are some easy-care plants that will make you feel like a green-fingered goddess:

Peace lily

With gorgeous glossy green leaves and white flowers, these beauties are like your best low-maintenance friends. Even if you don’t have time (or forget) to water them in a wee while, give them a good soak when you notice they’re starting to wilt and they’ll bounce back, good as new! Although they like some indirect sunlight, if you have a shady spot that needs brightening, they’ll usually do ok there too. And as a bonus, peace lilies actually purify your air, so they’re great for your health too.

Lucky bamboo

Often given as a gift to (hopefully) provide the receiver with good fortune, lucky bamboo is also a very easy plant to own! They’re grown in pots with pebbles instead of soil, so all you need to do is check the water levels once a week(ish) in warm weather and top up if the pebbles are looking a bit dry. Bamboo often does well in the bathroom and can cope with low light conditions.

Succulents

Succulents are extremely popular right now – not only are they super cute, but you hardly have to water them at all, so they’re great for people who don’t want to spend a lot of time on their plants. They come in lots of different shapes and sizes, and are easily propagated (you can take cuttings and grow more plants!!). Mist occasionally with a spray bottle if you think they’re looking a little sad, otherwise remember that these wee guys come from the desert where it doesn’t rain – so they won’t need much!

Monstera deliciosa

I always thought that because monstera plants aren’t very cheap that they’d be quite hard to grow – but actually they’re pretty easy! I just stick my finger about an inch into their soil once or twice a fortnight; if the soil feels damp then I leave it alone, if it feels dry, I give it some water. Apart from that, I pretty much ignore it – and so far, so good! The only thing to be aware of is that monsteras like plenty of indirect sunlight to thrive, so if you don’t get a lot of light in your house then this may be a plant to pass on.

Aloe vera

Another one that I can pretty much ignore (are you seeing the theme here?). We’ve had ours about a year and I could probably count on one hand the amount of times I’ve watered them – however I do mist them occasionally with a spray bottle to get dust off. The gel inside is also brilliant for sunburn or dry skin.

So there you have it – you can have loads of beautiful greenery in your house! Good luck!

What’s your favourite houseplant?

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Written by Bunny T

A mama of two who advocates for mental health awareness (yes girl!), Bunny is a badass babe blogging about womanhood, motherhood and the adventures that happen in between. You’ll usually find her exercising (running after kids), partying (drinking coffee) and rocking out (sleeping).