In my previous post, I mentioned how I worked an amazing job at a greenhouse/garden center, called Green Thumbers. Through my experience there I worked with outdoor plants, such as annuals, perennials, shrubs, and trees. I was also able to help in the indoor greenhouse which soon became my favorite place. We had amazing indoor and tropical plants of all varieties. Shortly after, I was offered the position of ‘plant maintenance’. I would drive to different business locations and care for their indoor and tropical plants.

Between the indoor greenhouse and my plant maintenance position, I was able to work hands-on with different varieties of plants in various lighting situations and environments. This is where I learned which plants can handle the ‘new plant parent’ kind of love. Here is a list of plants that are hard to kill and the easiest to start with.

low maintenance plants

spider plants

The Spider Plant is the only plant I have left from my plant mom beginning in 2016. This shows you how resilient this plant really is! It’s been with me through 2 out-of-state moves and continues to thrive. It takes part shade to part sun; however, I’ve found it does best in bright, indirect light. It likes once a week watering but always check to make sure the soil isn’t still moist before you water. I’ve had times where it goes 2-3 weeks without being watered (oops) and it still holds on great. As far as repotting goes, this plant will give out more spider babies if they’re root-bound. The shoots start with a small white flower and turn into a baby spider plant. They like to be tight and cozy in their pots. Until you see the roots growing out of the bottom, it shouldn’t need repotted.

golden pothos, philodendron

The Golden Pothos is a golden choice when it comes to hard-to-kill plants. It thrives in almost any condition it’s given. The Golden Pothos will survive in a variety of lighting environments. From a dark, shady corner, to fluorescent lighting, or a bright window. It’s a tolerant plant when it comes to inconsistent watering schedules too. Preferably it likes once a week watering. When you see roots protruding out of the bottom of the pot or the plant starts to send aerial roots out in search of new soil, that’s a great indicator it’s time to repot.

succulent

Succulents are some of the easiest plants to start with. They come in many varieties offering unique colors, blooms, and shapes. Succulents love anywhere from 4-6 hours of bright, indirect sunlight making them a great windowsill plant. They use a cactus/succulent potting mix that you can find pre-made at the stores or easy DIY potting soil recipes that allow for excellent air circulation. A succulent’s native environment is dry with lots of sun and little water. This means they’re very drought-tolerant and forgiving. The watering will depend on the age of the succulent. Generally speaking, they require about every 2 weeks watering. Being they’re used to desert environments, damp soil is not their preference.

for more information

If you have questions about what each lighting term means, especially for indoors, please take a look at my post about lighting.

For questions about how to properly water your indoor plants or how to tell when they need water, see my post about watering.

If you have questions about how to repot your indoor plants or when to know it’s time to repot, see my post about repotting.