Advice on low-maintenance indoor plants needed

Question

I would like a few indoor plants with nice foliage to go on table tops and to hang down from high ledges in my shop. There isn't a great deal of light and I am lazy/forgetful when it comes to watering them. I also need one for the window which will get a lot of direct sunlight for most of the morning and early afternoon.

I have a couple of money plants which work well, but I would like some plants that are a little bushier (perhaps ferns or ivy). A little colour would also be nice, but not essential. I don't have much floor space so big yukka plants, cheese and rubber plants are no good. Neither are cacti and spiky plants that could cause me a law suit.

Any ideas?

Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

I have 3 great plants that meet your criteria

1) Flaming Katy

go to this link : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flaming_Kat...

have a look that this beautiful plant with green broad leaves, and it is a low maintenance plant ! they come in a variety of colours - red, orange, yellow, white, pink, and give small bunches of rich coloured flowers that look beautiful. you can leave them in or out of sunshine and they will flourish either way - just water them once every 2-3 days after checking top soil. you can buy a few different coloured ones.

2) peace lilies

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace_lily

beautiful green foliage - no fuss - just need to water it once a week - or twice a week - will flower white leaf like flowers from autumn to spring and rest of the year the foliage will continue looking fresh and green.

3) Jade plant

some other suggestions are Aloe Vera plant - is so easy to look after - and the Snake Plant - which has long green standing leaves with yellow borders - very pretty looking.

good luck and hope you enjoy looking after and watching your plants grow !! :)

Answer 2

There are several varieties that can handle the conditions that you have mentioned.  Here's an insert from a site i just googled.   Ivy plants such as pathos or devil's ivy require low light and can withstand dryness. They are great for mantels, as the leaves grow bigger the longer the plant grows. These are also great as hanging plants. Place in a room without windows or much sunlight, and these little guys can handle it.

If you like palms, try a parlor palm. They don't require much light and can thrive in fluorescent office lights. They also don't require a lot of water.

Aloe plants like a lot of light but are durable. Propagate by cutting plantlets that grow alongside a parent plant at the root. Repot into a new plant.

The African violet requires a fair amount of light. If it is too dark, the plant's leaves will let you know by lifting themselves upward.

Answer 3

Three plants I found impossible to kill:

1) a swedish ivy (very pretty)

2) Spider plants

3) a "wandering jew" - not my name for it - that is what it was called - kind of purple stems and green leaves

I stink at houseplants - and these three still flourished.