What are some of the easiest plants for a condo?
I'm looking for house plants that can thrive in my apartment with someone who doesn't exactly have the greenest thumb. I do get quite a bit of natural sunlight.
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Answers ( 1 )
Dear Husband succumbed this past year to nasal allergies- not just the runny nose itchy eyes kind, but the wheezing coughing kind. He thinks taking medicine is for wimps, so when he saw in his FB feed some nonsense about Spider plants helping clear allegens out of the air and being "good for" allergies, he brought it to my attention. We have a magnificent Spider plant with babies cascading off it on the front porch (comes in for winter) so I keep a couple starts going all the time in the kitchen window and, because I am the nice one, I potted a baby up and put it on the desk in his computer room.
It hasn't done much for his allergies, but he likes it, and it is growing slowly due to his low light levels (his room faces west and the afternoon sun is scorching; here, a dark house is a cool house).
Spider plants (Chlorophytum comosum) are easy care house plants. They like light, partial sun, and, according to the one in DH's room, dim light. They can go awhile with less-than-optimal watering, although they are not succulents, and, if you treat them nicely will make it appear you have a bright green thumb. You can clip off a baby, stick it in a glass of water, and, as soon as the roots get activated and start growing, pot it up and have another Spider plant.
Ficus are terrific indoor plants- they are often planted in those huge containers in malls and grow amazingly. They can take terrible abuse- from lack of water to lack of light to being root-bound- and the only thing they really kick about is being moved: If you move them they throw a hissy-fit and drop about a quarter of their leaves. They prefer bright spots and regular water, and they really do like being root bound to a point; you could do far worse than a ficus.
The Philodendrum is ubiquitous- it is found in doctors' offices, shops' planters, strung across the tops of upper cupboards in kitchens- it is darned hard to kill and propagates easily. It prefers light, and roomy pots with great watering, but will survive dim north light, being root bound and water-when-wilting. It won't be happy, but it will survive. For awhile, anyway. If you know someone who has one (and most people with plants have one) ask for a couple clippings, stick them in water and roots will form so you can plant them in a nice pot and have your own.
But if you want the most carefree type of real live house plant, you might want to try succulents. Aloe, Jade plants, String of Pearl, Hen and Chicks- most of these will grow as house plants needing only light and stingy watering. They usually grow somewhat slowly and can be mix and matched and massed for lovely displays. These are an excellent choice for the forgetful gardener.
Once you succeed with these, you will find yourself branching out (no pun intended) and will try your hand at growing an avocado plant from seed and starting an African violet collection on your end table. It's not a bad hobby, at all, and raises oxygen and humidity levels in your home.