In 2019 I decided that I would stop waiting on things to be my perception of perfect to do what I wanted. This included decorating my little two bedroom apartment. I’ve been saving all my decor ideas for when I got an actual house with the mind frame that apartments are temporary and unworthy of house “level” decor. I cringed just to type that out, but I’m glad my mind has been completely changed. I’ve been inspired by all the beautiful indoor plants in small apartments on Pinterest and Instagram. The enthusiasm of all the plant lovers is truly contagious, and now I’m the keeper of some pretty cool low maintenance indoor plants myself.
So What Qualifies as a Low Maintenance Indoor Plant?
Every plant in this guide meets the criteria for a low maintenance indoor plant.
- Low to Medium Light – perfect for people with apartments with not a whole lot of light and/or no outdoor space
- Minimal Water Requirements – perfect for busy and/or forgetful plant owners
- Very Hard to Kill – definitely a key factor to know when shopping for plants
Low Maintenance Indoor Plants to Try
1. Pothos
Is a very popular choice for beginners looking for low maintenance indoor plants. It thrives in high light and low light conditions. Though if your Pothos is variegated (just means it’s not the typical all green color) consider keeping it in at least medium indirect light conditions. A variegated Pothos will decrease the variegation and become more green to compensate in lower light conditions. Pothos can also grow in water in a vase or in dry soil. They’re also very easy to propagate (start new plants).
I’m currently propagating some pieces to introduce to my son’s fish tank!
2. Peace Lily
As you can see my heart won over logic because this peace lily is very lush and questionably too wide for my office space. However if I really want to I can trim this plant to decrease its width. Like all the other low maintenance indoor plants in this post, Peace lilies do fine in medium to low light! If you fancy peace lilies with their white “flowers” (that white piece is actually a leaf that covers the actual flowers. Peace lilies do not require frequent watering. In fact watering them to much may cause the roots to rot and your plant to die.
There are so many types of peace lilies that don’t get as big as this one that’ll work for smaller spaces.
3. Snake Plants
Of all the low maintenance indoor plants, snake plants are king! They actually grow wild back home in St. Thomas, USVI (an invasive species), but usually it’s the very dark green (almost black) species. Snake plants are the ultimate “set it and forget it” type of plant.
It does great in low light conditions and only needs watering when the top two inches of soil is completely dry.
4. Jade Plant
I got this jade plant from my coworker that is enabling my current obsession. I’m excited to see this one grow because it’s the only one that ends up looking like an actual tree.
5. Dracaena…Corn Plant?
If you have an empty corner of a mid to low light room, a Dracaena plant is a great option to fill that space. It’s more of a vertical plant (grows to 6’) than a horizontal plant. I just love the tropical vibes of this plant. I can’t wait for my little Dracaena to grow up. I’ve affectionately named him Dracarys. If you know, you know (#gameofthrones for life). Also I don’t know the exact species of my Dracaena because it was mislabelled as a snake plant and the leaf pattern is very similar across the different types. I’ll update when I know for sure.
UPDATE: My mystery plant is a Dracaena Massangeana and yes it’s a corn plant. I went back to Walmart where I got the majority of my plants and found more mature corn plants. Here’s a pic of what mines will look like as it continues to grow (green fingers crossed).
6. Monstera is a Monster
It would be a dream to have a home where I can unleash the beauty of a fully grown Monstera aka the Swiss cheese plant. This plant seriously has the potential to turn any home into a jungle. Occasionally trim the plant down to maintain a certain height/width in a smaller space.
7. Air Plants
This one is for the readers with black thumbs! They don’t even require soil! Air plants literally thrive on air, no soil is needed. Keep it out of direct sunlight and sit the roots in a bowl of water every couple of weeks for a drink. You can keep these on fun wall pots , terrariums, and literally anything else it can sit on.
8. Spider Plants
Spider pants like snake plants are a fool-proof, hard to kill plant. The type that I got from my local Publix is a curly spider plant. Like most of the others requires occasional watering and can thrive on medium indirect light. What’s really amazing about spider plants is it produces little spider plant “babies” on long stems in addition to flowers! So if the idea of propagating indoor plants seems like to much to you, spider plants does the job for you.
Are Any of These Indoor Plants Toxic?
The only plants that is not toxic on this list are the air plants and spider plants. All the other plants can cause nausea and make cats, dogs, and humans sick if ingested. Usually in the case of domestic animals one taste of these plants is enough to deter it from trying to eat it again. Know your pets and do what is necessary to make your plants inaccessible to them.
So yeah that sums up my little family of low maintenance indoor plants. 3 Pothos, 1 Snake Plant, 1 Piece Lily, 1 Dracaena Mystery Species Massangeana, 1 Jade Plant, and 1 Spider Plant. I thoroughly enjoy reading up on them and getting into all the scientific sides, being a Bio grad an all. Having indoor plants in my apartment really brings me joy and life to my small living space. Trust and believe this is not the last post on indoor plants so if that’s your thing, be sure to subscribe to the blog to stay posted.