Feb

5 Low-Maintenance Houseplants for Beginners

The easiest way to brighten up a place and at the same time make it feel cosier, is to put some refreshing green plants around your house or office. Apart from the obvious benefits, plants go hand in hand with producing oxygen, freshening the air and helping you relax your vision when gazing at them. Taking good care of plants can be quite a rewarding feeling. To see how your house plant slowly grows and unfolds in front of you, thanks to your continuous attention, gives you the satisfaction of knowing you can take care of something other than yourself. Also, even if you are a beginner and you look after only a few plants that are low-maintenance and require very little time, every minute spent on them might be quite therapeutic.

But what are the five easiest to care for, but still pretty house plants to begin with?

1. Boston Fern

This plant is suitable for and looks especially good in a hanging basket. Or, if you don’t care to get one, it will be equally comfortable at the corner of a bookshelf. It loves bright light, so it will flourish best somewhere near a window. It likes being in moist soil, so it is unlikely that you will drown it with too much watering. You should also spray it often because it needs a high humidity environment. So, put it in a well-lit spot, water and spray it any time you remember to do so, and this curly fellow will be with you for the long run.

2. Aloe Vera

Now, this is another plant that likes the sun, so keep it in a proximity of a window. However, unlike the Boston Fern, this house plant doesn’t like frequent watering. In relation to moisture and humidity Aloe Vera is quite similar to a cactus. Watering it once every two weeks will be plenty for this gel-filled plant. Aloe Vera will feel comfortable in almost any pot, the only thing to take under consideration is size. This plant can grow and spread very quickly so it is possible that you will have to move it in a bigger pot every once in a while. A unique benefit that Aloe Vera has is that the gel inside its leaves is healing. It has a very good effect on sunburns and other skin irritations, so if you make the choice to look after it, you will always have a soothing remedy at hand.

3. Snake Plant

The sword-shaped dark green leaves of this plant make it a nice addition to almost any home décor. The Snake Plant would thrive in a medium to bright light environment, however it would cope in a low light place as well. You should wait for the soil to dry before watering it again. The only risk with Snake Plant is to over-water it, which can cause the roots to rot. Other than that, it is a very easy and beautiful plant to look after.

4. Dracaena

This beautiful plant fascinates with its ling, narrow leaves, which come in stripes of green with white, cream, or even red. It grows rather quickly, and quite soon it will be suitable to place it in a big trendy pot on the floor. It likes the sunshine, so exposing it to at least medium sunlight would be best. Don’t over-water it, but always keep the soil slightly moist.

5. Parlor palm

The dark green Parlor Palm has all the potential to become a graceful and tall house plant. It has been a preferred decorative plant for centuries. Its elegant dark-green leaves are quite aesthetic and pleasing to the eye. This plant prefers somewhat less light, but thrives on water, so keep the soil moist.

These are the five house plants that are (almost) impossible to kill, and they are a good example of different needs of watering and light patterns. Whichever house plants you choose to start with, keep in mind that eventually after all your thorough cares and watering (or not), at some point these greens will outgrow their pots.

Which is your favourite houseplant?