Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

What are the easiest plants to keep alive?

48 replies

70rule · 29/09/2019 16:16

I want some new plants for my house. I've had them before but they always die. I even managed to kill a cactus once.

What are the easiest, least maintenance ones to keep alive? I don't know how I manage to kill them, but I really like having plants around the house.

OP posts:
Footle · 29/09/2019 16:17

I've got fairly good at it, after a slow start. Christmas cactus was my first success.

FlibbertyGiblets · 29/09/2019 16:17

Orchid surprisingly. They thrive on neglect on a sunny windowsill. The ones you get from a supermarket are really good.

MySonIsAlsoNamedBort · 29/09/2019 16:19

Succulents are easy low maintenance and cute for indoors

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Gardening
motorcyclenumptiness · 29/09/2019 16:23

Spider plants are pretty unkillable and they're good at improving air quality too

Manicpixiedreambitch · 29/09/2019 16:25

Spider
Peace lily
aspidistra

cardamoncoffee · 29/09/2019 16:25

Spider and dragon plants are great. Cacti and succulents are great if you have a very sunny windowsill, otherwise the cold will kill them.

FatChloe · 29/09/2019 16:28

Peace lily. They don't like too much light and they don't like too much water. I still managed to kill one actually but now I've realised if you leave them out of direct light and just water them when they droop they are fine! My kinda plant.

boringisasboringdoes · 29/09/2019 16:29

Rubber tree

Original poster
70rule · 29/09/2019 16:31

Thanks for these! I didn't realise orchids were easy and they're sold everywhere. I've got a lovely big pot which had a sort of two or three foot high tree kind of plant (I'm not good with plants). It was in front of the window but it died. Are there any of that sort of style which will withstand neglect a lack of green fingers?

Cacti and succulents are great if you have a very sunny windowsill, otherwise the cold will kill them.

This must be what killed my cactus, I always have my windows open so it's often quite cold.

OP posts:
derekthe1adyhamster · 29/09/2019 16:33

My spider plant died Sad
Cactus are the only ones I can keep alive because they get watered once a year!

Original poster
70rule · 29/09/2019 16:34

It looked a bit like this. This sort of style and height anyway.

What are the easiest plants to keep alive?
OP posts:
redchocolatebutton · 29/09/2019 16:36

spider plants
moth orchids
yucca

and have a look here for some good ideas www.janeperrone.com/on-the-ledge/2019/8/2/episode-105-houseplants-for-beginners-part-one

theneverendinglaundry · 29/09/2019 16:36

Orchids are easy to look after but hard to get to reflower, I have heard. I got one from M&S that lasted about 4-5 months, the ones I got from wilko only lasted about a month.

Original poster
70rule · 29/09/2019 16:37

You're doing better than me, derek.

OP posts:
miaCara · 29/09/2019 16:38

Aloe Vera plants do well with neglect.They do not like direct sunlight though.
Money plants need no watering for weeks on end and are happy in the same pot for years .

Innertwist · 29/09/2019 17:13

Aloe Vera plants do well with neglect.They do not like direct sunlight though.

What?? - but they live in the Med - with all that daytime sunshine!

wizzler · 29/09/2019 17:15

I have kept a peace lily for literally decades. When they droop , you water them and thats pretty much all there is to it !

cardamoncoffee · 29/09/2019 17:20

First decide on where you want to put the plant.

Spider plants need damp/moist conditions with dappled sunlight. A bathroom is their ideal environment. They will die without regular watering (although if one looks dead they revive very well with water)

Succulents/cacti need a drought and sun. The rule is only to water (sparingly) when the soil has completely dried out.

My money plants do well everywhere, I just water once a week.

cardamoncoffee · 29/09/2019 17:24

70rule that is a yucca which needs a good amount of heat and sunlight. They will die in damp/cold conditions. I laugh at the many plant accounts on instagram that are so obviously staged, the plants are all looking very healthy in the completely wrong conditions!

Original poster
70rule · 29/09/2019 17:33

First decide on where you want to put the plant.

I wanted one or two larger ones for in front of my living room window which gets a lot of sunlight, a couple of small ones for the top of shelving in the bedroom which gets less sunlight, and then a few small ones for the bathroom, but the bathroom has no windows so I'm not sure whether that's viable at all.

OP posts:
RezCowgirl · 29/09/2019 17:34

Snake plant. Good for dark corners and need almost no watering.

redchocolatebutton · 29/09/2019 17:35

bathroom, you could replace the light bulb(s) with grow led bulbs (ikea sells good ones)

Springfern · 29/09/2019 17:38

For the sunny window sill jade plant, pothos, geraniums, begonias, string of hearts. For the shelves spider plants, snake plants, peace lily, pothos would be ok there too. A plant wont survive long in a bathroom with no window

Racheyg · 29/09/2019 17:44

I've got really into house plants.
I have a peace Lilly - I agree don't like direct sunlight
A fern
Dragon plant
Rubber plant
Orchids

My orchid has lasted 6 years and I run water into the soil and don't let it sit in water.

My face is my fern - which I have attached I only brought it from Homebase

What are the easiest plants to keep alive?
Foslady · 29/09/2019 17:52

Plastic onea

Swipe left for the next trending thread