I’m working on a piece on houseplants, and want to have a sidebar on top ten easiest houseplants to grow. My list would start like this (alphabetical order):
I’ve found peace lilies to be hit or miss – fine in the right spot, sulky other times, even with similar lighting – has YMV on those?
I’ve killed every African violet I’ve ever had, even with self-watering pots – whaddya think?
What about coleus? I recommended them to Amarinth, who just bought her first place, and wanted something colorful that didn’t need a lot of sun. She says so far so good – are they easy for n00bs?
And what about “top ten I don’t know why they sell these, they always end up looking like hell” – I’d put ferns on that list. Also ficus.
Probably the easiest to grow are all the varieties of philodendron, though they tend to be totally boring plants. And in spite of your experience, I’d have to include ferns and ficus. And ivy, schefflera, rubber plant, dracaena and nephthytis.
Peace lilies should be on the list, as they’re generally bulletproof if kept moist enough (and one of the few plants that will flower regularly in low light). Ficus benjamina is very tough also.
Ours (we have numerous potsful) have all descended from a single plant that Typo Knig inherited from his roommates, 24 years ago. Prior to that, the plant had been owned by a fraternity at UNC. Now, college-age guys would not necessarily be the best caretakers of houseplants in general, and this particular bunch of guys in specific did not pay much attention to it. The plant survived despite all that.
Though they don’t look all that easy to get to multiply, we’ve found that as the stem gets leggy (as the plant grows and lower leaves die off), you can simply slice off the stem, and put the leafy part in water and it will eventually grow roots. The part left behind (seemingly-dead stem) will send up at least one small plant from the roots, and voila, you have two plants.
Almost any kind of succulent plant is hard to kill except from over-watering. I used to keep them on my windowsill, in college, and once let some leaves go a whole year with no water and no soil. When I put them back in the soil, they happily sprouted new plants. Just about foolproof. I don’t know the scientific names but I had hen-and-chicks type plants in greens, pinks, and purples, jade plants, and a Christmas cactus that erupted with hot pink flowers every December.
Croton is almost as tough, I had no problem keeping it alive but I never got the new leaves to turn red and yellow like the old ones. They were always green.
I’d say sansiveria, philodendron, and aloe are just about the only ones I’d call “foolproof.” Looking around at the 15 or so potted plants in my office (not including the planted fish tank) I have a hard time generalizing beyond that. Both of my african violets are well over 10 years old, and are blooming profusely right now. I give them no different attention than the ficus or boston fern right next to them. I fertilize maybe twice a year if I think about it, and otherwise just water everything Mondays and Fridays. If a plant can handle that - it stays. If it can’t, so long.
I’ve had a Christmas cactus in my office for 8yrs now. It doesn’t grow. It doesn’t die. It might as well be plastic, except every November it blooms beautifully.
Also in my office and therefore hard to kill - a kalanchoe, a “vick’s plant” (Plectranthus tomentosa), and an aloe. They’ve all been here longer than I, inherited from previous co-workers.
I’ve had good luck with pothos, spider plants, bamboo, kalanchoe, succulents of various types, prayer plants, and Norfolk Island Pines. I even had a pothos come back from complete frozen death (during a cross-country move I accidently left it in the car overnight in Taos, NM in January) - I call it my lazarus plant. It had lost all leaves and was down to a little brown stub, and three weeks later it had started growing leaves again.
Christmas cactus, and jade plants are not good plants for a new gardener. They all drop parts in mass unless good conditions and care exist. Coleus would only work if the person doesn’t forget the water, pinches back the plant, and has strong light.
You can grow cyclamen and violets if you have cool rooms and sunny windows in the morning. They are not beginner proof, and require some talent, so are a possible for beginners.
Maybe you should have a top ten moderate care for most people and a top ten for forgetful people that neglect plants.
By the way, my sister killed her cactus, because she thought you never water them.
I’d definitely remove Dieffenbachia from the list; I have around 300 houseplants and I can’t grow one of those to save my life. I’d also strongly disagree with Jackmannii’s Peace lily suggestion. I’ve killed several, and they are on my “never try again” list. I find them to be way too unforgiving if their watering needs aren’t met perfectly. Any plant that belongs in a sentence like “Plant X is easy if you fulfill this one special requirement” is not a candidate for the Easy Plant Top Ten IMHO.
As for coleus, in my experience, they do tend to decline after a while. They aren’t difficult exactly, just not something you can expect to keep for years and years.
My top ten:
Snake plant (Sansevieria trifasciata. There are many varieties–you can have a nice collection of different looking ones, if you choose.)
Pothos (Epipremnum aureum)
Jade Plant (Crassula ovata) Never had the leaf drop problem.
Philodendron selloum
ZZ plant (Zamioculcas zamiifolia) Relatively new to the houseplant trade. A great plant quite forgiving of most abuse, and stunning if you give it above minimal care. Here’s mine.
Spider plants (Chlorophytum species)
Pony-tail palm (Beaucarnea recurvata or Nolina recurvata–there is some question as to what is the proper genus.)
Aspidistra elatior --the original Cast Iron Plant.
Swiss Cheese plant (Monstera deliciosa)
Chinese evergreen (Aglaonema varieties)
As for African violets, I think they are less fussy than their reputation, (I have a few rather abused ones that are doing fine–I really must give them some attention one of these days) but again, not really in the “easy” category either.
Desert rose is supposed to be easy. I’ll let you know. I just got one. Rubber plant, schefflera, (my dracaena is dying, dammit), christmas cactus, corpse plant, corn plant…I’ll have to check when I get hoe to see what else I’ve got that’s doing well house-plant wise. I’ve got a bunch of things in pots that aren’t destined to stay in pots (tree seedlings, climbing vines), and some things I can’t think what they’re called.
Seriously. Since I don’t particularly like them, it has been a long time since I’ve tried to grow a Dieffenbachia. My skills have improved since then, so I could probably handle one today if I was willing to try. But since the criterion was easiness* , I just thought I’d mention that I’d had difficulty with them.
I’ve killed more jade than I could count, but African violets live long and prosper - even covered with cat hair. My mom gave me a couple of prayer plants that are going crazy - one of them yielded a cutting that I’m rooting on the windowsill.
I’ve got another plant - not sure what it is, but it was the hardiest part of a dish garden, and it’s growing like mad. I throw water on it once in a while and it promises not to grab me if I stand too close.
I said I’d look what I’ve got, but I’m too drunk right now. But dieffenbachia is easy for me to grow, so, IMHO, I wouldn’t rule it out. Aglaonema, though YMMV, has done well enough for me as well. I’ve also got begonia in a pot, pony-tails, polka-dot plants (sorry, I don’t know their real name), caladiums, and I’m (hopefully) also growing about 3 different climbing vines that I can’t name right now.
