# Easiest houseplants to grow **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 26, 2007, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easiest-houseplants-to-grow/413207 "2007-07-26T11:14:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![wolf\_in\_second\_hand\_clothing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9d8465/32.png) [@wolf\_in\_second\_hand\_clothing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_in_second_hand_clothing)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2007, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easiest-houseplants-to-grow/413207/21 "2007-07-27T02:17:47Z")
I had an ivy that I kept alive for years by only watering it when I remembered, and dumping tea greens into the pot after I had made some. I eventually brought it home for a summer while I was traveling and my mom killed it. ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2007, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easiest-houseplants-to-grow/413207/22 "2007-07-27T02:46:43Z")
I have a [Purple Velvet](http://www.desert-tropicals.com/Plants/Asteraceae/Gynura_aurantiaca.html) that I’ve forgotten to water to the point it died back to the ground and it came back. The only thing I ever do to it, besides water, is to trim it back frequently. It tends to vine, and can get quite out of hand. I have a dracaena corn plant, that has been in a basement window for nine years that maybe gets watered twice a year. It hasn’t grown much, but it also hasn’t died. It was a sucker taken from an eight footer that we sold. It’s only 10" tall, the same size it was when I transplanted it. [Plumosa fern](http://davesgarden.com/pf/showimage/3044/) is pretty easy too, not to be confused with its close relative, the [asparagus fern](http://davesgarden.com/pf/showimage/2958/), which I can’t grow to save me. They both are, however, pretty messy. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2007, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easiest-houseplants-to-grow/413207/23 "2007-07-27T08:26:11Z")
My great grandma had the purple velvet plant, and it was very robust. I couldn’t think of the name, until you put it down. ---
**Author:** ![Montgomery\_Burns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/db5fbb/32.png) [@Montgomery\_Burns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Montgomery_Burns)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2007, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easiest-houseplants-to-grow/413207/24 "2007-07-27T17:45:29Z")
Another plant that seems easy to grow is Clivia. Ours do well in moderate light and can go quite a while between waterings. They can be propagated by dividing when they send up offspring. The flowers are very nice (I have one blooming now) but even if they don’t flower the foliage makes for a nice healthy looking plant. (The name sounds like a female body part to me though.) ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2007, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easiest-houseplants-to-grow/413207/25 "2007-07-27T19:03:27Z")
Marigolds. ---
**Author:** ![TroubleAgain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e480ec/32.png) [@TroubleAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroubleAgain)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2007, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easiest-houseplants-to-grow/413207/26 "2007-07-27T19:13:38Z")
[QUOTE=picunurse] I have a [Purple Velvet](http://www.desert-tropicals.com/Plants/Asteraceae/Gynura_aurantiaca.html) that I’ve forgotten to water to the point it died back to the ground and it came back. [/QUOTE] Hey, I’ve just gotten one of those! It’s in a container on my desk with some dracaena that’s purple and green, a polka-dot plant, and another couple of plants that are either green or green with pink. It’s pretty–all pink and purple and green, and the container is a galvanized pail, with pink/purple/green ribbons tied around it. ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2007, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easiest-houseplants-to-grow/413207/27 "2007-07-28T00:23:56Z")
[QUOTE=TroubleAgain] Hey, I’ve just gotten one of those! It’s in a container on my desk with some dracaena that’s purple and green, a polka-dot plant, and another couple of plants that are either green or green with pink. It’s pretty–all pink and purple and green, and the container is a galvanized pail, with pink/purple/green ribbons tied around it. [/QUOTE] If you want them all to live, you’ll have to split them up. The dracaena and purple velvet take moderate light, while the polka dot plants take full sun, and a lot more water than the others. The dracaena will get crown rot if over watered. ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2007, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easiest-houseplants-to-grow/413207/28 "2007-07-28T01:37:51Z")
**Twicks** , I’ll have to take a picture of this indestructible cactus I have. Don’t have a clue as to its name. When I was in college, which would have been nearly 30 years ago, I found in a junky “antique” shop a little ceramic cat planter, where the cat is standing with a slightly arched back, and the hole for the plant is where the cat’s tail would be. It had to have been meant for a cactus, for that upright, fluffed-tail effect. The thing holds maybe a quarter cup of soil. I planted a cactus in it. I remember to water it every year or so. (I’m not kidding!) And it’s still going strong! ---
**Author:** ![Full\_Metal\_Lotus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df705f/32.png) [@Full\_Metal\_Lotus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Full_Metal_Lotus)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2007, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easiest-houseplants-to-grow/413207/29 "2007-07-28T02:05:52Z")
Rhizopus nigricans Hardy and easy to grow, requires little or no attention, and even a black thumbed bachelor can grow it in a windowless basement apartment! More info: [Rhizopus stolonifer - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhizopus_nigricans) Regards FML ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2007, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easiest-houseplants-to-grow/413207/30 "2007-07-28T02:13:22Z")
I have a [benjamin ficus](http://www.valentine.gr/benjamin_en.htm) I’ve managed to _not kill_ for 14 years. Cats have dug it up, dogs have knocked it over, we’ve forgotton to water it for weeks and yet there it sits, patiently, still living. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2007, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easiest-houseplants-to-grow/413207/31 "2007-07-28T02:16:41Z")
[QUOTE=Full Metal Lotus] Rhizopus nigricans [/QUOTE] 😛 ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2007, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easiest-houseplants-to-grow/413207/32 "2007-07-28T02:30:51Z")
[QUOTE=picunurse] The dracaena and purple velvet take moderate light, while the polka dot plants take full sun, and a lot more water than the others. [/QUOTE] Something I discovered several years ago, is that the purple velvet plant can take quite a bit more sun than people think. As long as you acclimate it in the spring, you can put it outdoors through the summer. You’ll even get yellow flowers. I have mine on the patio and it gets noonday sun. I’m not sure exactly, but it must get four or five hours of direct sun each day. It seems to be a pretty adaptable plant. ---
**Author:** ![koeeoaddi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/koeeoaddi/32/408_2.png) [@koeeoaddi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koeeoaddi)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2007, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easiest-houseplants-to-grow/413207/33 "2007-07-28T02:36:27Z")
[QUOTE=picunurse] [Plumosa fern](http://davesgarden.com/pf/showimage/3044/) is pretty easy too, not to be confused with its close relative, the [asparagus fern](http://davesgarden.com/pf/showimage/2958/), which I can’t grow to save me. They both are, however, pretty messy. [/QUOTE] Weird. My asparagus ferns loved Seattle (but I could never keep a polka dot plant alive for more than a few months). Coleus are pretty indestructible, but they seem dated to me. (Can a plant be dated?) I always picture them in a clunky hand thrown pot, hanging from a marcrame sling. ---
**Author:** ![HazelNutCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2007, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easiest-houseplants-to-grow/413207/34 "2007-07-28T03:16:40Z")
African violets are weird. My mom killed a lot of those for a few years, but after we moved they flourished like rabbits in mating season. They got about the same amount of sunlight and water, so we’re not sure what made the difference. The second apartment was nicer, but I don’t know how much African violets are sensitive to decor. ---
**Author:** ![Tikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5daacb/32.png) [@Tikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tikki)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2007, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easiest-houseplants-to-grow/413207/35 "2007-07-28T05:54:35Z")
Lipstick plants and their close relative, goldfish plants, haven’t been mentioned yet. Mine keeps on sending out new vines even though I haven’t repotted it in years and only give it water every three or four weeks or so. Also, it blooms several times a year since I discovered that breaking the ends of the vines off encourages it to do so. Not abundantly, but it puts on a nice show nevertheless. From [this site,](http://http://www.plantoftheweek.org/week081.shtml) I just discovered that the lipstick plant is an epiphyte. Cool! ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2007, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easiest-houseplants-to-grow/413207/36 "2007-07-28T06:54:10Z")
Oh, oh, I just remembered another. [String of pearls(or beads](http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/interiorscape/Senecio_rowleyanus.html). They do need full sun, but little else. If they have enough light, they’ll even bloom. The flowers look like spent dandilions, but they smell nice, a bit like clove. **koeeoaddi** , it’s not the location, it’s just me. They hate me. > [@Rhiannon8404](#): > > I have a benjamin ficus I’ve managed to not kill for 14 years. Cats have dug it up, dogs have knocked it over, we’ve forgotton to water it for weeks and yet there it sits, patiently, still living. Just try moving it three feet! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![MerryMagdalen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@MerryMagdalen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MerryMagdalen)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2007, 9:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easiest-houseplants-to-grow/413207/37 "2007-07-28T09:08:41Z")
“Mother-in-law tongues” which I think are technically called sansiveria. I found an abandoned pot of them on my apartment porch and I’ve had it for 4 years. I’m horrible with plants, because they don’t make noises to remind me to water them. Old shoots have died, new shoots have sprouted and I only water them every few months. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2007, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easiest-houseplants-to-grow/413207/38 "2007-07-28T13:10:49Z")
One of the key factors in having a house plat survive is choosing the correct planter. Persons that care correctly for plants should adopt the following. Put plant’s that easily root rot in clay pots, so the soil dries quicker. Use a plastic or glazed pot for plants that glory in water. When you can’t grow a certain type of plant, try a different type of pot than last time. People that over water may do better to use only clay pots. People that forget the plants should use the plastic or glazed pots. ---
**Author:** ![irishgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@irishgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishgirl)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2007, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easiest-houseplants-to-grow/413207/39 "2007-07-28T15:19:36Z")
I have a [Bromeliad](http://www.cityflowerspdx.com/photos/plants/tropical_bromeliad.jpg), a [Hibiscus](http://www.greenquest.com/images/plantes/hibiscus.gif), a [Christmas cactus](http://norman.walsh.name/2004/01/04/images/20040104-160906.jpg) and a [Phalaenopsis orchid](http://www.flowers.org.uk/images/plants/phalaenopsis_lrg.jpg). I have managed to kill Jasmine, many Inch Plants (also known as “Wandering Jew”) and Spider Plants and a Peace Lily. I work by luck more than skill- I water when I remember to, and I generally stick them by a window and hope for the best. I suspect my surviving houseplants are special hard-ass ninja plants that can cope with my fecklessness, rather than especially easy species to grow, as I usually pick attractive plants which happen to be on sale at the garden shop. My mum has a Rubber plant that is older than me, which we call Oscar. ---
**Author:** ![Montgomery\_Burns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/db5fbb/32.png) [@Montgomery\_Burns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Montgomery_Burns)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2007, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easiest-houseplants-to-grow/413207/40 "2007-07-30T14:51:15Z")
Another plant that is pretty care free is the Amazon Lily (Eucharis grandiflora). They do well in low light and have nice glossy foliage. Under the right conditions they can get white, fragrant flowers on 18-24" stems that resemble daffodils. Mine usually blooms in November or December. They look good with just the foliage though even if you don’t get flowers. As has been mentioned, Sansevieria may be the easiest houseplant to grow. Those things are tough. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easiest-houseplants-to-grow/413207.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easiest-houseplants-to-grow/413207.md?page=3)