5 of the Best Indoor Plants For Serial Plant Killers

I love plants so much, but unfortunately I am a bad plant mother and they wilt on me without fail. From herbs to fruits and flowers, pretty much everything I try to grow on my balcony seems to die an unfortunate early death. But recently I’ve had luck with indoor plants – they’re more resilient and require only a little bit of TLC.

Indoor plants look gorgeous and also have been proven to boost creativity, reduce stress and improve air quality. It’s a win win! I now have a range of indoor plants scattered throughout my home office and living room. I’ve had varying degrees of success with growing a variety of indoor plants at home, and thought I’d share my 5 favourite plants that are easy to keep alive.

Spider Plant / Chlorophytum comosum

I love the look of spider plants and the fact they are incredibly low maintenance – all they require is to be positioned in indirect sunlight and a quick spritz with a water bottle twice a week. Because of its shape, a Spider Plant best suits residing on a pedestal or as a hanging plant so it has room to grow.

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Succulents

Succulent is a broad term for many types of drought resistant plants including the Jade Plant, Aloe Vera and Echeveria (my personal favourite). They are incredibly easy to look after and my much-neglected succulent on the balcony is still alive and kicking. One of my favourite things about succulents is you can easily propagate them to create new plants – such a fun and cheap way to increase your indoor plant count!

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Devil’s Ivy / Pothos

Devil’s Ivy loves to grow out of its pot and downwards, creating gorgeous tendrils that overhang. Mine sits on the top of my bookcase and cascades down, whilst I have another in the lounge room which hangs over our bar (yes, our apartment has a bar). This plant also looks beautiful in a hanging basket or perched on a plant stand. Keep it out of direct sunlight and it will survive happily with a spritz of water whenever it looks a little droopy and dry.

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Mother In Law’s Tongue / Sansevieria trifasciata

AKA the snake plant, this houseplant is perfect for beginner gardeners as it grows in both low light and full sun. This plant can survive for periods at a time without being watered, and if the leaves appear slimy it’s a sure sign you are giving it a little too much love. Allow the soil to dry out between watering and give it a small amount once a week to ensure it doesn’t rot.

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Rubber Plant / Ficus Elastica

Keep this plant in a bright spot in your house, but ensure it’s kept out of direct sunlight. When you water it, make sure you spray the leaves as well as moistening the soil. The rubber plant doesn’t require much water either, I usually stick to once a week in summer and less in winter. This guy can grow pretty big, so make sure you set him up on the floor in a roomy part of your place to fully allow him to flourish. My last tip for the rubber plant is to use a damp cloth to wipe any dust off the leaves every month.

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You may have noticed I failed to include the Instagram-famous Fiddle Leaf Fig (AKA Ficus Lyrata) on my list – I love the look of these gorgeous plants but they are notorious to keep alive! Mine is still alive.. barely… but is not flourishing like the rest of my plants. Similarly I have had trouble with the other trendy plant of the moment – the Monstera (philodendron) plant. But I am persisting with both.

I hope this round up of my favourite plants has motivated you to try your hand at some indoor gardening – it’s a lot of fun and makes any apartment or home office instantly look better!