The top 10 hard-to-kill houseplants
House plants bring so many benefits to a home. They not only spruce up your place aesthetically – such as on the mantlepiece in your living room - but they are said to lower levels of anxiety and cleanse your space. Even so, life can be hectic sometimes and your plants can suffer as a result if they haven’t been watered enough to thrive.
Not to worry; you can find house plants that are hard to kill to liven up your space. But what are they? Read on to uncover a range of tough plants and long-life flowers that you can introduce to your ritzy home décor.
A pretty phalaenopsis orchid
A Phalaenopsis orchid, also known as a ‘moth orchid’, is a sublime flowering plant, which requires little attention or effort to maintain. Its long-lasting flowers transform into beautiful blooms in a short space of time. This plant can brighten up any room without you having to lift a finger very often. Of course, this is ideal if you’re quite frequently out of the house.
Orchids are fond of bright light, but only if it's indirect, so place a Phalaenopsis on a stylish shelf or tall cabinet that receives sunlight but isn’t completely frazzled by direct rays. All that’s needed is bark potting medium to provide structure to the more fragile roots of this particular plant. Then, once the potting medium has dried and the roots have transformed from a green colour to a silver-like hue, you should begin watering it regularly, reducing the watering frequency in the winter.
Aloe Vera
Aloe vera is another one of the brilliant long-lasting plants on the market; it’s a succulent, meaning it’s easy to maintain. Not to mention the gel that aloe vera produces can be used for health and beauty needs, which makes it an incredible plant to have around for more than one reason.
The main mistake you could make with an aloe vera plant is overwatering it, so it’s a good idea to keep track of when you water it and how often. For lots of people though, accidentally overwatering their aloe vera won’t be a problem, and if you actually forget to water it – it shouldn’t make too much difference.
The prosperous snake plant
A snake plant, also named ‘mother-in-law's tongue’, is not only a beautiful plant to behold but an easy one to manage. In fact, it’s one of the best looking indoor plants that are hard to kill, and this is precisely what you’ll be hoping for when introducing a plant or two into your décor.
Snake plants are known to flourish even when you don’t pay them much attention. If you forget to water this plant for a couple of weeks, it won’t even notice – and neither will you.
A snake plant thrives the most when its soil completely dries out in between feeds. If you buy a snake plant and it’s moist in between watering, you’re paying it a little too much attention. What’s excellent about this plant is that it doesn’t require much sunlight to grow either.
So if you’re hoping to add one to your low-lit dining room space to sit on your side cabinet, you don’t need to worry about it wilting without enough sunlight. Perfect. Simply give it a nice long drink every once in a while and watch it prosper.
A stunning spider plant
A spider plant is a fantastic addition to your home, but more importantly, it’s a plant that’s easy to care for. It will really look the part sat on your side cabinet amongst your brilliant bedroom wall art and it needs less attention than most. If your spider plant grows enough, its leaves can even spill attractively over the side of your furniture. It’s truly an all-rounder, although one small recommendation is to sit it in indirect sunlight, not direct sunlight.
This type of plant is not only pleasing to look at, with its long, curved leaves sprouting out in all directions, but it’s also one of the greatest, longest-lasting flowering plants. The growing spiderettes can even be rehomed in a fresh pot of soil to form new plants.
All that’s required of you is to water it often and spritz its leaves, and when the soil begins to appear a little too dry, give it a long drink to soak up. The only warning with this plant is to ensure it isn’t overwatered, as it’ll become soggy. But this is easy enough to achieve.
A flaming Katy
If you’re hoping to integrate long-lasting flowers into your home, flaming Katy is an ideal option. Also known as “kalanchoe”, this plant comes in an array of colours , from orange, yellow, white and red to its most common colour: pink.
This charming plant only needs watering when its soil has dried out, which could be up to two weeks after you initially watered it. This makes it less likely to wilt, and more likely to thrive. Just sit this flourishing beauty on a windowsill that attracts regular sunshine. And if it does look a little forlorn and has stopped growing, place it in a dark room for around 14 hours every night; you’ll find its buds have reappeared after a couple of months.
A remarkable rubber plant
The rubber plant is a blissful addition to your home, with its sparing leaves and rich green appearance, coming in various shapes and shades. And as well as looking on-trend alongside your contemporary wall art and modern interiors, they are easy to manage.
Despite not requiring a lot of TLC, these tough house plants can grow from 60 to 80 feet, making a real statement in your home. You could sit this beautiful plant beside a free-standing mirror in your spare bedroom, or you could stand it on your kitchen floor where it will act as a centrepiece to what many deem an unartistic space.
To get the most out of your rubber plant, water it regularly and ensure the soil is always left slightly damp but never soggy in texture. You should also clean the leaves with a damp cloth every now and again to prevent dust from building up.
A jade plant
Jade plants are wonderful succulents that are known to represent good luck, and money. They have sprouting oval green leaves that have a similar texture to a rubber plant, and they can thrive without needing constant care and attention.
A jade plant makes an elegant addition to the entrance of your home, sitting on a shelf near your intriguing hallway wall art. They don’t need to be re-potted all that often, either, which is music to any homeowner’s ears. What they do need is bright sunshine for a couple of hours each day, but otherwise, they should sit away from direct sunlight.
This type of foliage is excellent, as they are hard to kill house plants that are not ruffled if you underwater them. A jade plant will signal when it needs attention, as the leaves will shrink slightly if it’s a little underfed. All you’ll need to do then is give it a good drink of water and wait for the top soil to completely dry out.
The umbrella tree
An umbrella tree is another one of our hard to kill houseplants. Its rising green branches look incredible amongst a minimalistic setting, and its name derives from its intriguing umbrella-shaped tiers.
Umbrella trees prosper in bright, indirect sunlight but they can still survive in darker conditions – they will just need a little more attention if this is the case. Because this plant maintains the same temperature as us, it has no problem staying alive. As long as your umbrella tree is not kept sitting in deep water, it will live a long life.
A prime peace Lily
Peace lilies are definitely hard to kill houseplants. They always thrive, which is impressive considering they require such little maintenance. Even if you’re new to owning plants, this one is an easy one to water and keep alive.
This type of flower will grow at a rapid rate and comes in different sizes. You can add one to the centre of your coffee table or sit it beside your desk in your office. The peace lily also has amazingly durable flowers, which is why it remains one of the most loved houseplants by homeowners of all tastes.
Simply keep it away from direct sunlight, water it accordingly and keep its soil evenly moist at all times. Then, just wait for it to bloom.
A charismatic cactus
If you’ve ever asked yourself “how long do plants live?”, we recommend purchasing a cactus for your home. That’s because this type of plant lasts so long, and with such little attention, that it could even outlive you!
There is a wide selection of different cacti to introduce to your space, from the likes of Old Lady Cactus, to Bishop Cactus and angel wings, all offering a marvellous variety of shapes and coming in a whole host of different sizes.
Cacti are well known as tough house plants because they only really need to be watered around twice a month, depending on the temperature of your home. Remember, these plants thrive in warm conditions, so if your abode is particularly warm, you may not even need to feed them this often.
Now you know which plants will survive the longest in your home, you can find one to suit your space. If you don't have the time to water plants but love looking at greenery in your home, add pieces of our nature artwork or floral prints to your home.