My 5 Favorite Low-Maintenance Houseplants

all photos by On a Whim Co.

I love to use houseplants throughout my home to add a little color and texture to my decor. Unfortunately, so many people are afraid of trying real plants because they are SO worried about killing them and wasting their money. Trust me, I’ve killed my fair share of plants and am definitely a lazy plant owner, but through much trial and error, I’ve figured out the best plants to use that require hardly any maintenance. I’m highlighting 5 of my very favorites below and many of these also work in low-light areas too! Most of these houseplants are nearly impossible to kill (and can even be revived if you *think* you’ve killed them!) and you’ll only be watering about once a week and that’s it! So if you’re ready to start building a lush, beautiful plant-filled space without all the fuss, read up on my picks below!

xoxo

Emily

I once heard these referred to as “plants of steel” and that really is true! These are very difficult to kill and can thrive in a variety of conditions. These are a great option for a low-light area like a bathroom or room without windows. They also love to be dry, so you don’t have to water them but once a week maybe even once every two weeks. They have a great modern, minimalist look too and you can easily propagate them with cuttings to grow additional plants.

Rubber plants and rubber trees have become one of my recent favorite plants to decorate with. Not only are these plants super resilient, but I love the shape and size of the leaves. I love my fiddle leaf figs and these are also a type of Ficus but SO much easier to care for. They come in a variety of sizes and you can even find larger ones that look like an actual mini tree. They do like medium to bright light, so near a good window or two is best. This plant does not require a ton of water either, maybe once or twice a week; the soil should be a happy medium, not bone dry but not soaking wet.

The ZZ plant is a super popular low-maintenance plant due to it’s fun shape and unique look! It is a super tough plant and very difficult to kill. It can survive in just about any type of light, and is also very drought tolerant and temperature tolerant. You only need to water this once every week or every 2 weeks.

One of my favorite plants to use all throughout my home because they’re pretty impossible to kill. I’ve had several that were dried up and looked completely dead, but sure enough after a little water they perked back up! These are great because they can thrive in a variety of environments, bright light or low light; so you can use them anywhere from the bathroom to sunroom to kitchen. They do not require much water at all, maybe one a week or once every two weeks. Pothos also multiply and grow very quickly, kind of giving you that flowing vine effect over your planter. You can trim off longer stems if you wish and easily propagate them to grow another plant!

I especially love the different color varieties of Aglaonema available, like this gorgeous pink stemmed beauty. These are a more slow-growing plant but thrive in low to medium light. These do not like to be as dry as some of the other varieties above so water once, maybe twice a week. These love warmer temperatures and humidity, so definitely keep away from drafty areas of your home or near vents.