No fail houseplants

[AlleyKat]

I'd like suggestions on hard to kill potted houseplants. I don't want "hangers", just plants that happily sit on a table top, shelf, etc. Plants that flower are a plus!

Thanks to all who respond!

 

[wendy46001]

I’ve killed everything from cactus to those bamboo things

DH brought home an orchid
Figured it was a goner….four months now and it even still has flowers

keep it in some light...and water it once a month....good to go

 

[AlleyKat]

I’ve killed everything from cactus to those bamboo things

DH brought home an orchid
Figured it was a goner….four months now and it even still has flowers

keep it in some light...and water it once a month....good to go

A friend stated Orchids are the worst plant to keep alive. Hmmm, I may have to see about that!

My gardens flourish(annuals and perennials), my indoor hangers are huge but anything I put on a table(in/near bright light) doesn't survive long.

 

[live4christp1]

The only thing that has survived inside for me is a Christmas Cactus (not sure if that is really what it is called) it flowers occasionally and some type of potted vine. They both sit on my kitchen window sill above the sink.

My outside flowers do fine........just kill most potted plants inside.......I think I either water them to much or not enough.

 

[MM27]

I am known as a plant killer. The only thing I can keep alive are those bamboo plants. A handfull of rocks in the bottom of a glass vase does the trick and you can actually see when it needs more water.

My worst plant story is one of my students gave me a beautiful pointsettia plant last year before Christmas. I had every intention of bringing it home before vacation, but I must have forgotten. I found the plant stuck between my desk and a table in late March. It fell apart wherever you touched it. Apparently over the vacation the custodians were working in my room and must have knocked it over. The kids got a good laugh and I told them "This is why you don't give me plants"

 

[Hercules10]

Plastic.

 

[freckles and boo]

Mother-in-law's Tongue (AKA -Snake Plant, Sansevieria or Sansevieria Trifasciata). I haven't watered mine in a month and it still loves me. However, if you have cats who like to nibble they are toxic.

 

[bekkiz]

We have something called a money tree that is SO hardy. No flowers, but that thing has stayed quite alive even when every other house plant I've owned has died.

 

[jme829]

I got a peace lily from bil's funeral over 5 years ago... I am by no means a plant person, but it is still going strong.! I water it once a month or so when I remember (or it starts to droop..lol) and it perks up and actually has had "flowers" on it for a few months now.

Very easy to care for. I have mine on the kitchen counter in front of a window and basically leave it alone.

 

[TnTsParty]

I always do good with Spathiphyllum (or peace lily) normally only need to water once a week. If I forget to water it sometimes will look like its about ready to die and all I have to do is give it a decent amount of water (of course not overflowing) and it will perk right back up.

 

[wendy46001]

A friend stated Orchids are the worst plant to keep alive. Hmmm, I may have to see about that!

My gardens flourish(annuals and perennials), my indoor hangers are huge but anything I put on a table(in/near bright light) doesn't survive long.

Of course this plant could be a freak of nature

 

[RitaE]

A money tree is a good one, those are very hardy. I have a rubber plant that we abuse like nothing else in the world and it just keeps on growing. I bought it as one of those little itty bitty things at the grocery store and I've had to repot it I don't know how many times now. I'm going to have to start calling it my rubber tree pretty soon - it's gotten that big.

Also, consider a ficus. In my experience you have to try really really hard to kill a ficus. I've managed it, but I'm an expert plant killer.

 

[live4christp1]

My mom always did really well with African Violets (I can't grow them). She kept them on the kitchen window sill as well.

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

http://houseplants.suite101.com/article.cfm/hard_to_kill_houseplants


Hard to Kill Houseplants


Easy houseplants; best plants that require little care or direct sunlight

• Ivy – Ivy is ridiculously easy to take care of, with many hardy ornamental varieties. Popular ivy types are Persian ivy, Irish ivy, Algerian ivy, and English ivy. There are many different subspecies of English ivy; they all look different, but the most common ivy houseplants have bird's foot leaves and are probably Glacier and Irish Lace. Don’t overwater an ivy, and it will thrive in a low light apartment or house.
• Spider plant – Many suburban houses feature Spider plants in their front windows. A little water now and then, a little sun, and spider plants almost always stay healthy. They’re also easy to reproduce: Baby spider plants just grow right on stems off the adult houseplant, and can be picked and potted.
• Wax plant – Along with the ivies and spider plants, the wax plant does well as a hanging houseplant. Wax plants need a little more direct sunlight than do the ivy and spider plants, but otherwise are easy to care for.
• Snake plant – Also called the mother-in-law plant, this alternate name is a mild insult (these houseplants are hard to get rid of, get it?) and the plant is common and popular in apartments. Snake plants can take as much or as little sun as owners give them; they are notoriously hardy and hard to kill. This houseplant has stiff, upright leaves, and can grow to as much as four feet tall.

Easy houseplants; best houseplants that require little care and are in a sunny room

• Cacti – a cactus brings up mental images of unfriendly thorns and spikes, but some are quite elegant and beautiful. The Prickly Pear and Column cacti are thorny, for example, but the Bishop’s Cap and Christmas Cactus are not, and they are just as easy to care for.
• Aloe – Aloe is not just a popular ingredient in hand lotion, it’s a common houseplant as well. Easy to take care of, aloe is a succulent with thick, juicy leaves. A medicinal plant, aloe can be used to treat superficial burns. Simply break off a leaf, and squeeze the aloe vera gel onto the afflicted area.
• Bromeliads – another easy houseplant that needs a lot of sun, the bromeliad family typically grow in a rosette form with a center well. This well, a natural bowl called a tank, should be filled with water. Terrestrial bromeliads need to be in warm rooms, as they are tropical species.

Easy houseplants; best plants that can grow in water

• Wandering Jew - While this house plant does best in moist soil, it is an easy plant to grow in a bowl of water as well. The pleasing purple color of the Wandering Jew makes it a popular houseplant, with its color providing a nice counterpoint to common green houseplants around it.
• English Ivy - More proof that this is one of the best and most adaptive houseplants, English ivy thrives in nearly any low maintenance situation. Water it a little, water it a lot, or just plunk it in a glass bowl; English ivy will grow regardless. One of the miniature English ivy subspecies is best for this. The danger with a full-size ivy variety is that it can grow too long, and knock over the bowl.
• Bamboo - Bamboo may be the ultimate hard to kill houseplant. Occasionally refresh the water in a glass bowl (ornamental ceramic may leech chemicals into the water), and bamboo will do well. Bamboo also makes a lovely natural outdoor border, for homes in the right USDA zone for plant hardiness.

​

​

 

[skw444]

I kill everything except African Violets. The reason is that they don't need a lot of watering and don't need direct sunlight. And when the violet looks like it's wilting a little, I give it a little water and it perks right up. The key with violets too is to water from the bottom.

 

[scrapquilter]

philodendrons are pretty hard to kill.

Peace lily is another plant that even I can keep alive -- and they have a pretty white flower.
http://www.123rf.com/photo_4424953.html

 

[yoopermom]

I've killed many houseplants, but I do have a hibiscus that seems very hardy. It gets watered weekly (if it's lucky), lives in the sun, and flowers sporadically. I love it!
Terri

 

[Luvmy4boys]

philodendrons are pretty hard to kill.

I can attest to that. I've had mine for about 30 years.

 

[LuvOrlando]

Plastic.

That is exactly the same word the crossed my mind when I read this, good thing I scrolled down to see if someone else was on the same page as me

The only things that survive in my house can remind me they need feeding eventually drum roll, ba-dum-pa

 

[C.Ann]

I can kill the flowers in flowered wallpaper.. No help here..

Good luck!