Since I've been posting more about my plant collection I've had quite a few people get in touch to tell me how much they struggle to keep house plants alive. I also think a lot of people get put off the idea of owning house plants because they've heard other peoples horror stories about trying to keep them alive. I've had a couple of my own hiccups since getting into house plants and I also feel that I'm now in a good position to perhaps recommend some plants which I believe are really easy to look after. So if you are looking to get into house plants yourself, this could be a good place to start!
Cacti
I really think that you have to go some measure to kill a cactus! Surely they have to be the easiest plant to look after ever!? Well that's been my own experience anyway. The one featured in this photo was left behind in my husbands office when we moved and it had been in the dark for at least two months before he went back to retrieve it and it was still to our surprise alive! I think a cactus is a great beginners plant because they are pretty self sufficient. They only need very little watering and I tend to only water mine once every 3 weeks and they are all doing great. As long as they're in a fairly light position and you remember to water them every so often you'll do fine.
Yuka
I picked up my yuka tree pictured on the right from Ikea and from day one it has been so easy to look after. I have placed it in a pretty light corner of my dining room just by may patio doors and I water it once a week. I'm pretty sure on a few occasions it has been watered less than once a week and it's been fine, but as my watering routine tends to be weekly it gets a little water each week. This is also a great plant if you're looking for a larger variety or to add some tropical vibes to your room.
Sedum Burrito
For the most part I find succulents pretty easy to look after but I know they can be very hit and miss for some people. My 'burrito' has actually been one of the easiest succulents to look after and it seems to be a really low maintenance plant. Plus it's one of my all time favourites because it just looks so quirky! Also when it's buds drop off, which can happen from time to time, you simply just place them back onto the soil and they will start to grow. This one lives on my kitchen windowsill and enjoys a small water once a week.
Monstera
My Monstera was the first real house plant I bought and it was actually the plant which got me started with my collection and encouraged me to be brave enough to get some more different plants for my home. This has always been an easy plant to look after and just seems to go from strength to strength. It's regularly sprouting and unfolding a new leaf which is so fulfilling and exciting to see because clearly I am doing something right! It's also great to watch this plant just get bigger and bigger. I'm starting to notice a theme with my advice in this post but this plant has done really well in a light room, not in direct sunlight, and it's watered once a week. Every so often I also clean it with a water wipe as it's leaves can get a bit dusty but that's as far as my care for this plant goes.
Aloe Vera
I've been really quite surprised and impressed by my Aloe Vera plant. When we moved house I positioned in on my dressing table and it's not really the lightest of places for it but it seems to be very happy there. So much so that it actually had a baby a few weeks ago! To my complete and utter surprise I noticed one day that there was a mini Aloe Vera growing next to it and so after some research I gently removed it and re-planted it it's own pot so I now have two Aloe Vera's. I'm probably going to gift the baby to someone else because I don't really have the space for many more plants but this whole event just made me really happy and I'm now looking forward to sharing this plant with someone else. Again, I water her once a week and that's where the maintenance ends.
I really hope this post has encouraged you to either start your own house plant collection or branch out and try a new variety of plant. My success at looking after my house plants has been a really big surprise to me and I've been really amazed by just how low maintenance the majority of my plants are. I think as long as you have a fairly light home and remember your watering schedule you should be fine!
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