Easy House Plants: 16 Plants That Will Survive

Having easy house plants to take care of will bring the outdoors into your home in the simplest way possible. In addition to cleansing the air and helping to reduce stress levels, indoor plants can actually improve your wellbeing!

Indoor plants act as a quick decorating tool, adding ambiance to any area. But if you’re worried about the upkeep of indoor plants and concerned your black thumb may prevent you from enjoying them, fret no more.

Here are the top 16 indoor houseplants that anyone can keep alive. These sturdy beauties can survive a little neglect.

What Is A House Plant That Won’t Die Easily?

I know in my house, I need easy house plants that can survive if I forget to water them for a week (which happens frequently, I’ll be honest). High maintenance house plants don’t survive in my house – I’ve tried multiple times.

I came up with a list of the best houseplants that anyone can keep alive. Green thumb or no green thumb, these tough indoor plants can withstand (almost) any neglect from their owners.

1. African Violets

This flowering favorite blooms several times per year, making it one of the most popular indoor plants. Keep it thriving in bright but indirect light with moist soil. Having good drainage and an African violet fertilizer administered every other week will go a long way toward helping it thrive.

2. Spider Plant

Spider Plants add great visual interest to an area, come in several varieties, and work well as hanging plants.

This is one of my personal favorites because I love the color…and the baby shoots that can be re-potted to share with friends or enjoy in another area of the house. Everyone will be so impressed with you – they’ll never know how easy it was to grow!

Simply let it live in bright or medium indirect light and water it weekly (even I can usually manage that).

3. Chinese Evergreen

This indoor beauty is one tough plant to kill, and if you tend to be an over-waterer, the Chinese Evergreen is for you. There are lots of fun varieties, which include speckles and stripes. Chinese Evergreens do best in low to medium light with a drink of water once its soil is dry.

4. Yucca

Keeping a Yucca happy couldn’t be easier: sun, sun, and more sun. Water sparingly and plant in a deep container to prevent the top-heavy woody stems from toppling over.

5. Pothos Ivy

This leafy vine has trailing stems and works well in a hanging basket. Since it’s very hardy (and quite pretty), it’s a popular choice for a house plant. Pothos Ivy thrives in a variety of lighting (even low light); allow the soil to dry between waterings.

6. Air Plant

These spider-looking plants don’t even need soil to grow and thrive. They are amazing because you can literally hang them in midair or even prop them on a shelf. Watering is super simple too – just dunk them in water for 2-3 hours every 10 days or so.

7. Chinese Money Plant

The Chinese Money Plant prefers a shady spot with weekly waterings. Similar to a Spider Plant, replant the offshoot “babies” that sprout from the base of the stem and enjoy money plants all-around your house.

8. Peace Lily

A Peace Lily is another easy house plant that works wonderfully for people who tend to overwater. Even though the plant puts out pretty, curving white blooms, it’s more than just a pretty face. These impressive plants grow well in low light and can also filter toxins from the air.

9. Aloe

This succulent’s spiky leaves not only look cool but also contain medicinal properties. Aloe loves indirect light and thrives in small, indoor spaces. It prefers dry soil, so give it a good soak every week or two.

10. English Ivy

Ivy has a timelessness quality that makes it a popular house plant as it trails down from a shelf for a beautiful effect. English Ivy prefers moist soil and cooler temperatures (up to about 70 degrees).

11. Ponytail Palm

Slow-growing, the Ponytail Palm enjoys hanging out in a sunny window. The native Mexican plant gets its name from its shape – skinny leaves sprouting out from a thick stalk. Its’ stem holds reserve water, so don’t water often.

12. Rubber Plant

Easy, easy, easy. That’s the Rubber Plant’s middle name. It’s dark green leaves provide a stunning pop of color. This plant thrives in medium to bright light; it likes to live on the dry side, so allow its soil to dry out between waterings.

13. Jade Plant

For anyone looking for a, “couldn’t-be-easier” plant, the Jade Plant is perfect for you. Jade plants are succulents that retain water in their round, green leaves. They grow slowly, prefer bright light and don’t want a lot of water.

14. Christmas Cactus

If you’re more of the don’t-bother-with-it type, go for anything in the cactus family.

Christmas Cacti have segmented leaves with white, pink, red, or purple flowers during the holiday season. They like bright, indirect light but bloom with low light (to mimic the short daylight period in December); keep on the dry side.

15. ZZ Plant

The ZZ Plant, with its striking tall stalks of deep green, rubbery leaves, actually prefers to be left alone and seems to thrive on neglect.

Though it prefers moderate levels of sunlight, it does very well in low light, as well. Easy does it on the watering – let it dry out before giving it a good soak.

16. Mother-in-law’s Tongue

Mother-in-law’s tongue (aka, “Snake Plant”) is tough to kill. The leaves are typically tall, stiff, vertical, and variegated, and it can go for a month without water. Keep it on the dry side.

FAQs About Easy House Plants

Where To Buy House Plants

The best place to buy house plants is at a local nursery or garden center. The staff there also know a lot about the plants and can answer any questions you have regarding their care.

You can also find good house plants at large box stores such as Home Depot, Lowe’s and Walmart. There are even places online to buy house plants like Amazon and online plant stores.

Which House Plants Need The Least Amount Of Light?

From the plants on this list, the ones that need the least amount of light include:

Chinese Evergreen
Pothos Ivy
Chinese Money Plant
Peace Lily
Christmas cacti
ZZ Plant

Which Plants Need The Least Amount Of Water?

I get it! Remembering to water your house plants takes a lot of mental energy. If you are the type to forget to water but don’t want your plant to die, these easy house plants will be a good fit.