Low maintenance plants for your house

Houseplants can add a
great deal of atmosphere to a home, making it feel more welcoming and
creating a generally relaxed feeling. The problem with many
houseplants is that they need a fair amount of maintenance, and they
tend to be somewhat unforgiving when we neglect them; sad looking
neglected houseplants have the opposite effect from the one that was
intended.

If you are too busy to
spend much time looking after plants, or if you tend to forget to go
round with your indoor watering can, here are some suggestions for
houseplants that need very little maintenance and that will stay
looking good even when you forget to look after them as much as you
should. You should always check to see if
your plants are covered by your home contents insurance.

The Spider Plant, or to
give it its proper name Chlorophytum Comosum, is really a herb. It
has long narrow spindly leaves which have a striated dark green and
light green pattern and grows to around 60 cm high. The plant also
produces delicate white or light green flowers. It is very easy to
grow, though it thrives best at typical room temperatures and can
even tolerate temperatures as low as 2 degrees. All they need is
occasional water.

Mother-in-law’s tongue,
or Sansevieria Trifasciata, has tall green leaves with a yellow
border. It was given its name as its leaves are sharp. The plant
grows to around a meter in height and it is probably the toughest of
all houseplants, in fact it is almost impossible to kill it unless
you completely forget to water it or you overwater it when the plant
could rot. It is also recommended as a house plant for its
detoxifying properties;
it absorbs pollutants such as formaldehyde and nitrogen oxides.

This
is a traditional houseplant that just
goes on and on. It isn’t unusual for aspidistras to live for
many decades with virtually no attention. Their long, green leaves
grow directly from the ground either singly or in small groups of two
or three. It might be considered to be a little old fashioned and
archetypically English, as portrayed in George Orwell’s novel “Keep
the Aspidistra Flying”, but nevertheless it is an attractive plant
that requires very little maintenance.

The Dragon Tree Plant
or Dracaena Marginata is an attractive plant with green, thin arched
leaves with dark outer edges which grow from a small branched trunk.
They
can grow to around 1.5 meters high over time, but they are very
slow growers. They require very little maintenance and should you
forget to water them for a while they are very forgiving and are
likely to revive when you finally do remember to water them.

 

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