Having plants in my apartment helps keep my space feeling alive. It’s the easiest way to make a city space more open and comforting. However, getting plants that can survive the small space, low lighting, and my own busy schedule can be difficult. There’s travel, late nights, dark rooms, and general forgetfulness that can really affect how well your plants look. There is no definitive answer for what plants are best for apartment living since each space is going to have different advantages and each life is going to have a different schedule. There are, however, plants for all different lifestyles! Here are some plants that will keep on through different conditions.
For the apartment with small windows or not enough light to fuel a cactus, plants that require low light are going to be your best bet. These are my favorite plants that can survive in shadowy conditions.
Peace Lily
I love this plant in particular because it will show you when it needs to be watered. At the first signs of wilting, give it a nice watering and by the next day it will have perked up again.
Elephant’s Ear
The big leaves on this plant are so gorgeous I could cry. They are sensitive to the sun though, and need to be kept in shady spots to avoid burning!
Pothos
There’s lots of different pothos, but they are all going to be seriously easy to care for. They will survive in any room of the house, though I prefer for them to be hanging or placed on a high shelf so they can trail down.
There are some plants that do best when left alone to soak up some sun. These are plants that will be great for someone who travels frequently or has a hard time keeping their plants on a schedule. Succulents are a great starting point for low watering, as they almost only want to soak up the sun.
Crown of Thorns
A succulent that blooms will give you a sweet burst of color! Giving this plant as much light as possible will help it to flower, and only needs to be watered every few weeks.
Zebra Cactus
A unique succulent with white stripes that can be kept in a small pot. Let the soil dry out between waterings.
Calling a plant indestructible seems silly because I’m not sure there are any that would survive a blow torching. But that is the standard a lot of people are looking for! It’s a stretch but if any plants are going to be considered actually indestructible these would hit the mark.
Snake Plant
I have no idea how I haven’t managed to kill one of these before, but that just goes to show how hearty they can be. The top inch of soil should be dry before you water a snake plant. They can survive in low light but will grow their best when getting some good sun through the day.
ZZ Plant
Watching this plant grow like crazy while hardly taking care of it has been a wild ride. If you want to really feel like you’re taking great care of a plant, plop a ZZ where it can get some sun and you’ll get that feeling.
Copper Spoon
These plants are so beautiful, that it almost seems unfair that they are so easy to take care of. Find the right lighting that’s bright but not too close to a window for the happiest Copper Spoon.
There are plants to be found for all different lifestyles, so don’t give up! If you’ve killed one plant, it’s worth trying again. I’ve killed way more than one plant in my day, but now I’ve figured what plants work best in my apartment and just how much time and care I can put into their lives. As always, the option for fake plants is still out there too.
Until next time!
Mercedes Simonion