If you want to spruce up your New York City apartment with a little greenery, but growing greenery in your home isn’t your forte, know that it is still possible to have lovely plants if you choose the more forgiving and low-maintenance variety.
Here are a few tough indoor plants that can fend for themselves for days, sometimes weeks, at a time.
- PONYTAIL PALM
Visually stunning with lush, long leaves, the ponytail palm tree is neither a palm nor a tree. In fact, it is a member of the Agave family and is actually a succulent.
It grows best in semi-dry conditions, so it is important to let the soil dry out well between waterings, generally every two weeks (but these can even go up to a month). The fact that a ponytail palm is forgiving and easy in its care makes this an ideal houseplant for many people. - SPIDER PLANT
Spider plant grows best when watered regularly -- once a week or so -- but doesn't mind if you miss a week every now and again. (Hey, it happens to all of us, even while we're working from home.) These popular houseplants are generally grown in a hanging container to allow the stems to cascade.
In addition to being low maintenance, Spider Plants have many benefits:
- They can thrive in moderate to low light conditions.
- They purifying their surrounding space by removing toxins from the air.
- They are non-toxic plants safe for children and pets, (yes, especially cats!) - PRAYER PLANT
Prayer Plant is another low-light easy-care option. They do not like direct sun and will tolerate a random or inconsistent water schedule quite well. Balance is key. For new plant parents, place a prayer plant in a corner of the room that receives plenty of indirect sunlight (not on the windowsill) and keep an eye on it to make sure it is adjusting well to its location. In many cases, prayer plants can live well over thirty years.
Written by Amber James