Indoor Plants that Can Survive Practically Anything

By: Christian Shields | Photos By: Ashlee Glenn

With warmer days on the horizon and spring right around the corner, Lynchburg residents may be anxious to get a jump start on filling their homes with colorful greenery. Latia Hancock, owner of P.R.E.A.M Services and Design, offers several helpful tips and recommendations of low maintenance plants to ensure even beginners and those still finding their green thumbs can enjoy the numerous benefits houseplants provide.

“Just a little bit of green can take away your seasonal depression and brighten up your day,” she said.

Snake Plant
Dracaena trifasciata
While many houseplants require a large amount of sunlight and water, Hancock’s first recommendation, the snake plant, can survive with just a small amount of each. She suggested watering this plant at least once a month but noted it may need water twice a month if in heavy sunlight. She also noted this plant would be perfect for Lynchburg’s downtown lofts as it needs only one window for light. In addition to brightening up your day, the snake plant also serves as an air purifier. This plant is toxic to pets and should be kept out of reach of animals.

Golden Pothos
Epipremnum aureum
Another beginner plant is the golden pothos, which like the snake plant serves as an air purifier. These plants differ, however, in that the golden pothos requires at least two good windows to thrive. It requires water every seven to 10 days, however, it can also survive with water every 14 to 20 days if necessary. Although sometimes mistaken for a vining plant when in a hanging basket, Hancock noted the golden pothos is actually a climbing plant. This plant also can bounce back from previous mistakes in care. If overwatered or underwatered, it will return to its former glory once the needed adjustment is made.

ZZ Plant
Zamioculcas zamiifolia
Requiring a good watering only every two weeks, the ZZ plant, or aroid palm, is yet another low maintenance plant that can brighten up a living room or other area of the home. While it can tolerate low amounts of light, the plant will look happier in a bright location. Outside of that, it prefers to be left alone. Water at least once a month, but twice if it receives a large amount of sunlight. Like both plants mentioned above, it is toxic to pets so care should be taken to ensure it remains out of reach.

Succulents
Disagreement remains within the planting community on whether succulents can be considered a low-maintenance plant. Hancock noted the primary issue with these plants is how easy they are to overwater. While caretakers may be anxious to water these plants frequently, doing so only causes them more harm. Instead, the best practice is to let them dry out completely before giving them more water. Succulents also need a large amount of sunlight and would do well on a bright windowsill that is out of reach of pets as they are toxic to pets.

While succulents are low maintenance, there are a few that are ideal for beginners. Namely Haworthia Zebra, which is one of the few succulents that aren’t toxic to pets; Opuntia Cactus; Echeveria; Sempervivum; and Sedum morganianum (more commonly known as Burro’s Tail or Donkey’s Tail).

Spider Plant
Chlorophytum comosum
Unlike the other plants mentioned above, Hancock’s final recommendation, the spider plant, serves as a great plant for pet owners because it is nontoxic to animals. This plant thrives best in direct sunlight. It also requires more water than the others, with Hancock recommending a watering schedule of every seven to 10 days. But like the golden pothos, the spider plant could go without water for 14 to 20 days if need be. Similar to the ZZ plant, it thrives best when left alone.

Other Tips & Tricks
Knowing whether or not a plant needs more water can be a tricky situation for some plant owners, but Hancock recommended an easy test to ensure it continues to grow and thrive. Simply take a stick and poke it into the soil and pull it out. If soil remains on the stick, then it is still damp.

For most plants, light and water are a ratio. The more light a plant receives, the more often it will need to be watered. Inversely, plants that require little sunlight may thrive with lower amounts of water.

Patrons looking for plants, plant services, or botanical design support can visit pream-lyh.com to connect with Hancock.

Take Your Green Thumb to New Heights with Vertical Gardens

The urge to cultivate is an innate human quality, and it always has been. No matter where we put down roots—from coast to desert, rural to urban—people always find a way to enhance their environment with living plants. For many, vertical gardening is a way to bring a little green energy into small spaces. The best part: Vertical gardening can often be both aesthetically pleasing, and functional!

Many credit the vertical gardening approach we recognize today to a man named Stanley Hart White, who patented his “Botanical Bricks” in 1938. As a landscape architect, he designed modular, vertical gardening blocks that could be quickly stacked, rearranged, and moved for displays and events. They were great for gardening indoors and outdoors, especially in small spaces.

However, we have been growing upward for centuries, and it’s likely that White took his inspiration from the landscape architects of the ancient world. Some of the earliest known vertical gardens come from about 3,000 B.C., when the vineyards of ancient Greece were planted to produce both a plentiful yield of grapes, but also shade for gathering places. The vines grew from boxes and were trained to climb trellises and arches. This produced shelter from the rain and sun, as well as a visually stunning landscape. Many of these gardens can still be seen today.

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, were constructed, allegedly, by King Nebuchadnezzar for his wife between 605 – 562 B.C. Though archaeologists and historians dispute the details, writers of the time described the gardens as huge, terraced rooftops, upheld by columns which were iconic in the architecture of the period. The rooftops were heavily planted with everything from flowers and small shrubs to full-sized trees. The vining plants were designed to climb down the columns and walls, giving the illusion that the garden was hanging from mid-air. This was also one of the earliest known gardens to be planted purely for aesthetic pleasure, and not for food production. Unfortunately, this garden has been lost to time, but many artists, both modern and ancient, have created representations of what the famed Hanging Gardens of Babylon may have looked like.

Fast forward several thousand years and vertical gardening is very popular, not just in tight urban environments, but just about everywhere. There are “planted walls” clinging to the exteriors of city skyscrapers with fancy hydroponic systems and scientifically blended soil. Home DIYers build indoor wall-hanging gardens to display their succulent collections, or outside to grow tomatoes and veggies without sacrificing the yard space. The beauty of vertical gardening is that it can be done by almost anyone, and on almost any budget. All you need is some sort of frame or structure, and a few pockets to stuff soil or growth medium.

Of course, for the gardener willing to front a little cash, there are tons of options for both indoor and outdoor vertical gardening systems. Some even include hydroponic irrigation systems and grow lights for an easy, hands-off approach.

But for the crafty, low-budget gardener, pallets can often be found for free, and are easily converted into vertical growing surfaces that can be affixed to walls, or simply leaned against them, inside or outside. With enough pallets, you can quickly create large, eye-catching vertical structures for your plants. Shelves can also be adapted to growing plants vertically up strings, dowels, or mesh. Vining plants can be grown from boxes on top of trellises or pergolas and add intrigue and a touch of romance to windows, patios, or porches. Strawberries are an excellent candidate for hanging baskets and elevated grow boxes because they look great, and produce fruit!

Pothos – These plants are affordable, available at every garden supply center, and require little maintenance. They are great climbers, thrive in low lighting, and grow relatively quickly! They are also proven to purify air.

Ferns – Ferns like moisture, but many varieties do not require much light at all. They also do not have deep root systems, or require many nutrients, so they make excellent candidates for living walls. There are several varieties of ferns that, when planted together, can create visual intrigue while all requiring the same growth conditions.

Heartleaf Philodendron – Another popular houseplant, the Philodendron is a low-maintenance fast-grower with long, dangling vines and heart-shaped leaves.

Dragon Plant – If you’re looking to add a plant with a little more structure, the Dragon Plant is a popular choice for indoor gardens. Like the others on this list, they are known to purify air. The sturdy, dark green leaves stand in contrast to the more gangly vining plants, and they are conveniently low maintenance.

For inspiration, a quick online search for “living walls,” “vertical gardening,” or “planted walls” will yield more than a few ideas that you could try in your home or outdoor space.