Top 10 Indoor Plants

Indoor plants are a great way to decorate and to help maintain good air quality in your home. Many people profess to have a black thumb and feel unable to grow plants of any types. However, many indoor plants are fairly easy to plant and maintain as well as being beautiful and decorative. Here is a list of the top 10 indoor plants to grow when you are looking for low maintenance, easy to grow plants. All of these plants are great for people with little time to spend on their plants.

Aloe (Aloe) - A spiky succulent plant, the aloe plant is useful in many ways. The leaves can be used for treating burns. This is one of my favorite indoor plants to grow as it has uses other than just decoration. Aloe plants are easy to care for. They do need sunlight and do best if set in a window. They need little watering. It is best to allow them to dry out between waterings. Do not allow them to freeze. Aloe plants appear to be similar to cactus but are actually part of the lily family.

Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum) - The Peace Lily is a low maintenance plant with attractive green leaves and a dramatic flower. This plant can thrive with low light and little watering. Do not over water, but keep the soil moist. The peace lily is one of the better plants to keep to insure good indoor air quality.

Spider Plant (Chlorophytum comosum) - One of the most popular indoor plants, Spider plants are continuously growing and giving off baby plants. The plants have long, trailing vines and can come in green or green with white stripes. This is one of the easiest indoor plants to care for and is also one of the best plants for producing oxygen and cleaning the air. The plant will grow in many different environments and does well in lower lighted areas. Avoid direct sunlight and do not over water. Allow the plant to dry out in between watering. These plants are often kept in hanging pots so that the trailing vines can be free hanging.

Mother-in-law's tongue or Snake plant (Sansevieria) - The Mother-in-law or Snake plant has long, sharp, pointed leaves and is a dark green color although variegated varieties are available. The plant thrives in minimal lighting and needs to only be watered every few weeks. This is a long-lived plant that is easy very easy to care for.

Dragon tree (Dracaena marginata) - The Dragon Tree plant looks like a small palm tree and can get as tall as 10 feet. It is very easy to care for and is fine in low light areas. This is a great large houseplant and is very attractive. The plant itself should not be over watered and should actually be allowed to dry out between watering. Bright light is best for them but they can tolerate the low light areas without damage.

Christmas Cactus (Zygocactus or Schlumbergera) - The Christmas Cactus plant is a member of the cactus family but is not the traditional spiny plant. This green and vibrant plant produces beautiful flowers in early winter. The flowers are a deep pink or red color. This plant does well in low lighting but will produce more flowers with more light. This plant is easy to grow as it does best when you do not mess with it too much. Do not over water and do not allow the plant to freeze. Exposing this plant to cooler temperatures will help to produce blooms.

Cast Iron Plant (Aspidistra elatior) - The Cast Iron Plant is so easy to grow that you can ignore it most of the time. The plant has sharply pointed, knife like leaves that can grow to 4" long. The dark green leaves will occasionally be complemented by flowers and there are versions with white stripes on the leaves. These plants love low light and shady areas. The leaves grow in a clump and grow upwards, not outwards. Avoid over watering and areas that are too bright.

Chinese Evergreen (Aglaonema modestum) - The Chinese Evergreen plant is a great plant for those with little plant experience and for those living in an area without much natural lighting. This plant will grow well in little light and will thrive on as little as a reading lamp. The plant needs very little care and must not be over watered or exposed to temperatures below 45 degrees Fahrenheit. The plant itself has silvery gray and dark green leaves and grows as a bush. There are no flowers but the foliage itself is beautiful. This plant is also rated highly as an air purifier.

Pothos (Epipremnum) - The pothos plant is almost impossible to kill. They have trailing vines and many leaves. There are variegated and golden varieties available in addition to the standard green. The pothos plant does well in even artificial light and needs very little watering. Allow the plant to dry out between waterings but not too long or the leaves will wilt and dry.

ZZ Plant (Zamioculcas Zamiifolia) - Similar to a palm plant, the ZZ plant has shiny, dark green leaves and grows slowly but easily. This is an extremely attractive houseplant. This plant is very hard to kill and handles neglect well. It needs very little water and very little direct light. This plant does well in low light conditions, including artificial lighting conditions. Do not over water or allow to sit in water as it will cause the roots damage.

Sources:

http://www.all-about-houseplants.com/

http://www.wikipedia.org/

Conversations with my mother, Sandra White