Houseplants for Happy Slobs

:) We happy slobs apparently kill a LOT of houseplants! I'm not the only one...so here's the emails I received from others who have had better success with houseplants since finding some that are REALLY low maintenance.

Air Ferns

Colleen wrote:
"ONE PLANT THAT IS AVAILABLE, THAT EVEN YOU CAN NOT KILL IS CALLED AN AIR FERN....IT LITERALLY JUST NEEDS "AIR" I HAVE GROWN MINE FOR YEARS. I ONLY HAVE IT STUCK INTO A HOLE THAT I PUNCHED IN THE BOTTOM OF A DIXIE CUP. I PLACED THE CUP IN A SMALL POT AND FILLED THE SURROUNDING AREA WITH MOSS PURCHASED FROM JOANNE FABRICS AND YOU WOULD NEVER KNOW THAT IT WAS NOT PLANTED IN SOIL....I NEVER WATER AND IT DOES NOT CARE HOW MUCH OR HOW LITTLE SUN IT GETS....I PURCHASED IT IN FLORIDA."

Bamboo Plants

Cheri wrote:
" Bamboo! You place the bamboo stalks in a container, surround them with rocks to immobilize them and keep the rocks covered with water. How simple is that! I have two beautiful bamboo "plants" and they are healthy and strong. Big accomplishment for me. Plus, buying the stalks and the containers to put them in is very inexpensive. I have even seen the bamboo stalks in a Dollar Store!"

Spider Plants

"Christina, a houseplant that I've found to be tough to kill is the spider plant (sometimes called an airplane plant). I have ignored this plant for weeks on end, then nearly drowned it, had it in the sunlight and also in a room with poor lighting. It just seems to appreciate whatever attention I show it. Of course, it thrives best when it gets the best conditions, but you might want to give it a try. It's very forgiving. Good luck in your quest."

Hen and chicks

"Okay Christina.....I admit that I kill houseplants too!! However, there is one that I haven't murdered yet. My boyfriend gave me his strawberry pot filled with hen and chicks. He set it on my deck in March of 2004. I did water it once last month when the weather was over 100 degrees for a week. It prefers sun and the deck was a perfect place since it gets very hot in the afternoon. My daughter is a plant killer too. I broke off some of the "chicks", let them dry for 24 hours and then planted them in a well drained flat dish. They are doing well! I did a google search for hen and chicks and learned how to care for them. They are nearly foolproof. Good luck with your search for the perfect houseplants! Gina, aka, SLOB, aka, plant killer!"

Snake Plants aka Mother-in-law tongue plant (haha)

By Danette:

"The easiest houseplant to take care of that I own is my Snake plant A.K.A Mother-in-laws tongue or Sanseveria. It will survive in any lighting conditions, needs very little watering, and is strong and does not break easily. There is only one thing you can do to kill this plant and that is give it too much attention. It literally thrives with neglect. Leave the plant soil dry and don't water it more than once a month and you will have a Happyhouseplant forever."

ZZ Plants

From Joanne:

"I love gardening and having houseplants all around my home, but... I can kill just about anything. My daughter gave me a ZZ plant she bought at Walmart one year ago. You only need to water it once a month. And mine has not only survived, it is getting bigger! The actual name is Zamioculcas zamiifolia. But you can do a search on ZZ plant and it will pull up a lot of sites. They go for $10.00 at Walmart. Good luck green thumbing."