4 Super Low-Maintenance Plants for Laid-Back Plant Parents

One of the most fantastic things about houseplants is the sheer variety that you can find for your home. Different species have different care needs, and it's guaranteed that you can find the perfect plant for your unique home environment.

A lot of houseplants produce blooms, but String of Bananas produces flowers that smell like nutmeg whereas a Begonia maculata produces flowers that don’t smell like anything at all. Variety is the spice of life- the keystone of it, really. It’s also the spice of houseplants!

Because there’s so much variety within houseplant species, especially here at Canopi, it makes finding many houseplants that suit your personality incredibly easy. If you don’t know your houseplant personality, go ahead and take our quiz to find out. If you already know you’re a laid-back plant parent looking for easy-to-care-for houseplants- then this article is for you!

What makes a houseplant low maintenance? After all, for the most part, you only need to water most plants once a week and feed them in the spring and summer. It’s not like they require a song and a dance each day to keep from dying (though if one did, I would absolutely buy it).

Some plants though, are so tolerant that they will survive and forgive you if you forget to water them for weeks. They will say “this is great!” to your dimly lit bedroom and “I like this old pot” to one they’ve been in for five years. Now that is low maintenance. This is our list of incredibly laid back, low-maintenance houseplants

ZZ Plant

Coming in at #1 on our list is the super chill and incredibly tolerant ZZ plant. This beautiful plant is native to Eastern Africa and can be found growing in forests and dry grasslands. ZZ plants are rhizomatous, and their rhizomes store water. This makes this plant perfect for those who often forget to water their plants.

ZZ plants are also perfect for plant parents with low light or few windows in their homes. These little plants can’t handle full sun, as they will scorch their gorgeous green leaves. Don’t worry about taking extra measures to give these plants more light- they just don’t need it!

Last, but not least, ZZ plants are low feeders and they only need to be fed once a month in the spring and summer. You don’t need to worry about what will happen if you forget to fertilize your ZZ plant. These incredibly low-maintenance plants will be just fine if you forget to feed them!

Pothos

Pothos plants are another perfect option for those who are forgetful waterers or who live with very little natural light. Not only do these decorative, vining plants prefer to dry out between waterings, but they will also communicate clearly to you when it is time for a drink.Then perk right up again after watering.

Sometimes one of the most frustrating things about caring for houseplants is being certain it’s time to water, and not every species will use their words and speak up when they are in need of hydration before it's too late. With Pothos plants, however, they will clearly let you know they want to be hydrated by curling their leaves and drooping, then spring back to health.

Pothos plants can live in a wide variety of light conditions. The only light that will truly make them unhappy or hurt them is direct light, making these plants perfect for low to medium-light spaces. I personally know someone who keeps their pothos in a room that never receives light and it is still alive. Growing slowly, but still alive.

Snake Plants

Snake plants, also called Mother-in-Law’s-Tongue are great houseplants for laid-back plant parents for a number of reasons. For one thing, they can tolerate all sorts of lighting conditions making them easy and carefree to place around your home. From bright light to shade, these hardy little succulents will probably be just fine no matter where you put them.

Being succulents, Snake plants store water in their bodies and therefore are a great plant for forgetful waterers. They prefer to have their soil dry out completely between waterings, so go ahead and relax when it comes to any kind of schedule for these guys.

Another reason that these plants are low maintenance would be that they enjoy being rootbound and only need to be repotted once every 3-5 years. Don’t worry about having to buy a new pot and get dirt everywhere each year- these plants are just fine hanging out in the pot you bought them in for years to come!

Aloe Vera

Not only is Aloe Vera generously low maintenance, but it also generously provides gifts to its caretaker! From healing burns to treating acne, fresh aloe has many uses. Just like Snake plants, Aloe Vera plants are succulents and store water in their plump foliage. If you forget to water your Aloe Vera, you won’t have to worry about it going thirsty.

This is a great low-maintenance plant for anyone with a bit more light in their living space. All of the plants on our list up until now have been pretty shade tolerant, but Aloe Vera is one low-maintenance plant that prefers bright, indirect sunlight. If you have a lot of natural light in your home, but don’t want to spend a lot of time on plant care- then Aloe Vera is the plant for you!

Remembering to fertilize plants once a month during their growing season of spring and summer can be difficult even for super-involved plant parents. This is the time of year when most of us are out of the house, not cooped up inside with our plants The definition of low feeders, Aloe Vera plants only need to be fertilized once a year in the spring or summer making them perfect for busy, outdoor enthusiasts.