The 12 Best House Plants that You CAN Keep Alive!

on Apr 25, 2019, Updated Aug 03, 2022

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If you’re looking for easy to care for plants to add to your decor, we think you will find the perfect one on this list of the 12 best house plants you can bring back to life after neglect!

The 12 Best House Plants that You Can Keep Alive!

It’s spring and lots of people are outside in the garden working with outdoor plants. That doesn’t mean you should neglect the houseplants though. We think houseplants are a wonderful addition to any home. They add an instant pop to a drab decor and they also can help your health! Did you know houseplants help keep your indoor air clear? If you don’t open your windows much, it’s even more important to add a few plants to your home. Potted house plants also make great gifts for gardeners too!

Based on my experience with houseplants, and from scouring the internet, I’ve come up with a list of the 12 best houseplants you can grow. Most of them can tolerate abuse and neglect and somehow keep on thriving. I’ve owned most of these myself. Just a heads up – you CAN eventually kill them if the abuse and neglect continues indefinitely! Just a heads up that they are not 100% foolproof.

Tall House Plants

Tall house plants are lovely to add visual interest to your decor. Not only are each of these three plants pretty, but like every plant on this list, they are easy to maintain.

1. Dracaena Marginata – I love the way this plant looks – especially the tall ones. True story: I bought a small dracaena at ALDI and then completely forgot about it for MONTHS! My husband recently pulled it out of the dark and put it in a sunny window. We started watering it and it looks great after only a couple weeks! It’s great for low-light spaces and is durable and easy to care for.

2. Snake Plant – This plant is supposed to be nearly indestructible so if you have really bad luck with houseplants, this might be the one for you! Let the soil completely dry between waterings on this low-light tolerant beauty.

3. Rubber Plant – Rubber plants are also very forgiving plants that tolerate sporadic watering and different levels of light. They’re a pretty, and tall plant that will add beauty to you house.

Succulent House Plants and Cacti

I love succulents. In my experience they are so easy to grow. If you have a window with lots of light and can commit to watering them occasionally, succulents might deserve a place of honor in your home. Here are some of my favorites:

4. Aloe Vera- Not only is aloe easy to take care of, I love it because it’s medicinal as well. We love to smear fresh aloes on sun burns, when we accidentally get them. Aloe grows well in a variety of light conditions and tolerates people who forget to water it.

5. Jade Plant – Low water plant, great for people who forget to water! Jade plants do like lots of light though, so find a sunny window to place it near.

6. Catci – We can’t forget about the lovely cactus. There are lots of varieties of cacti – some very prickly and some not so prickly. My kids know not to touch the tiny cacti we have and so the spines don’t pose a problem at my house, but do take the spines into consideration before deciding on cacti. The key to growing catci well is choosing the right soil and making sure it drains properly.

Image by Luisella Planeta Leoni from Pixabay

Indoor Hanging Plants

7. Pothos – I have had the same pothos plant for years, and I can attest that this plant will not die. I forget to water it for long periods of time and it keeps on hanging on. Of course, it does much better if you water it, but I have not been able to kill this plant – despite killing off almost every other plant we’ve owned.

8. Spider Plant – This is another hanging plant that’s very easy to take care of. I love spider plants because they grow little babies that are easy to propagate and turn into new plants. Spider plants are also tolerant of sporadic watering and will do well in a low light environment.

9. Wandering Jew – I’m not sure who named this plant, but I love this one because it thrives on neglect and it’s so pretty! You can forget to water it and it will do just fine, as long as you eventually get back around to it. I also love it, because like the Spider Plant, it’s very easy to use cuttings and propagate new plants too.

Lovely Plants but Require More Consideration

10. Peace Lily – This plant will thrive in low light, but if you want it to flower, it needs adequate light. It’s a very forgiving plant that will come back if you periodically forget to water it. A word of caution – the Peace Lily is poisonous, though, so if you have small children or pets who enjoy chewing on your plants, the Peace Lily may not be for you.

11. Dieffenbachia- This plant has very pretty leaves. It does well in low to medium light, but it does need to be kept evenly moist so don’t forget to water this plant.

12. African Violet – These plants are easy to keep alive if you leave them alone. They’ll do well in a low light environment but are a little pickier about how they’re watered as they don’t like to get wet and don’t want to be overly saturated. They key to African Violets is to find them a nice spot and then don’t move them as the acclimate to their area and don’t tolerate being moved that well.