House plants

I kill air plants, so I am with you on the brown thumb 😥 I have purchased some very pretty artificial ficuses from Nearly Natural.

Check out these plants...

My Monstera plant that I originally purchased at IKEA 6 or 7 years ago is thriving by my north-facing window. It's really fills a space well, as these plants naturally like to grow outward instead of up (I use a trellis to help it grow vertically). They don't need much care at all! Just one watering can full every week or two will keep it happy and growing.

If you're open to a hanging plant, my favorite one is my spiderwort plant. Really vibrant purple color and very easy to care for.
I've also neglected a ponytail palm tree for years and it still enjoys being alive! They do best in bright light and not a lot of watering.

I seriously cannot keep anything alive, but my Dieffenbachia has thrived for several years! I only water it when the soil is very dry. I keep it in the sun room where there is plenty of light.

I'm a black thumb too. I try to stick to cacti and succulents. I had a fiddle leaf fig, but everyone always considered it a miracle that I kept it alive because they're (apparently to the greener thumbs) notoriously finicky. So I'm hesitant to recommend it because it might have been a fluke!

Ohhhh this is a great question ... Following since I don't really have the ability to keep plants alive.

I’m feeling very comforted by my fellow black thumbs

Azzizi or Z plants are notorious for lasting thru the black thumb conditions 😁. Water it once a month. It don’t care. They can get big and also be broken into smaller pieces.

Dracaenas or cane plants are also great with low care.

Pythos will grow down nicely or trail them across your wall/ ceiling.

Lastly, cut bamboo is very hardy and requires no dirt, just water and maybe some pebbles or glass bits to weight the vase down. I have a wholesaler I can acquire from in larger bunches if you want a vase or a more full!

Either a succulent or an African Violet! They are fairly easy to take care of and they can become really big and beautiful. The African violet blooms flowers once a year as well!

I am so happy to see my fellow black thumbs here. I have a snake plant and aloe Vera since last summer and it’s still alive. Watering every 3 weeks.

Fiddle leaf figs are lovely. Can take up a lot of space and like to dry out a bit betwwen waterings. I agree with the aloes as well. Also good to have around for burns.

Snake plants are really easy to care for, clean the air and are cool looking. Blue Poppy in Wedgwood is a locally owned plant store that has loads of gorgeous larger plants and the owner and her daughter are super helpful and knowledgable in the care of the plants they carry.

All the suggestions above are great, easy to care for plants! The key to keeping most of these alive is to water only when completely dry. Use your finger to test - stick your finger into the soil down to your first knuckle. If it feels even a little moist (or if soil is stuck to your finger), wait a couple more days and test it again. Don't follow a watering schedule as it will depend on your home environment. Also, "low light" plants will still need some type of light! They just die a much slower death.

Seems like we need a House Plants Guide!

If you are going to get live houseplants, consider also providing them with supplemental artificial light. There are some attractive lights designed for indoor plants. I'm reading the book "Gardening Under Lights", and it has some great examples. Also, if one of your motivations is for the plants to provide clean air, NASA developed a list of the top plants for this, and there are a number of plants on the list that do OK with low light. Snake plant is one of them, and mine is still alive after 5 years, which is impressive based on my houseplant track record...

Liz Pearce Ask Diep at Blue Poppy to do one! She knows her stuff!

I am a big fan of Snake Plants, Aloe Vera and ZZ Plants. I've had good luck with succulents that have been potted into old, antique ceramic dishware, too! Also, thanks for recommending Blue Poppy Shannon Garbaccio, I am hoping to do a floral cart this summer for my shop, so I'll look into them as a possible vendor.

Thanks Meredith Fife for adding photos of these plants! I've just learned what plants I already own, ha!

I'm in the same boat as Melissa! Black thumb but my fiddle leaf fig grew leaps and bounds. They look so lush too!

Mandi Pacer Diep is the owner at Blue Poppy and she and her daughter run it together. They are very community oriented and are always looking for ways to be involved. I have no affiliation with the shop aside from being a big fan of it!!

I love Mother Daughter businesses! I will definitely reach out and see if we can start some sort of partnership.

Mother in laws are supposed to be hard to kill ( the plant)