As many of us are busy busy people, with not enough time to look after ourselves let alone another living being, this list of the 11 most low maintenance low light indoor plants is the gateway to your botanic dreams. While all these plants are excellent at home, they are equally suited to the office and other corporate spaces due to their committed nature to staying alive. With tips included for each plant, you can make them thrive!
1# Aloe
Aloe is somewhat of an oasis in the desert compared to other plants. Needing a good watering in a 10 day period will keep its spines succulent and juicy. Elegant and simple, Aloe is small and very manageable even in the smallest of apartments and work spaces.
Tip: The need for indirect light, periodic watering and the fact that it will not shed its leaves everywhere means that it’s one of the best desk-top plants you can buy – perfect for an office.
Bonus: Snap off an adult sized trunk and inside you will find one of nature’s miracles. The jelly flesh inside is often used as a remedy for sunburns, dry skin, hair conditioner and much much more.
2# Asparagus Fern
The Asparagus Fern is not as soft as it looks. Though it is fluffy, it is also very hardy. Placing it direct sun or no sun at all will not faze this little one. The airy and light branches are a common accompaniment for bold looking flowers and are often seen in romantic bouquets.
Tip: Keeping the soil moist will enable your furry friend to flourish!
3# Air Plant
You may have guessed from the name that the Air Plant (Tillandsia) can literally grow in the air. These wonderfully interesting desert plants need only to be submerged in water for around 3 hours in a 10 day period to keep them happy.
As a bonus, they are also one of a few special plants that dehumidify the air to leave you with mould-free and healthy air to breathe.
Tip: They do like to have some bright but indirect sun so place them near an East facing window for optimum growth conditions.
4# Kalanchoe
As a succulent, Kalanchoe enjoys dry atmospheric conditions but can torrelrate just about anything, even outdoor winter temperatures. This plant is easily propagated through stem cuttings and one plant can easily turn into four with a little engineering.
Tip: Kalanchoe is hardy, though for maximum growth place it near an East facing window in indirect light to improve your chances of a continuous bloom of pretty pink flowers.
5# Peace Lily
Part of the toil of maintenance is knowing when and how much to water. Fortunately the Peace Lily will take all the water you can muster. This means that if you have a habit of killing your plants through overwatering, you won’t have to worry about this one. Anytime you like, just give it a good ol’ deluge.
Tip: Optimum light conditions are in bright locations with indirect sun. If you don’t have an East facing window then it’s ok, anywhere will do.
Bonus: Resembling purity, the brilliant white flowers that it produces can be a year-round phenomenon if cared for correctly.
6# Pothos
Able to withstand even the harshest of light conditions, this Polynesian warrior is native to the forest floors and deep dark jungles of faraway islands near Tahiti. Though it does prefer to have dry soil between waterings, it is not too picky and will happily accept sporadic spatters of care.
Tip: Using potting soil that drains well will reduce your maintenance duties even further.
7# Calathea
A deep green on the topside and an even deeper purple on the underside, the leaves of the Calathea plant would rival any flower arrangement in beauty and decor ability. Moreover, you don’t need to look after it very much to keep it glamorous, avoid bright light and give water when required and you are golden.
Tip: Keep the soil from drying out but don’t swamp the roots. Check moisture levels by putting your forefinger in the soil up to your first knuckle. If the soil feels dry then you should return it to wet.
8# Christmas Cactus
There is nothing more forgiving after months of neglect than a cactus. The Christmas Cactus is accustomed to only being watered every 3 weeks and prefers indirect light. It produces very delicious looking flowers that come in pink, red or white.
Tip: To encourage your Christmas Cactus to bloom you need to keep it in a dark room for around 12 hours at night and bring into a healthy amount of light during the day.
9# ZZ Plant
The ZZ plant is no stranger to living life without much support. It can withstand all the usual perils of a neglectful owner including drought and low light. It thrives in fluorescent light that is abundant in corporate buildings, making them the perfect choice to spruce up the office.
Tip: Mist the leaves between waterings (which are every 2 – 3 weeks) to keep them looking and feeling fresh.
10# Snake Plant
The snake plant is another hardy favorite for the more relaxed kind of gardener, even a month of drought is a breeze. The tips of the leaves are long and sharp but the body has magnificent scaled patterns resembling the body of a snake.
The Snake Plant also helps to remove harmful chemicals from the air and boost mental and physical health. There are so many positive features, we even wrote a full guide to the benefits of the Snake Plant.
To see our planters in action along with snake plants, be sure to check out one of our projects here
Office Design With Jay Scotts Planters
The client was looking to find planters that would not only compliment the office space but also keep the plants healthy and not be a potential nuisance or safety hazard.
View Project11# Rubber Plant
Rubber trees have very large and luscious leaves that are mouth-watering just to look at. While they can grow up to the ceiling if you so wish, they are easily pruned into a small format that is more than manageable. They prefer a shadier spot but can also withstand any number of other light conditions.
Tip: When the soil feels dry then it’s time to water. Don’t let a lot of water sit around the roots. For an extra touch of TLC, mist the leaves to keep them bursting with moisture.
Have one or have them all. Fill your space with the kind of life that just keeps living. Spend some time to look after yourself and these 11 low maintenance low light indoor plants will look after themselves. The one thing they all need however is a planter. The best tip of all is to get a planter that suits your interior design. You needn’t look any further. Our range of classic and modern planters are environmentally friendly and durable. One question remains, when can this era of easy going and care free gardening begin? The answer is now!