Minimum Care, Maximum Aesthetics: Tough Indoor Plants Even You Can’t Kill
Love plants but can’t seem to keep them alive? Welcome to my world! I love how indoor plants tick all the boxes – adding a beautiful touch of greenery, effortlessly boosting a room’s aesthetics, and even cleaning the air of toxins while upping the oxygen levels. Who needs an air-purifier when you’ve got plants?
If you, like me, are guilty of unintentional neglect and want plants that can thrive despite a lack of attention, here are some resilient, low-maintenance green heroes:
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Orchids
Singapore’s very own homegrown beauties! While many orchid species do best outdoors, you can’t go wrong with indoor varieties like the common moth orchid. They require minimal care when placed in bright, indirect light and only need watering once a week. Easy!
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Snake Plants (Mother-in-Law’s Tongue or Sansevierias)
This hardy plant is practically perfect – requiring very little light and water. It’s drought-tolerant, thanks to its thick, succulent-like, and can go a fortnight without water. In fact, watering it only once a month is the typical recommendation. I love its beautifully variegated but sharp, sword-like leaves and stubborn resilience. It’s also an air-purifying wonder, filtering out harmful chemicals and releasing oxygen at night. Ideal for bedrooms!
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Ficus
One of the easiest plants to care for in Singapore’s climate. Fiddle leaf figs are a great choice – they just need some light (preferably shade when young) and enough water to keep the soil damp. Fun tip: when watering, sit this beauty under a shower for a few minutes, allowing the excess water to drain away. Just avoid drafts or sudden temperature changes.
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Money Plant
Looking for good feng shui and a hard-to-kill plant? The Money Plant (also called Devil’s Ivy) is one of my favourites. It thrives on medium to low light and minimal watering. I once nearly burnt mine to a crisp with too much sunlight, but it bounced back once I put it in the shade. Resilient!
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Succulents
For plant newbies or those not ready for a major commitment, cacti and succulents are the perfect pick. They’re nearly indestructible, needing very little sunlight and minimal watering, thanks to their ability to store water in their stems, roots and leaves. They can go two weeks without water – even in a bright spot!
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Spider Plants
Spider plants are so low maintenance that they’ll even grow in darker areas. With their long, trailing leaves, they brighten up the dullest corners of your home. Just give them indirect light and moist, well-drained soil. Bonus: they filter out toxins such as xylene, toluene, and formaldehyde from the air. Win-win!
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Monstera
For an effortlessly tropical vibe, bring home a monstera! With their large, broad leaves, these plants not only purify the air but also reduce humidity and stress. They only need watering weekly and indirect sunlight. Be sure to give them space, as they can grow quite quickly.
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Aloe Vera
Aloe vera is famous for soothing properties, and is great for burns and as a moisturiser, but did you know it’s also a natural air purifier? It helps to get rid of toxins like formaldehyde and, if the air’s especially toxic, its leaves may develop brown spots as a warning. Just water it when the soil’s completely dry, and it prefers indirect sunlight – seriously, it doesn’t get any easier.
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