Easy to Grow Potted Plants

Without a green thumb, keeping potted plants alive is challenging. If you struggle to keep houseplants alive, consider investing in easy to grow potted plants. Opting for these easy to grow potted plants ensures you benefit from the beauty houseplants provide as well as the numerous other benefits they provide.

Potted plants are not just for sprucing up your home; they are also great for brightening up the workplace. For those with limited schedules, easy to grow potted plants are an ideal choice as they require very little care.

Some of our favorite potted plants do better when left alone, as too much fussing kills them. When selecting the perfect plants to spruce up your home, consider lighting, soil, and watering requirements to ensure you find something that works for you and your limited schedule.

Low Maintenance Potted Plants for the Indoors

Even low maintenance plants require specific care, such as light, food, soil conditions, and water. Don’t forget fertilizer! Epsom salt for potted plants is usually an easy solution or you can try the best way to put eggshells in potted plants for additional calcium.

Did you know it was possible to use coffee grounds for potted plants, too? Fresh and used coffee grounds both have advantages for growing plants, whether they are in pots or the ground.

When shopping for easy to grow potted plants for your home or workspace, consider those requirements along with whether the plant will be indoors or out, as not all can withstand both locations.

Combine some of these container plants with beautiful shrubs for pots for an attractive display in a dull corner of the room or in front of a nice window.

How to Shop for Easy to Grow Potted Plants

When shopping for easy to grow plants, never go into the store or nursery with a set choice. Even if you are armed with the most current research, not all stores or nurseries carry every variety. Different plants require different levels of care, so never make your selection based on names or look alone.

Buying plants this way increases the risk of killing them for those who struggle to keep houseplants alive. Your best choice when shopping for them is to talk to somebody who knows more about potted plants than you do. Experts at your local nurseries are the best option, as turnover is higher at local home improvement stores.

When talking to the experts at the nursery, don’t be afraid to ask questions about how much care the plants require. Be honest about your experience level and time commitment. Know where you plan to place your potted plants. If keeping indoors, consider hanging baskets, smaller potted plants for desks, tables and windowsills, or large potted plants for floors.

Knowing exactly where you plan to place the potted plants ensures you opt for one with the appropriate lighting requirements. For example, south or southwest facing windows are best for potted plants requiring bright light, while west or east-facing ones are best suited for indirect lighting requirements. Determine if they require natural fertilizer.

Decide if you are after annual or perennials before purchasing your potted plants. Annuals are the best choice for you if you are only interested in a burst of color for a short time with no desire to move the plant from its original pot.

Perennials are for those who want color year after year. Perennials require repotting indoors as they grow or transplant outside.

Whether they are perennials or annuals, look closely at them before purchasing. Upon first sight, the plant may appear healthy but take a closer look. Inspect the roots of the plant by removing the plant from its plastic container. Avoid buying any pot-bound plants, which is where the root ball only offers a few white tips in a ball of thick roots.

Snake Plant (Sansevieria trifasciata) – Easy to Grow Potted Plant

Also called Mother-in-Law’s Tongue, the long and pointed dark green leaves of the Snake Plant feature yellow bands and grow upright. This easy-care plant survives in low light levels, as it adapts to its current surroundings as necessary. Blooms appear in the spring in greenish-white flowers.

Avoid overwatering the Snake Plant as it’s susceptible to rot when left in soggy soil. During winter, cut back on the amount of watering based on humidity levels. Higher humidity requires less watering. Plant in sandy soil as it’s fast-draining, and add drainage holes to pots.

Prayer Plant (Maranta leuconeura)

The deep green leaves with yellow splotches and red veins, which are flat during the morning and afternoon, fold up to resemble praying hands at night. The velvety leaves reach about six inches long, but the plant itself grows up to 12 inches tall.

The Prayer Plant prefers greenhouse-like conditions, as it likes moist and warm areas with excellent airflow. When potting them, opt for fertile potting soil and place in pots near a window sill where it receives indirect sunlight rather than direct. Bright light causes burning and fading of leaves. Add some Epsom salt for an indoor plant to boost the leafy green growth.

Spider Plant (Chlorophytum comosum)

Requiring very little light, the Spider Plant offers a pure green variety, plus a white and green striped version. Both types provide trailing rosette-shaped leaves with a reach of up to three feet. The arching leaves bloom white flowers upon maturity.

While they thrive in a lot of light, they can survive in partial shade — water plants well during the summer, including misting the plant. Reduce watering when temperatures drop and keep in temperatures above 50°F away from any cold drafts.

Because of its attractive drooping leaves, Spider Plants make excellent candidates for easy hanging plants. Put one or two in your sunroom, on the patio or deck, or anywhere to give an area some added interest.

Easy to Grow at Home – Aloe Vera (Aloe barbadensis)

Aloe reaches up to three feet high outside, but smaller options exist for indoor plants. Like other succulents, Aloe is drought-tolerant and thrives well in desert areas. Infrequent watering is the best way to grow aloe vera indoors. It requires full sun with well-draining soil.

The tall and sometimes spiky gray-green colored leaves grow in a rosette shape and produce a healing gel. When grown outdoors, Aloe often blooms with orange or yellow flowers but growing aloe vera in pots indoors rarely produces flowers.

Pansies (Viola x wittrockiana)

Pansies come in several colors and patterns. The green heart-shaped petals of the plant often overlap, and the flowers appear to have faces. They make a colorful ground cover but do well in pots and containers inside and outside the home.

A cold-hardy plant, pansies are not tolerant of heat. Place in a partially sunny location where they receive afternoon shade and morning sun. They prefer moist soil that offers excellent drainage with temperatures ranging from 45° to 65°F.

Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum)

The Peace Lily offers yellow or white flowers against green, glossy, oval-shaped leaves. Smaller varieties are ideal for potting, while bigger ones are excellent for container gardening. Water frequently during the summer, cut back during the winter, but keep the soil moist.

Avoid placing in sunny spots, as these plants do best with indirect light. If placing outdoors in shady locations during the summer months, move indoors when nighttime temperatures are 40°F or below.

English Ivy (Hedera helix) – Easy to Care for Potted Plants

Grown indoors, English Ivy is perfect for hanging baskets as the vines love to trail out from the plant. It typically reaches up to eight inches high but spreads as far as 15 feet. Growing outdoors, invest in a trellis to help direct the spread of the plant.

Ivy does best in partial shade, as it requires very little sunlight to thrive. Keep soil on the dry side; always check the ground before watering. All baskets and containers require drainage holes for proper draining, to prevent rot and other problems from occurring in soggy soil.

Philodendrons (Philodendron spp.)

Philodendrons are easy to keep alive, as they adapt to their conditions. They don’t require a lot of direct sunlight to thrive but do require indirect lighting. Avoid placing in locations where the sun touches the variegated leaves, as the fragile leaves burn easily. Yellowing leaves indicate too much sun.

Plant in well-draining soil and avoid overwatering. Only water the plant if the top inch of soil is dry. Droopy leaves are the first indicator of overwatering. The best way to care for this indoor plant is to watch it for what it needs.

Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum)

The bonsai specimen of the Japanese Maple makes an ideal topiary choice. The bonsai specimen, through careful training and pruning, is a miniature replica of the full-size Japanese Maple. For containers, opt for planting smaller varieties to prevent confining the roots.

Known for its striking fall colors of green to purple foliage, the smaller version requires specific care. Never follow a routine when watering, only water when the soil is dry to the touch. How much water your Japanese bonsai Maple requires depends on the soil mixture used.

Easy to Grow in a Pot – Christmas Cactus (Zygocactus)

Try growing these unusual cacti plants if you don’t want to worry about too much watering. The less attention you give them, the better they thrive.

The tubular pink or lilac flowers provide bright color in contrast with the flattened green leaves. Christmas cactus stands out from other holiday cactus choices through their flower shape and the rounded teeth on the leaves.

Unlike regular cacti, the Christmas Cactus prefers humid environments. Keep inside containers will well-draining soil. Provide the plant with bright but indirect light. If planting or storing outside, opt for a shaded location and never leave out if temperatures fall below 50°F.

African Violets (Saintpaulia)

The dark, fuzzy green leaves pair with clusters of bright, colorful flowers. Colors of blooms range from white, pink, red, blue, and purple, among others. For the best blooms, provide the plant with indirect, bright light. Thin leaves or leggy stems indicate the African Violets require more light, while lighter green leaves indicate too much light.

African Violets require moist soil with excellent drainage. Use a unique potting mix sold at local nurseries and repot as these plants after leaves begin wilting. Rootbound plants provide blooming all year rather than just during specific seasons.

Dumb Cane (Dieffenbachia)

Dumb Cane offers broad variegated leaves in greens and whites. The pointed leaves of the Dumb Cane grow about a foot long with the plant reaching a height of 5 feet when grown outdoors. Indoor varieties are much smaller, but provide the same level of beauty.

In the winter, provide the plant with a lot of bright light, from spring to late fall use indirect sunlight or shade-dappled light outdoors. Never allow the plant to dry out; water twice a week when soil is slightly dry. Use fast-draining soil to prevent root rot and other issues.

Pothos (Epipremnum aureum) – Easy to Grow Indoors

Pothos requires very little care and make excellent specimens for all-year round potted plants. Lighting requirements for this plant are minimal; outside, it does well in full shade.

Variegated varieties need more light to keep their striation. Too low light conditions lead to slow growth and greener leaves so make sure they have sufficient sunlight.

The luscious green color of this flowering plant makes it a popular indoor houseplant choice, but it’s important to note that it is one of the quick growing plants.

To combat the fast growth and maintain control of its growth, this plant requires occasional trimming. Check the soil once a day, water once the soil dries out. In pots or containers, ensure drainage holes are present to prevent overly wet soil.

Jade Plant (Crassula ovate)

The Jade plant is one of the best succulents to grow indoors since it is easy to grow and resilient. When taken care of correctly, the plant lives for years.

The Jade Plant looks like a miniature tree with its woody stem and oval, green leaves. Plant it in a pot large enough for the plant to reach its full height of three feet.

Keep the soil moist, as the Jade Plant is not drought tolerant. Use distilled or filtered water, as tap water contains salt, which is detrimental to the plant. Provide a minimum of four hours of direct sun. Movement of the plant is necessary to give it the lighting it requires.

If you find that you enjoy container gardening, add a few of the best vegetables to grow in pots to add to your collection. It’s easy to grow veggies inside and you’ll have fresh produce virtually year-round.

At the same time, you may want to try growing fruit trees in pots, either indoors or out, to have fruits like lemons and tangerines whenever you want them. It’s a great option for those who live in a colder climate.

Thank you for reading about our easy to care for houseplants. If you found any of our low maintenance houseplant ideas helpful, please share these easy to grow potted plants on Facebook and Pinterest with others.