Plants inside the home, I love them, they add a beautiful pop of colour, give a feeling of grounding and just make me feel...alive.
In saying that, I tend to forget about all my indoor plants between mothering, studying, cooking, cleaning...the list goes on. So here are my top 5 that have survived my neglect with nothing more than a few hours of light and a drink every few weeks.
1. Pepperomia
There are SO many varieties of pepperoni, all as easy as the next to look after. My favourites are Pilea peperomioides, Pepperomia Obtusifolia + Pepperomia Watermelon. They're the perfect fuss-free but oh-so-pretty houseplants.
2. Peace Lily
This may sound far-fetched, but in fact NASA has spent a ridiculous amount of time and money working out the precise effects of houseplants on air quality, which is very important in enclosed spaces with recirculated air, like a spacecraft (or, say, your house in the middle of winter). In comes the peace lily. They need indirect light and in return you will receive big, deep green leaves and simple white flowers. My personal favourite is Spathiphyllum sensation.
3. Pothos
The great thing about pothos plants is that they’re incredibly resilient – they’ll put up with an absurd amount of neglect. This viney all-star tolerates a wide variety of light and water scenarios, and will continue to put out cheerful green-white leaves with minimal intervention (for real: the vines will grow and grow if you don’t trim them back). They're also super easy to propagate, and will grow in water - I have jars of them everywhere!
4. Zanzibar Gem
Affectionaley known as the ZZ plant, it is aesthetically striking, and yes, it tolerates incredibly low light levels (in fact, you could leave it in a dark corner if that's the only space you have available). It is well known for thriving on pure neglect - so water sparingly, and only when the top few inches of soil are dry - it is native to Africa so can go months without water if you forget.
5. Fiddle Leaf Fig
The ultimate decorative plant statement. This one is number 5 because yes it is a great indoor plant, but I actually put one outside and it's gone NUTS and is more beautiful than it ever grew inside, so do what you will with that information. Its beautiful leaves are large and the most beautiful glossy green you've ever seen (I'm a poet). NOTES: make are you've got some space, these big boys can get to 3m indoors, and be careful not to overwater: they like less H2O than you’d think.