6 Houseplants you can keep alive

Bamboo

Bamboo stalks are the ultimate in easy-to-care-for houseplants. Keep their water container full and you’ll almost always keep the bamboo alive! Bamboo has history, too. In the Far East, bamboo is a symbol of good fortune, and in India, bamboo is symbolic of long-lasting friendship. If you want to “group” bamboo, use this info from Lucky Bamboo Shop:

• Three stalks: Happiness
• Five stalks: Health
• Six stalks: Harmony
• Eight, 18, 28 or 38 stalks: Prosperity

Philodendron

Philodendron are climbing plants that make excellent houseplants. They do best when with an indoor temperature between 60 and 72 degrees. If your home or the room you want to place the philodendron in doesn’t receive much sunlight, that’s OK –these houseplants do well in low light. Size varies between varieties, but almost all have pretty green leaves.

Spider plant

The spider plant is an extremely easy-to-grow trailing plant that makes the perfect houseplant. The good news for aspiring green thumbs who aren’t quite there yet is that the spider plant is difficult to kill. The even better news is that with the right care, your spider plant will flourish. While the spider plant does best in direct sunlight, it will also grow in partial sunlight or even shade. The spider likes its water, so don’t forget to give your spider plant a regular drink.

Succulents

Succulents are drought-resistant plants, meaning they are ideal for those of us who, ahem, aren’t the most skilled at remembering to water our houseplants. In fact, overwatering a succulent houseplant is just as damaging as not watering it enough. Succulents come in a variety of neat shapes and sizes, so you can plant a unique and creative succulent garden. While you can be a little remiss about watering, you cannot deprive your succulents of sunlight. Place the pot in direct light for optimum growing.

Pachira

Commonly called a money tree, the pachira is a great houseplant for the aspiring green thumb because it is both extremely decorative and forgiving. It has five trunks that are braided together and can grow up to seven feet high. The money tree does best when it has adequate sunlight, although feng shui principles place it in the northwest corner of the room. It doesn’t require much water — you can generally keep it alive and well with once weekly watering. Unless you’re highly skilled at keeping plants alive, skip the bonsai version of the money tree, however, and go for the larger and mature tree.

Schefflera

Schefflera, also called the umbrella plant, is a wonderful houseplant for those who are learning to grow and maintain indoor plants. While it generally doesn’t bloom indoors, the plant itself thrives. Schefflera needs to be placed in bright but indirect sunlight and requires weekly watering during the summer, less during the winter. Schefflera do especially well in humid climates.