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Low maintenance plant suggestions please!

Emmeline Westin

6 years ago

Not all of us are blessed with green fingers, but there are plenty of us who'd like to enjoy a home full of plants and flowers (without having to buy new ones every week or two).

If you know of any low maintenance plants and if you have any smart tips how to take care of them, share them here!

The House Gardener · More Info

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Comments (5)

mayfly182
6 years ago
Cacti and succulants need little care. Echiveria are an attractive choice.

Spider plants are virtually unkillable. If you buy from a garden centre rather than a bring-and-buy sale you'll get more modern varieties which are more compact and stay looking good rather than the stringy older varieties.

Cane type begonias - particularly Angel's Wing begonias. My mum had one she didn't actually like and would put it in the porch and stop watering it for months, and it would respond by putting out flowers. That plant survived several years of deliberate neglect before it was finally killed by leaving out over winter. Dibleys nursery is a good place to buy these.

All plant suggestions courtesy of my mother, who neglects her house plants like you wouldn't believe.

My suggestions for care:

Beware over watering. I've heard that more house plants die from over watering than underwatering, and I believe it. You check if the plant needs watering by picking it up, and water if it feels too light. Or you can set a reminder on your phone and water all plants once a week (except in very hot weather). The plants I've recommended all cope with being dry.
ehowick
6 years ago
I have found Aloe Vera to be one of the easiest house plants ever. They create their own little babies which practically divide themselves so its really easy and free to create lots of new plants. They don't need a lot of water or light so everyone will have a good spot for one. Tip - if your plant doesn't seem to be thriving, try finding a new home for it. Several times I have been just about to give up on a plant and then moved it and hey presto, it comes into flower and looks soo much better!
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modernistlover, you mentioned but neglected to detail your lifestyle, or is that included in your gardening ability comment? Followed by narry a sniff of what you want to do in your garden. Now, if the latter is simply to look out of the window at it the lowest maintenance idea you could hold on to is doing just that without touching it. So. 'avin' a larf out of the way, where to from here? It looks to be an appreciable space. Some estimate of actual size would help. IGNORE siren wailings for conifers. They are fine so long as they keep their "miniature" cultivar form. They fail drastically to do so for very long and become a damned nuisance all too soon. After their first pruning they soon begin to look very ugly. I can agree that your willow, assuming that is part of a picture of your garden, is beautiful. In fact, a simple cutting back of the vegetation within the pictured area by a reasonably competent gardener or maintenance contractor (the distinction seems to be in the mind of the hirer rather than the practitioner) would make a world of difference and give you a basis for negotiating a regular maintenance contract. Within which all that grass could well be to your benefit. The cost of grass cutting is generally determined much more by the ease of access, required quality of cut, how level the ground is and difficulty of edging if required among other factors, rather than the area, i.e. amount of grass, to be cut. Which, in turn, could turn out to be very low in relation to the actual area if all you want is a reasonably green and tended looking patch of land.
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This is where we need to know more about your hedge which I can't tell from the photo. If it's Leylandii you cannot cut it behind the last green shoot because it will not re-shoot and you'll be looking at a brown curtain forever. If it's brown because it's diseased then that is another problem altogether! My suggestion is you join the Royal Horticultural Society and then send them a sample of the dead clipping for them to pronounce upon! I can't tell you about diseases for sure and not at a distance. You'll also get plenty of plant advice from them generally. www.rhs.org.ik you'll be in safe hands there (it's only about £40 per year and has other benefits too. Good luck.
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Hi again, A few ideas to cover the brick wall between patio doors: The English Ivy I mentioned in a previous post is species of ivy that is green during winter. Ivy in general is fast-growing and requires minimal care, once you plant it and ensure it has gripped to a wall the weather will take care of the rest for you. English Ivy is very fast-growing so needs to be cut back fairly regularly. Boston Ivy is less invasive than English Ivy, though unlike English Ivy it is not evergreen. If you have pets, be careful with ivy - some species are toxic to cats, dogs and other household animals. The Virginia Creeper is climbing plant that is similar in appearance to many ivies, but its leaves redden in autumn (a look I quite like but is not to everyone's taste) and fall altogether winter months, which would leave the wall looking a bit bare again during winter. I love Passiflora, it's an evergreen, climbing plant that produces fruit and beautiful flowers in Spring-Summer. It is also really hardy and low maintenance - once I was able to revitalise a Passiflora plant that appeared to be dead. Wisteria takes slightly longer to grow and therefore to see the results of, but in my opinion is well worth the wait - its blossom is absolutely beautiful. However, it does lose its leaves completely in winter. Additionally, it would be a shame to keep Wisteria confined to the back garden - I think it is at its best on the front/road-facing exterior of a house, so that everyone can enjoy it. Any of these climbers (Wisteria, any subspecies of ivy, Virginia Creeper and Passiflora) would look great. All you need is to fix a trellis to the wall and you're ready to go!
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Hi. I think it would look nice either way, painted or not. I perhaps wouldn’t paint it a brilliant white tho, maybe more of a creamy colour. When you go to the garden centre you could also ask their advice as they might be limited to what stock they have or only sell things in season. For my 2p worth here’s what I would plant. For a palm, Chamaerops humilis (dwarf fan palm), it’s probably the best for small gardens and uk climate. Libertia. Strappy leaves, dainty flowers and good for narrow borders. A climber such as honeysuckle or jasmine. Summer flowering bulbs....I’ve never grown them but I like the look of Amaryllis Belladonna (also called naked ladies 😊). Hope this helps and happy garden shopping. dwarf fan palm Libertia Amaryllis belladonna
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Judith Evans
6 years ago
Philodendron Scandens - dead easy to keep, they can be trained to climb up a support, or left to trail gracefully. They go a little limp and dull when in need of a drink; I dunk them in luke warm water rather than cold. They like shade or semi-shade. Propagation is so easy; from my one main plant, bought nearly nine years ago, I have several and have given so many away.

I also find the Peace Lily easy.

Many plants love company and seem to thrive if placed in a group.
Good Relations
6 years ago
I'd say orchids or succulents are the safest bet! Orchids get a bad rep, just don't over-water and they'll look great for ages
Emma
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
Peace lilies and calathea are super easy to care for. When they need watering the leaves start to curl up. Both are also really easy to divide if you want to create 'new' plants.

Orchids are great too, especially for the bathroom. Don't over water and they'll thrive. The one I have in my bathroom has flowered none stop for the last four years, it just gets a tiny amount of water once a week.

The only plant I've ever struggled with is a Zamioculcas Zamifolia, if anyone has any tips! I’ve tried different places, different watering locations and it just looks a mess. Cannot get the damn thing to be happy. It’s on it’s final test location and then it’s sadly destined for the compost.

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