a houseplant for killers…

…of houseplants.

It’s okay – I’m one too. If someone tries to “gift” me a houseplant I start slowly backing away, hands up, saying,  “Please. Don’t. I can’t.”

But when Mike inherited a beautiful plant stand from his mother, that fit perfectly in our dining room, I decided it was time to face my fears. I purchased what I thought were low-maintenance plants and popped them in.

And they promptly died.

I immediately replaced them with the same plants,  figuring I had gotten a “bad batch” (??) or something like that.

And they died too.

I tried one or two other species, and……well, you can guess where this is going.

I don’t know what it is – I cannot take care of a plant once it comes inside my home. For a while I actually started considering plastic plants.

And then I discovered these:

spider plant

Looking outside at what is a completely gray, bleak, landscape, I am so grateful to have discovered an indoor plant that seems incapable of dying.

Spider plants (Chlorophytum comosum) thrive on neglect. I have them in the darkest corner of my house, water them sometimes occasionally when I remember, and look!

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I’ve had these since November (I wanted to be sure that they really would live up to their reputation before I shared them with you), and they are not only not dead, but actually thriving! With new growth and everything!

spider plant

 totally not dying!

spider plant

new growth!

So if you’re anything like me (or just want a really low-maintenance houseplant), give spider plants a try.

And if you’re NOT like me – tell me, what is your secret? How do you keep houseplants alive? Are there any other plants that need little or no care? I swear it’s a gift – please share!

For more information on spider plant.
Why the tips of spider plants are often brown.

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6 Comments

  1. allison carmen on March 4, 2013 at 10:11 am

    When I worked in a large law firm in nyc many years ago we could not open the windows and the lighting was horrible. A colleague and I bought some spider plants to make our office look better and help the air quality. they survived in the environment better than we did!!!!! great post

    • sherisilver on March 4, 2013 at 12:38 pm

      Thanks Allison!

  2. Christa the BabbyMama on March 6, 2013 at 9:58 am

    Oh, goodness, don’t get started! They have babies upon babies and more and more and you’ll feel a bit guilty about letting them die so you’ll start trying to give them to friends and even Freecyling them!

    • sherisilver on March 6, 2013 at 10:16 am

      A thriving houseplant sounds like a beautiful thing!

  3. Elisabeth Kinsey on March 12, 2013 at 10:37 am

    I’ve killed one of those. 🙂 But it was harder.

    • sherisilver on March 12, 2013 at 3:29 pm

      Ha! I’m sure mine will eventually meet with the same fate too!

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Hi! I'm Sheri!

Welcome to my little corner of the web where you’ll find easy, delicious recipes, the best kitchen hacks and simple tips for turning your home into a clean haven that is free of toxins. So glad you’re here!