Having plants in the home can enhance our well-being and make our little cocoon more convivial. From exotic atmospheres to a touch of greenery, houseplants are the perfect addition to any design. But you still have to take care of them… Really? Here are 5 low-maintenance houseplants to help you get away from it all for a few days.
Do you love plants but don’t have a green thumb? No problem! You don’t need any botanical knowledge or daily care to see them flourish in your home. Some species require little maintenance and can be kept for many years. Here are 5 recommended by gardener and author Roland Motte, who in 2017 was awarded first prize for the most beautiful kitchen garden in France by the Société Nationale d’Horticulture Française (SNHF).
Snake Plants
Native to West Africa, this green plant is tough and low-maintenance. It’s a semi-fat plant with thick stems. “It has fleshy leaves that tend to retain water, which means it can be watered once every 15 days, if the temperature in our home is around 18 degrees”. It loves the sun, so place it in a spot with plenty of natural light. She’ll be delighted (and so will her stems!).
Jade Plant
Here’s a succulent plant. Not because it tastes good, but because it belongs to the family of succulents, varieties of plants that adapt very well to arid environments. “It’s thanks to the plant’s internal juice, which replaces water, that it requires little watering”, explains Roland Motte. This miniature tree, which grows to over a metre in height (some even two metres), stores the little water it receives and only needs watering once a month in summer. In winter, no watering is required at all! “If you take good care of it, watering it well at the base without touching the foliage, the jade tree can last for many years”.
Schlumbergera
Unlike its peers, this cactus, called Schlumbergera, is thornless. This fat plant, with leaf-like stems, can develop up to 200 flowers! Enough to grace your home all winter long! In fact, it blooms between mid-December and mid-January, right in the middle of Christmas (hence its name!). It’s a plant native to South America,” says Roland Motte. It needs to be placed in a spot with plenty of light, close to a window for example.” To produce flowers, count on watering once a week during flowering, then once every 15 days for the rest of the year. “As soon as the buds start to bloom, don’t touch anything else. The hardest part is getting the cactus to flower for the first time. But once that’s done, it can flower every year”, assures the gardener.
Devil’s Ivy
This pretty houseplant, called pothos, is very easy to grow, as it’s virtually indestructible. Its heart-shaped leaves are as big as the palm of a hand and can also turn yellow in the light, which is not a worrying sign. The devil’s vine doesn’t need regular watering: “We recommend watering once every 15 days in summer, as soon as you see its leaves wilt”.
As for temperature, it’s not fussy: it doesn’t really mind the heat, and can grow down to 13 degrees. Climbing or drooping, depending on your taste, it will blend in perfectly with your interior decor. “For example, if you have a staircase in your house, its stems can grow in pots up to two meters high and descend above your stairs. Otherwise, you can very well put it on a support like a stick or a foam stake and the stems will be able to climb up it.”
Moon Flower
And for those who don’t mind a little more regular maintenance, discover the moonflower! This tropical green plant is perfect for indoor cultivation. It has one special feature: it’s a plant that will produce a white, oval-shaped flower resembling an open hand. “Be sure to place it in a fairly bright spot, but without direct contact with the sun, with a temperature of around 20 degrees”. As it’s a flowering plant, it requires watering once a week in winter and up to 2 / 3 weekly waterings in summer. “It also likes to keep an ambient humidity: using a spray bottle, mist the foliage once a week”. If you respect these conditions, which are certainly more demanding (but in view of its flower, it’s worth it!), this plant will be able to bloom all year round.
