Large indestructible house plants

[Termite Man]

I need to get some house plants for my flat and I want big ones, I do tend to kill plants off quite easily though so it has to be hardy, any recommendations?

 

[gentlegreen]

The old faves - cheese plant, various rubber plant species ...

 

[jakethesnake]

We've got a huge Peace Lily that we haven't managed to kill

 

[weepiper]

cheese plant, aspidistra, peace lily, umbrella plant. Avoid fig trees, though they're pretty they're a bugger to keep alive.

 

[Mrs Magpie]

If you put a spider plant in a big pot and feed it weekly it gets pretty spectacular pretty fast. Big water storing roots so it'll survive people going away over the summer months.

 

[ringo]

Dragon plants are very common + I've got a hosta which refuses to die despite being neglected.

 

[stuff_it]

Cactus. Big un.

 

[Chz]

Yucca.

 

[Psychonaut]

dracaena deremensis - much stronger than d. maginata (dragon tree) and less likely to get spidermites.

sansevieria (snake plant) - a massive one might be expensive, but its SO indestructable its probably the one thing id be tempted to invest in.

dracaena massangeana (corn plant) - not nearly as tough as the others, but will probably look good for a long while anyway even if you dony get on with them and ikea do 130cm ones for £20.

 

[Mrs Magpie]

Fiddle-leaf fig. Have had one for years which was rescued after severe neglect in an office (that's not mine in the pic)

 

[editor]

I'm hopping back on this thread after I've managed to kill several cactuses so am looking for some kind of easy-going smallish houseplants that don't need a whole lot of light and are tougher than Desperate Dan after a cowpie.

Something like spider plants but a bit prettier would be good. And cheap, obvs, as they'll probably end up being a sacrificial offering.

 

[Steel Icarus]

Mother in law's tongue. I'm terrible with plants and yet had one for 12 years. Plus I think they're lovely.

 

[bellaozzydog]

I went down the yucca pathway and has a range of them in size order and it was going well till no one opened the blinds in the front room for three months....who knew plants needed sunlight

 

[iona]

Sansevieria ("snake plant" / "mother in law's tongue") and zamioculcas ("zz plant") are both pretty indestructible and will cope with fairly low light. Overwatering plus a potting mix that doesn't drain well can kill them though - something to be careful of, since you mention killing a few cactuses and that's often what does it.

 

[two sheds]

I've got loads of pelargoniums (indoor geraniums) which I was always prejudiced against but they've done really well and they've converted me. Lemon geranium too which smells lovely. Plus a massive aloe vera which has been percolating along for a few years now. I've actually managed to grow avocados from stones which was very satisfying.

 

[prunus]

Concrete block.


Pros: nigh on impossible to kill.
Cons: not really a plant.

I like Devil’s Ivy, in a pot on a high shelf. It will trail down beautifully, and as far as I am able to ascertain will survive a nuclear holocaust. Doesn’t even seem that bothered about sunlight. I think it feeds on the brainwaves of humans around it.

 

[8ball]

Caveat for anyone completely new to horticulture: cheese plants never bear fruit.
My Mum had one for ages and not so much as a mini babybel.

Nettles are probably good - they seem to grow anywhere.

And there's that Japanese knotweed (which is also good in desserts and stir fries).

 

[petee]

Mother in law's tongue. I'm terrible with plants and yet had one for 12 years. Plus I think they're lovely.

View attachment 251805

i saved one from the trash 16 years ago and it lives still.