Choose Low-Maintenance Plants for Busy Households

Why low-maintenance plants earn their keep

Most houseplants don't die of neglect. They die of kindness — usually in the form of a well-meaning weekly watering that slowly drowns the roots. If your household is a busy one, with school runs, late trains and a washing machine that never quite stops, the answer isn't to give up on greenery. It's to choose plants that evolved for hardship in the first place.

Three stand out for British homes: the snake plant, the ZZ plant and pothos. All three cope with irregular watering, all three manage in indirect light, and none of them will sulk if you disappear for a fortnight in August. Better still, they look genuinely handsome rather than merely resilient.

The snake plant: forgiving to the point of indifference

You'll still see this sold as Sansevieria, though it's now classified as Dracaena trifasciata. Whatever the label says, it's the plant that survives a north-facing hallway, a fortnight of forgetting and the dry air of a centrally heated sitting room. Its stiff, upright leaves store water, so it would rather be thirsty than soggy.

Water it every two to three weeks in spring and summer, and roughly once a month — or even every six weeks — between November and February. Always let the compost dry out completely first. Use a free-draining mix, ideally a cactus compost bulked out with grit, and make sure the pot has drainage holes. A decorative outer pot is fine, but tip out any water that collects in the base.

The ZZ plant: glossy, architectural and nearly indestructible

Zamioculcas zamiifolia has waxy, deep-green leaflets arranged along arching stems, and it looks far more expensive than it is. Underground, it grows from fat rhizomes that store water, which is exactly why it forgives a missed fortnight.

Treat it much like the snake plant: water when the top few centimetres of compost feel dry, which in practice means every two to three weeks in summer and every four to six weeks in winter. It tolerates shade, but it grows noticeably faster and glossier in bright, indirect light. Keep it out of direct midday sun, which can scorch the leaves.

One caveat worth knowing: all three plants in this article are toxic if chewed, so keep them out of reach of cats, dogs and toddlers who like to test things with their teeth.

Pothos: the trailing plant that tells you when it's thirsty

Pothos, also sold as devil's ivy, is the most communicative of the trio. When it needs water, the leaves soften and curl slightly and the stems lose their bounce. Water it, and within a day it looks as good as new. That feedback loop makes it an excellent plant for anyone learning as they go.

Check the top two or three centimetres of compost and water when they're dry — typically once a week or once a fortnight, depending on light and room temperature. It thrives in indirect light, and the more light it receives, the stronger the creamy variegation on its leaves. In deep shade it survives, but it turns a uniform, slightly sulky green.

Pothos is happiest trailing from a shelf, a hanging pot or the top of a bookcase, where its stems can spill downwards. It roots easily from cuttings placed in a glass of water, so one plant can quietly furnish three rooms over a couple of years.

Four habits that keep them thriving

• Water less than feels natural. When in doubt, wait. Yellowing lower leaves usually mean too much water, not too little.
• Always check the compost first. Push a finger in to the second knuckle. If it's damp, walk away and try again next week.
• Feed only in the growing season. A diluted houseplant feed once a month from March to September is plenty. Feeding in winter does more harm than good.
• Tidy the leaves. A quick wipe with a damp cloth every few weeks removes dust and lets the plant make the most of whatever light it gets.

Placement, pests and a few practical notes

Snake plants and ZZ plants look their best at floor level, flanking a fireplace or filling an awkward alcove beside a sofa. Pothos works higher up, softening the edge of a shelf or kitchen cabinet. If you have a bright bathroom with a window, pothos will reward you there, since it enjoys the extra humidity.

The main problem you're likely to meet is fungus gnats — small, irritating flies that hover above the compost. They're a symptom of persistently wet soil, so let everything dry out properly and they usually disappear. Mealybugs, which look like tiny specks of white cotton in leaf joints, can be wiped away with a cotton bud dipped in rubbing alcohol.

Repot every two to three years in spring, moving up just one pot size. Too large a pot holds too much wet compost around the roots, which is the opposite of what these plants want.

Start with one snake plant in a dim corner and one pothos on a shelf, and see how you get on. If they're still looking well after three months, add a ZZ plant. Before long you'll have a home that feels greener, calmer and considerably less demanding than you feared.