8 Hard to Kill Houseplants Even the Most Neglectful Plant Parents Can Grow With Ease
If you struggle to keep any indoor plants alive, it's time to try one of these hard to kill houseplants. Even the blackest thumbs can't hurt them!
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Some people have a magic touch when it comes to growing indoor plants. They can produces lush, green beauties with little effort. If you aren't one of these people, don't feel bad and give up. You may just need to try growing hard to kill houseplants instead.
Houseplant care can be quite tricky, especially depending on the type of plant you have. Most indoor plants are actually tropical plants that grow outdoors in warm, humid environments. So keeping them alive in an indoor environment isn't as easy as some might think.
You can change your luck, though, if you look for low-maintenance houseplants that are hard to kill – yes, they do exist! Here are some of the absolute easiest indoor plants to keep alive.
Article continues belowHouseplant Care Essentials
Hard to Kill Houseplants
Okay, so you're not really a gardener, but would like to grow some greenery indoors. Here are 8 houseplants that are hard to kill for people who can't keep anything green alive for more than a few weeks:
1. Snake Plant
With its sturdy, sword-shaped leaves, the snake plant is a toughie that thrives on neglect. In fact, too much attention will actually harm this hard to kill houseplant.
The only real danger when growing a snake plant is too much moisture, which will rot the roots quickly. Water snake plants when the soil is dry by pouring around the inner edge of the pot to keep the base of the plant dry.
Snake plants are very common nowadays, for good reason. There are tons of different types of snake plants available everywhere. Shop unique snake plants on Amazon.
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2. English Ivy
English ivy is nearly indestructible. In fact, this plant is so rambunctious that it is considered a highly invasive plant outdoors for its tendency to choke out native plant growth. However, growing English ivy indoors is perfectly acceptable.
English ivy can even help control mold and humidity issues in your bathroom or kitchen. This pretty vining plant looks great in a hanging plant holder, like this one from Amazon, or spilling out of a pot on a bookcase. Shop English ivy plants at Lowe's.
3. Peace Lily
Peace lily is a graceful, resilient plant with shiny, dark leaves. White blooms appear in early summer and often bloom sporadically throughout the year. Bright, indirect light is best, but low light will do in a pinch. Avoid direct light that is too strong.
You can find peace lilies at just about any nursery or big box store's garden center. You can even get a peace lily online from Amazon.
4. Begonias
These spectacular plants are available in a variety of sizes, shapes, forms, and colors. Many begonia varieties are grown for their stunning foliage, but some are appreciated for their delicate blooms. If you want an easy to grow flowering houseplant, look at Rieger begonias, which you can buy on Etsy. They put on a glorious show all winter long.
Begonias grow fast, but if they become too long and leggy, pinch off a stem or two, pot it up, and you'll soon have a brand-new plant.
5. Spider Plant
If you're looking for a hanging plant that is easy to grow, the spider plant is a sure thing. You can basically ignore it and it will keep growing an producing little plantlets you can grow to expand your collection.
Watch for these miniature spiderettes at the end of long, dangling stems. These miniature “spiders” are easy to pot up to create a new plant, making spider plants one of the easiest houseplants to propagate as well as grow. They're also generally quite inexpensive. You can get a spider plant from Garden Goods Direct for under $10.
6. Chinese Evergreen
If you're making a list of hard to kill houseplants, you have to include Chinese evergreen. This lush, distinctive plant has foliage in green, silver, and gray. There are even some cultivars with pink variegations, like this gorgeous Chinese evergreen from Costa Farms.
This is a very forgiving plant that is adaptable to many different growing conditions. Chinese evergreen happily grows in medium or low light and can still reach heights of up to 3 feet (1 m) high.
7. Grape Ivy
The sturdy grape ivy vine creates a lush, mounded appearance when planted in a hanging basket. The vines extend to lengths of 6 feet (2 m), but an occasional pruning keeps it neat and tidy. This hard to kill variety is one of the best indoor plants for dark and moody rooms because it doesn't mind low light.
The hardest part of growing this plant might be finding one. It's not as common as some of the other houseplants on this list, but luckily you can get a grape ivy plant online from Lowe's to add to your collection.
8. ZZ Plant
The ZZ plant has a such a stunning appearance, especially the black cultivars like the 'Raven' ZZ plant, that it almost looks fake. But it's totally real and really easy to grow.
ZZ plant is commonly seen in places like malls, airports, and doctor's offices. The reason for its use in these locations is because it can tolerate extremely little light and high levels of neglect. Even the most absent-minded owner would have a hard time killing this sturdy houseplant, which you can get from Costa Farms on Amazon.

A Credentialed Garden Writer, Mary H. Dyer was with Gardening Know How in the very beginning, publishing articles as early as 2007.
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