Green plants give the apartment an exotic flair. There are numerous easy-care species that require little attention in the right location. They can go unnoticed for a long period of time.
Sunny location
Most easy-care green plants that prefer a sunny spot indoors in pots develop succulent plant parts. The thick fabric stores water so that the plants can withstand longer periods of drought. They thrive in normal potting soil with a high sand content. Permeability prevents the formation of waterlogging, which damages the sensitive roots.
Tree Aloe
- botanical name: Aloe arborescens
- Family: grass tree family
- Height of growth: approx. 200 to 300 centimeters high
- Soil: well-drained substrate with mineral content, moderately dry
- Nutrient requirements: fertilize every four weeks in summer
- Ornamental value: belongs to the group of succulent green plants that branch out strongly
Tree Strelitzia
Source: User:ShineB, Strelitzia nicolai, edited by Plantopedia, CC BY-SA 3.0- botanical name: Strelitzia nicolai
- Family: Strelitzia family
- Growth height: about 200 to 500 centimeters
- Soil: gritty to sandy substrate and moderately moist
- Nutrient requirements: regular fertilization during the growth phase
- Ornamental value: flowers after a few years and under optimal conditions
pencil bush
- botanical name: Euphorbia tirucalli
- Family: Spurge family
- Growth height: about 40 to 80 centimeters
- Soil: sandy to loamy substrate, fresh to moderately moist
- Nutrient requirements: weakly concentrated fertilization during the summer
- Ornamental value: Green plants develop pencil-thick green shoots with tiny leaves
Triangular Spurge
- botanical name: Euphorbia trigona
- Family: Spurge family
- Growth height: approx. 20 to 100 centimetres
- Soil: humus-rich soil in the slightly acidic range, moderately dry
- Nutrient requirements: hardly needs to be fertilized
- Ornamental value: Succulents with bizarre growth reminiscent of columnar cacti
elephant foot
- botanical name: Beaucarnea recurvata
- Family: Asparagus family
- Growth height: about 50 to 300 centimeters
- Soil: sandy to loamy substrate with moderately dry to fresh conditions
- Nutrient requirements: weakly concentrated fertilization during the growing season
- Ornamental value: conspicuous stem thickened at the base
fiddle fig
Source: Mokkie, Fiddle leaf fig 5, edited by Plantopedia, CC BY-SA 3.0- botanical name: Ficus lyrata
- Family: Mulberry family
- Growth height: approx. 200 to 400 centimetres
- Soil: sandy soil with fresh to moderately moist characteristics
- Nutrient requirements: Fertilizer application in low concentration during the summer
- Ornamental value: easy-care ornamental foliage perennial with picturesque growth
money tree
- botanical name: Crassula ovata
- Family: Succulents
- Growth height: about 50 to 100 centimeters
- Soil: rocky to gravelly and fresh
- Nutrient requirements: regular fertilization from spring to autumn
- Ornamental value: succulent
- interesting varieties: 'Sunset', 'Horntree'
Giant palm lily
- botanical name: Yucca elephantipes
- Family: Asparagus family
- Growth height: about 200 to 400 centimeters
- Soil: humus-rich and well-drained substrate
- Nutrient requirements: weakly concentrated fertilization in summer
- Ornamental value: develops sword-shaped leaves that form the trunk
Radiation Aralia
Schefflera arboricola, radiate aralie, scheffleria- botanical name: Schefflera arboricola
- Family: Araliaceae
- Growth height: about 100 to 200 centimeters
- Soil: humus-rich substrate with moderately dry to fresh conditions
- Nutrient requirements: regular fertilizer application during the main growing season
- Ornamental value: picturesque ornamental foliage perennial with palmately arranged leaves
- interesting and easy-care varieties: 'Gold Capella'
Partially shaded location
A semi-shady location offers good growth conditions for both light-hungry and shade-loving green plants, provided the care is right. If you value easy-care green plants for the penumbra, you should pay more attention to the location requirements of the individual plants. The following species thrive best in partially shaded conditions.
balsam apple
Source: Forest & Kim Starr, Starr 070221-4679 Clusia rosea, Edited from Plantopedia, CC BY 3.0- botanical name: Clusia rosea
- Family: Clusiaceae
- Growth height: between 200 and 300 centimetres, significantly smaller than window sill plants
- Soil: sandy substrate with a loamy content, moderately dry to moderately moist
- Nutrient requirements: monthly application of liquid fertilizer in summer
- Ornamental value: thick fleshy and dark green leaves
- interesting varieties: 'Princess'
bow hemp
- botanical name: Sansevieria trifasciata
- Family: Asparagus family
- Height of growth: medium-high, easy-care green plants, around 20 to 150 centimetres
- Soil: poor in humus and sandy soil with moderately dry conditions
- Nutrient requirements: hardly needs to be fertilized
- Ornamental value: Succulent with leaves arising directly from short rhizomes
Spotted ivy
Source: Mokkie, Silver Vine (Scindapsus pictus) 1, edited from Plantopedia, CC BY-SA 3.0- botanical name: Scindapsus pictus
- Family: Araceae
- Growth: climbing plant
- Soil: potting soil with a well-drained structure, moderately moist
- Nutrient requirements: Long-term fertilizer sufficient for the growth phase
- Ornamental value: evergreen perennial that develops clinging roots and silvery mottled leaves
- interesting varieties: 'Argyraeus', 'Trebie', 'Aureum'
Notice: The spotted ivy is not to be confused with the ivy (Epipremnum aureum), which belongs to a different genus. However, both species develop similar manifestations.
lucky feather
Zamioculcas zamiifolia, Lucky Feather, Zamie- botanical name: Zamioculcas zamiifolia
- Family: Araceae
- Growth height: between 40 and 60 centimeters
- Soil: sandy to loamy substrate that is moderately dry
- Nutrient requirements: low-concentration fertilizers between spring and autumn
- Ornamental value: Fern-like perennial with pinnate leaves
spider plant
Spider plant, Chlorophytum- botanical name: Chlorophytum comosum
- Family: Asparagus family
- Habit: flat perennial with overhanging leaves
- Soil: humus-rich substrate, fresh to moderately moist
- Nutrient requirements: weekly application of a green plant fertilizer during growth
- Ornamental value: basal tuft of leaves from which long shoots with children and flowers emerge
- interesting varieties: 'Irse'
kentia palm
- botanical name: Howea forsteriana
- Family: Palm family
- Growth height: between 100 and 300 centimeters
- Soil: sandy to loamy substrate and moderately dry to moderately moist characteristics
- Nutrient requirements: regular fertilization during the growing season
- Ornamental value: wide-growing perennial with fan-like pinnate leaves
Climbing tree friend
Source: Photo by David J. Stang, Philodendron hederaceum hederaceum 0zz, edited by Plantopedia, CC BY-SA 4.0- botanical name: Philodendron scandens
- Family: Araceae
- Growth height: between 300 and 500 centimeters
- Soil: humus-rich and loose potting soil with fresh to moist conditions
- Nutrient requirements: provide flower fertilizer every two weeks in summer
- Ornamental value: climbing perennial that grows on a moss stick or as a traffic light plant
candlestick flower
candlestick flower- botanical name: Ceropegia woodii
- Family: dogbane family
- Growth: loosely hanging shoots
- Soil: humus-rich and sandy substrate, moderately dry to fresh
- Nutrient requirements: between April and September cactus fertilizer in low concentration
- Ornamental value: tiny heart-shaped leaves with silvery-white veins
Crooked window leaf
Mokkie, Window-Leaf Monstera (Monstera obliqua) 2, edited by Plantopedia, CC BY-SA 3.0- botanical name: Monstera obliqua
- Family: Araceae
- Growth height: between 150 and 200 centimeters
- Soil: potting soil with a loose structure and a high proportion of sand that should not dry out
- Nutrient requirements: fertilize moderately
- Ornamental value: Green plants with connected and perforated leaves
Round stemmed bow hemp
Bow Hemp, Sansevieria cylindrica- botanical name: Sansevieria cylindrica
- Family: Asparagus family
- Growth height: about 20 to 150 centimeters
- Soil: sandy to loamy substrate with moderately dry conditions
- Nutrient requirements: requires hardly any fertilization
- Ornamental value: forms rigid, erect and terete leaves that appear partly reflexed
- interesting varieties: 'Straight'
zebra weed
- botanical name: Tradescantia zebrina
- Family: Commelina family
- Growth: creeping to hanging shoots
- Soil: loamy to clay potting soil that is kept fresh to moderately moist
- Nutrient requirements: weekly application of liquid fertilizers in summer
- Ornamental value: densely leafed perennial that rarely flowers indoors
- interesting varieties: 'Yellow Hill', 'Green Hill'
Notice: The naming is often confusing because there are numerous synonyms. Tradescantia pendula, Zebrina pendula var. quadricolor or Commelina zebrina refer to the same plant.
Shady location
Easy-care green plants that grow under low-light conditions have adapted their leaf tissue to survive in such special locations. Most plants develop large leaves that capture a minimum amount of light and convert it to energy. But there are also easy-care survivors in this group who hardly need any light despite their narrow leaves.
Fragrant dragon tree
Source: Camphora, Xanthosoma lindeni, edited by Plantopedia, CC BY-SA 4.0- botanical name: Dracaena fragans
- Family: Asparagus family
- Height of growth: 100 to 150 centimeters high
- Soil: humus-rich and loose substrate with well-drained properties, moderately fresh
- Nutrient requirements: fertilize every two weeks between April and September
- Ornamental value: dark green leaves forming the trunk
- interesting varieties: 'Janet Lind'
Edged dragon tree
Marginated dragon tree, Dracaena marginata- botanical name: Dracaena marginata
- Family: Asparagus family
- Growth height: between 150 and 250 centimeters
- Soil: sandy to loamy substrate, fresh to moderately moist
- Nutrient requirements: liquid fertilizer every two weeks during the growth phase
- Ornamental value: very narrow leaves with a reddish leaf edge
Rabbit's Foot Fern
Source: Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz, Davallia mariesii stenolepis kz1, edited by Plantopedia, CC BY-SA 4.0- botanical name: Davallia bullata
- Family: Davalliaceae
- Height of growth: low green plants, up to 40 centimeters high
- Soil: well-drained and coarse cactus or orchid substrate
- Nutrient requirements: needs weakly concentrated liquid fertilizer two to three times a year
- Ornamental value: Epiphyte whose aerial roots are velvety hairy
cob thread
Source: Photo by David J. Stang, Aglaonema Brilliant 1zz, edited by Plantopedia, CC BY-SA 4.0- botanical name: Aglaonema commutatum
- Family: Araceae
- Height of growth: between 40 and 50 centimeters high
- Soil: humus-rich and loose potting soil that is evenly moist
- Nutrient requirements: fertilize in low concentrations all year round
- Ornamental value: compact perennial with silvery-white veined foliage
- interesting varieties: 'Crete', 'Silver Queen', 'Diamond Bay'
stick palm
- botanical name: Rhapis excelsa
- Family: Palm family
- Height of growth: about 150 to 200 centimeters high
- Soil: sandy substrate that is fresh to moderately moist
- Nutrient requirements: give palm fertilizer every two weeks during the growing season
- Ornamental value: easy-care green plants with finger-shaped leaves on a tubular stem