Plants wither and die the moment you so much as look at them. You manage to kill even garden weeds. If you aren’t green-fingered but simply love the look — and presence — of plants, don’t lie to yourself or get ugly, artificial plants. Adopt a zen attitude and several pots of low maintenance, heat-loving cacti.

Originating from Southwest China, this little plant is said to bring good fortune, wealth and abundance to its owner. As a plus, it takes up very little space in your home and thrives in hot, sunny weather with lots of water.

Commonly known as Snake’s Tongue or Devil’s Tongue (and, hilariously, Mother-In-Law’s Tongue), this common plant sure is a talking point. They are slow-growing plants that thrive in warmth and bright light, and can tolerate low-water conditions. This resilient plant comes in many different sizes and is capable of removing over 107 known air pollutants, including nitrogen monoxide, chloroform, benzene and carbon monoxide. With their strikingly striped appearance, this is one to keep for a long time.

Breathe easy with this plant, if you choose to allow it to take residence in your home. According to studies conducted by NASA, the rubber plant is capable of improving air quality. Their large leaves absorb and break down airborne chemicals, rendering them harmless.

Ideal for awkward corners and broad doorways, this plant ranks higher on the maintenance spectrum than most plants on this list – after all, it’s large (hence its name), and capable of growing to over 10m in height and spreading horizontally over 3m. But if you’re looking for something truly tropical-looking, this plant will do just the trick.

Showy and highly decorative, the calatheas plant has many interesting traits. Did you know that they close their leaves at night and open them again in the morning? It’s just a wee bit delicate — this house plant should never be placed in direct sunlight, as it thrives in the shade.

Tough and hardy, these plants are some of the easiest to care for, taking neglect well and recovering quickly from any unfavourable conditions. They’ve also got a superb hidden talent — they reduce benzene, formaldehyde, xylene and toluene in the air, and are also listed by NASA as a good air-filtering plant.

If your home is on the roomier side and there’s a spot looking empty, adding a fiddle leaf fig plant is sure to fill the space with some drama.

This magnificent succulent is extremely drought tolerant, only requiring you to water it every couple of weeks or so. Besides being highly attractive due to its circular ‘beads’ that resemble pearls, this plant can be placed on walls and hung from ceilings, helping to make a smaller home look jungle-worthy without taking up too much space.

With a reputation for attracting health, wealth, happiness and love, the aptly named lucky bamboo is cost efficient and easy to care for. It is said that the more numerous the stalks on the plant, the luckier the bamboo is.

Famous for its many healing and nourishing properties, the aloe is one of the most practical house plants you could possibly keep. Bear in mind that there are quite a few varieties to choose from, such as the tiger aloe, the spiral aloe, and the lace aloe. All feature unique patterning and growing patterns, but all these succulents are relatively easy to grow, and require little care as long as they get plenty of sunlight.

The majestic, wide leaves of the elephant ear plant make them perfect to place by a doorway or to frame some large windows. Easy to care for and evergreen, these tropical plants are popular worldwide and often used in landscaping due to their ability to grow in full sunlight or partial shade.

Text: Zoe Zeng, Additional reporting: Simone Wu

This post was published on July 20, 2018, and updated on September 2, 2020.

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