Five kill-proof houseplants for the foliage-challenged

Seeing that summer sunshine outside makes us want to throw open all the windows and flood our houses with nature. Until we try and buy some plants to brighten the place up and they die within 60 seconds of entering the house. We water them, we nurture them, we expose them to the (extremely small) amount of Irish sunshine we get and what happens? They give up the ghost. Some of us are blessed with green thumbs, but some of need to accept that we’re foliage-challenged.

But there is a solution for the inept among us – kill-proof houseplants. These leafy beauties will do the job of decorating your home for the summer months, without crippling you with the guilt of seeing them wilt. Hardy houseplants are just what your hallway has been waiting for.

Aloe Vera

Aloe Vera is a semi-tropical succulent, so all it requires is to be left in view of good sunlight and occasional watering. But apart from looking great, aloe vera is a life-saver for pretty much everything, from sunburn to a dry scalp to inflammation. Keep the raw gel from the leaves in your fridge for when you need it.

Moth orchids

Orchids are delicate flowers, so you’d be forgiven for thinking that they’d be easy to kill. But fear not, moth orchids are actually pretty sturdy and are definitely one of the prettiest plants to decorate with. Again, a good amount of sunshine and minimal watering (around once a week) is all moth orchids need to stay happy.

Cacti

Look, if they can survive in a desert, they can survive in your sitting room. Cacti store water for long periods of time, and so most only really need to be watered once a week. Just make sure to place them in a pot with drainage, so that the soil around them doesn’t get too waterlogged. Letting the pot do the work for you – couldn’t be simpler.

Spider plant

Spider plants are not only easy to look after, they’re really easy to grow from scratch as well. Just take a cutting of one, stick it into water, wait for the roots to appear then place it in soil. After that, just give them bright, indirect light and water them once a week for the first year, and sporadically after that.

Sago palm

These guys are just like cacti, in that they need good drainage. But they look beautiful inside and outside the house, so if you’re looking to jazz up the back garden with your own tropical paradise, grab a few sago palms and let them loose.