30 Hard-to-Kill Houseplants That Thrive Even When Neglected

Julie Bawden-Davis

May 3, 2023 at 4:51 AM·13 min read

There are a few categories of houseplant owners. The first category is houseplant owners that do an efficient and careful job of looking after their plants. The second category is houseplant owners that can't seem to keep a plant alive no matter what happens. And the last is houseplant owners that are beginners and scared to graduate from fake plants to real plants. Which kind of houseplant owner are you?

If you fall under the second or third category, it doesn't mean that you're doomed and can't ever own plants. In fact, quite the opposite! You simply need to adjust what kind of houseplants you buy. Luckily, there are lots of hard-to-kill plants for your home that can suit your plant owner habits.

“Select the right houseplants for your situation, and other than watering, there’s very little regular care required,” says Costa Farm’s garden expert Justin Hancock. “There’s an easy-care plant for just about every indoor setting.”

One characteristic you’ll notice about most of these tough plants is that they have durable leaves. “Thick, waxy leaves have a tendency to hold up better to the low humidity often found in our homes—especially during winter months when furnaces blast all the moisture out of the air. They also tend to deal better with periods of drought when we forget or don’t have time to water them,” says Hancock.

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Tips for Taking Care of Houseplants

Choose the right plant for the right place. Proper lighting is critical. If a plant requires bright light, putting it in a dark corner will lead to a sad, slow decline. The plant will seem healthy at first, but it will eventually empty its light reserves and look terrible. If you have low to medium light available, choose plants that tolerate such lighting.

Watch your watering. Improper watering is the number one cause of houseplant death. Water houseplants when the top inch of potting soil has dried out. For small plants, you can simply pick up the pot. If it is lightweight, it’s time to water. For large floor plants, use a moisture meter or a wooden skewer. If soil clings to the skewer, the soil is still wet, but if it falls right off, then the soil is dry and the plant needs a drink.

Humidify the air. The more moisture in the air, the happier most tropical plants are. Set your plants on humidity trays filled with pebbles or marbles and water that comes up to just below the top of the pebbles or marbles. This ensures that the bottom of the pot doesn't sit in water, which can cause fungal infections and root rot. As the water evaporates, it adds moisture to the air surrounding the plant. Grouping plants also works, as the plants humidify one another.

Wash houseplant leaves occasionally with room-temperature water. This removes dust so that the leaves can receive more light and do a better job of cleaning your indoor air.

What Are the Features of a Hard-to-Kill Plant for Your Home?

Walking down the aisles aimlessly at a plant store and blindly picking one that catches your attention is unfortunately not the best method when it comes to plant shopping. Especially not for those of us that are looking for hard-to-kill houseplants. It's important to do research on the plants you're looking at. If you're wondering if a houseplant is hard to kill, here are the features to look for:

does best in low or indirect light
does not require a lot of water and can survive periods of neglect
grows well in average soil and does not require fancy soils, compost, etc.
thrives in different environments, including household temperatures

30 Best Hard-To-Kill Houseplants

1. Pothos, $16.99 on Amazon

Everywhere you go, you see pothos plants—whether it's inside of a mall, office or vining across your bedroom. They are the easiest houseplant to take care of and grow like a weed.

Costa Farms Golden Pothos Live Plant, Easy Care Indoor House Plant in Grower's Pot, Potting Soil, Great for Outdoor Hanging Planter or Basket, Housewarming Gift, Desk Decor, Room Decor, 10-Inches Tall

2. Snake Plant, $13.63 on Amazon

Snake plants are quite the opposite of clingy. You can go several weeks without watering these plants and they would still be kickin'. When you do water it, make sure it's thorough and allows for drainage.

Live Snake Plant, Sansevieria trifasciata Superba, Fully Rooted Indoor House Plant in Pot, Mother in Law Tongue Sansevieria Plant, Potted Succulent Plant, Houseplant in Potting Soil by Plants for Pets

3. Aloe Vera, $17.06 on Amazon

Not only is aloe vera a great hard-to-kill houseplant, but it provides you with holistic benefits of the aloe gel living inside the plant. You can cut off a leaf and use the gel to heal cuts or for a soothing face mask.

Costa Farms Aloe Vera (2 Pack), Live Succulent Plant, Easy Care Indoor Houseplant in Grower Pot, Natural Room Air Purifier in Soil, Living Room or Office Décor, New House Warming Gift, 12-Inches Tall

4. Rubber Plant, $22.99 on Amazon

Out in the wild, rubber plants can grow up to eighty feet. They won't grow that tall indoors, but they still grow rather quickly, even under conditions of neglect.

Perfect Plants Rubber Plant | Ficus Elastica 'Burgundy' | Live Indoor Houseplant | Unique Home Décor, 6in. Grower's Pot

5. Hoya, $16.99 on Amazon

Hoya plants are unique-looking hard-to-kill houseplants of many variations. Their waxy leaves and occasional flowers liven up a room, especially when hanging up in a corner as they have a tendency to vine.

California Tropicals Live Hoya Carnosa Krinkle Wax Plant - Unique Houseplant, Indoor & Outdoor Decorative Garden Gift, Easy to Grow with Potting Soil, Planters & Pots for Home Decor, Office & Patio

6. Swiss Cheese Plant, $21.99 on Amazon

Swiss cheese plants do not like direct light, making them great for a spot on your bookshelf or dining room centerpiece. You only need to water this plant every couple of weeks too.

Rooted? Swiss Cheese Vine - Monstera adansonii | Live, Live Indoor, Easy to Grow, Easy to Care, and Low Maintenance Houseplant, 14 Day Guarantee (4-inch Pot)

7. ZZ Plant, $24.42 on Amazon

This plant is native to East Africa and has been called "the king of indestructible plants". That's because the ZZ plant tolerates the common traits of plant-killers: drought, low light and low humidity.

Costa Farms ZZ Plant, Live Indoor Houseplant in Modern Decor Planter, Natural Air Purifier in Potting Soil, Gift for Plant Lovers, Birthday Gift, Tabletop Living Room Decor, Desk Decor, 12-Inches Tall

8. Philodendron, $21.99 on Amazon

Similar to pothos, philodendrons are just as easy to take care of and come in many different varieties, boasting beautiful leaves. They tolerate dark corners, little watering and prefer dry soil.

Heart Leaf Philodendron cordatum - 2 Plants - World's Easiest Houseplant-3" Pots

9. Jade Plant, $12.49 on Amazon

Take note of the rounded leaves on a jade plant. Did you know that they retain water in the leaves? Due to this fact, they can sometimes survive more than a month without being watered.

Jade Plant - Crassula ovata - Easy to Grow - 4" Pot

10. Peace Lily, $24.63 on Amazon

The beautiful white flowers that blossom are a great gift this plant provides to its owners. It needs a little bit of sunlight and sufficient watering (when you do water it).

Costa Farms Peace Lily Plant, Live Indoor House Plant with Flowers, Room Air Purifier in Modern Decor Planter, Potting Soil, Plant Lover, Anniversary or New Home Gift, Desk Decor, 15-Inches Tall

11. African Spear Plant, $10.99 on Amazon

In winter, these unique-looking plants only need to be watered every four to six weeks. When it heats up in the summertime, you will have to keep up more with biweekly watering.

Braided African Spear Plant, Cylindrical Snake Plant, Spear sansevieria, Sansevieria cylindrica, Brazil St Barbara Sword Dracaena angolensis

12. Cast Iron Plant, $25 on Amazon

Cast iron plants are a bit more involved, as they prefer their living soil to remain more moist. However, it has made a reputation for itself as one of the best hard-to-kill houseplants because of its ability to survive many different growing conditions.

Cast Iron Plant - Aspidistra - Grows in Dim Light - 6" Pot

13. Air Plants, $14.95 on Amazon

Air plants can handle a wide range of light conditions and are also very easy to care for. Interestingly enough, they are epiphytes and don't need soil to grow, which is why you typically see them hanging in glass containers.

It Blooms Rainforest Grown 8 Pack Assorted Air Plants - Live Tillandsia - Easy Care House Plants - 30 Day Guarantee

14. Spider Plant, $26.00 on Amazon

Spider plants are one of the easiest hard-to-kill-houseplants. They thrive in bright, indirect sunlight. Spider plants are perfect for beginners because they can tolerate low humidity, dry air and infrequent watering.

Ocean Spider Plant - 4'' Pot 3 Pack for Better Growth - Cleans the Air/Easy to Grow by Jmbamboo

15. Parlor Palm, $21.99 on Amazon

Parlor palms make for great indoor plants because they need very little water or light – they only require water when the soil feels dry, which is usually once every two weeks. They don't like indirect light, as it can burn their gorgeous leaves.

Parlor Palm - Chamaedorea elegans | Live, Easy to Grow, and Low Maintenance Houseplant (4-inch Pot)

16. Ficus Audrey, $69.99 on Amazon

The Ficus Audrey is one of the best hard-to-kill indoor houseplants because of how forgiving it is. No worries if you forget to water it, it thrives in neglect. The beautifully-patterned leaves really allow them to stand out.

United Nursery Live Ficus Audrey Standard Ficus Benghalensis, Easy Care Ornamental Modern Indoor Tree Ships Fresh from Our Farm in 10 inch Grower Pot

17. Peperomia, $15.00 on Amazon

Peperomia plants are perfect if you want something that doesn't require too much light, but still looks good in your home or office. Peperomia varieties come in all shapes and colors.

California Tropicals Live Peperomia Obtusifolia - 4" Real Small Pot, Unique Gifts for Home Decor, Garden, Office, and Indoor Outdoor Easy Care Green Plants, Mini Live Rubber Plant

18. Haworthia, $9.35 on Amazon

Known for their thick, fleshy leaves and small flowers, haworthia plants are easy to grow and tolerate low-light conditions.

Zebra Plant - Haworthia fasciata - Easy to grow/Hard to kill Succulent- 2.5" Pot

19. Begonia, $21.06 on Amazon

Begonias need bright light to flower, but if you provide them with too much light, they are at risk of burning. They do best in partial shade with well-drained soil.

Begonia maculata 'Wightii', Polka Dot Begonia, Clown Begonia, Trout Begonia, Spotted Begonia, Angel Wing Begonia, houseplant, Interesting Foliage Plant, 4"

20. Yucca, $39.41 on Amazon

The reason that yucca plants are one of the top hard-to-kill houseplants is because they are very drought-tolerant. Out of all of the plants on this list, these are ones that have some of the lowest watering requirements.

Shrub Color Guard Yucca, 2.25 Gal, Creamy White and Dark Green

21. Ponytail Palm, $30.37 on Amazon

Ponytail palms do prefer more light than many of the hard-to-kill houseplants on this list, but they do like dry soil—which means you don't have to water them as much.

Costa Farms Ponytail Palm Bonsai, Live Indoor Plant, Clean Air Purifying Houseplant in Modern Decor Planter, Fresh From Farm, Birthday Gift, Tabletop Office Desk or Home Décor, 15-20 Inches Tall

22. Anthurium, $18.99 on Amazon

Do you have a warm room in your house? Place your anthuriums there and forget about them. Just kidding!

California Tropicals Anthurium Red - Live House Plants Indoor, 4 Inch Pot for Easy Care, Perfect for Office, Home & Flamingo Decor, Real Plant, Plant Gift, Flowering Plants, Sympathy Flowers

23. English Ivy, $27.00 on Amazon

English ivy plants seem to simply grow on their own. Another plant that grows like a weed, they require very little effort from you to thrive. They do well in many different soils and climates.

3pack Gold Child English Ivy 3" Pot - 'Hedra Helix Plant' -Outdoor and Indoor Plant

24. Burro Tail, $13.99 on Amazon

Burro tail is a super-cool-looking plant that also happens to be drought-tolerant. They store large amounts of water in their funky leaves to help through dry spells, as they tend to be found in more desert-like climates.

Live Succulent 4" Donkey Tails, Succulents Plants Live, Succulent Plants Fully Rooted, House Plant for Home Office Decoration, DIY Projects, Party Favor Gift by The Succulent Cult

25. Ox Tongue, $5.65 on Amazon

Ox tongue plants happen to be in the same plant family as haworthias and aloe vera, which are also on this list. Don't feel like you need to overwater ox tongues, that's for sure.

Gasteria Glomerata Fat Matte Gray-Green Leaves (2 inch)

26. Prayer Plant, $19.99 on Amazon

Have you ever witnessed cooler leaves on a plant? Keep your prayer plant in a bright spot mist the leaves once a week, and keep the soil damp.

Red Prayer Plant, Red Maranta, 4 inch Pot - Hopewind Plants Shop

27. Dragon Tree, $38.89 on Amazon

Underwaterers of plants, unite! Let the soil dry out before you water your dragon tree again.

Costa Farms Dracaena Marginata Magenta Madagascar Dragon Tree Live Indoor Plant, 3 to 4-Feet Tall, Ships in Natural Weave Basket Decor

28. Dumbcane, $12.99 on Amazon

Don't ever make the mistake of overwatering dumbcanes! Their thick stems hold enough water to keep the leaves glossy for weeks at a time.

Dieffenbachia Live Plant, Dumbcane Live House Plants Indoors Live Indoor Plants, Mother in Law Tongue Plant Live Plants Indoor Plants Live Houseplants, Indoor Plant House Plant Live by Plants for Pets

29. Chinese Evergreen, $25.99 on Amazon

With beautiful, bright spotty leaves of varying colors, Chinese evergreen plants are worth shopping for. They are one of the easiest plants to care for and can survive nearly anything you throw at them!