62 Houseplants you can forget to water 🏜️
If your plants tend to die of thirst - or of your good intentions with the watering can - start here. These are the houseplants whose own notes describe them as drought-tolerant or happier on the dry side, the ones that shrug off a forgotten week far better than a soggy one.
"Forgives a missed watering" is not "never water". These still need a proper soak when the soil is dry - just far less often, and never a permanently wet pot.
Aeonium
The Aeonium is a succulent that breaks all the usual succulent rules, and that is exactly what m…
Agave
Agaves are bold, architectural succulents that form dramatic rosettes of thick, pointed leaves,…
Aloe Vera
Aloe Vera is the houseplant that earns its keep.
Aphelandra squarrosa (Zebra Plant)
The Aphelandra squarrosa - the Zebra Plant - is one of the most striking foliage plants you can…
Baseball Plant (Euphorbia obesa)
The baseball plant is a curious, spineless, ball-shaped euphorbia patterned with subtle plaid-li…
Bishop's Cap Cactus
The bishop's cap is a spineless, sculptural little cactus shaped like a plump star or a bishop's…
Blue Columnar Cactus
The blue columnar cactus is one of the most beautiful cacti in the world - an upright column of…
Brain Cactus
The brain cactus is a crested mutation of the ladyfinger cactus whose stems grow in waving, fold…
Bunny Ears Cactus
The bunny ears cactus is a charming small opuntia whose flat, oval pads sprout in pairs like a r…
Burro's Tail (Sedum morganianum)
The Burro's Tail - Sedum morganianum, also known as the donkey's tail - is a trailing succulent…
Cholla Cactus
The cholla is the cactus of desert campfire stories - a shrubby, branching cactus of cylindrical…
Christmas Cactus (Schlumbergera)
The Christmas Cactus is a beloved heirloom houseplant - the one that bursts into vivid, exotic b…
Claret Cup Cactus
The claret cup is a hardy, clustering hedgehog cactus that mounds into a dome of spiny green ste…
Clivia (Clivia miniata - Bush Lily)
The Clivia - known as the Bush Lily or Kaffir Lily - is one of the great old-fashioned houseplan…
Clusia (Autograph Tree)
Clusia (Clusia rosea), known as the Autograph Tree, is a tough, glossy, upright houseplant with…
Coffee Plant (Coffea arabica)
The Coffee Plant is the houseplant behind your morning cup - a glossy, attractive, surprisingly…
Crassula Perforata (String of Buttons)
Crassula perforata - the "String of Buttons" - is a charming, easy-going succulent whose small t…
Crown of Thorns (Euphorbia milii)
The Crown of Thorns is a tough, sun-loving succulent shrub that does something remarkable: it ca…
Ctenanthe (Never Never Plant)
The Ctenanthe - often sold as the "Never Never Plant" - is a lush, patterned foliage plant that…
Echinopsis (Sea-Urchin Cactus)
Echinopsis cacti are small, globular desert cacti famous for a spectacular disappearing act: for…
Euphorbia Trigona (African Milk Tree)
The African Milk Tree, Euphorbia trigona, is a bold, architectural houseplant that looks exactly…
Fairy Castle Cactus
The fairy castle cactus is a charming, slow-growing cactus that branches into a cluster of green…
Feather Cactus
The feather cactus looks like a cluster of little snowballs wrapped in down - its spines have ev…
Fishhook Barrel Cactus
The fishhook barrel is a big, ribbed desert globe armed with fierce, hooked red spines that curv…
Gasteria (Ox Tongue)
Gasteria is a small, tough, slow-growing succulent from South Africa, best known for its thick,…
Golden Barrel Cactus
The golden barrel is a plump, globe-shaped cactus wrapped in dense golden-yellow spines, one of…
Gollum Jade
Gollum jade is a quirky cultivar of the classic jade plant whose leaves have rolled into slender…
Gymnocalycium (Chin Cactus)
Gymnocalyciums are rounded, easy-going desert cacti named for their smooth, spineless flower bud…
Hoya (Wax Plant)
The Hoya, or Wax Plant, is a long-lived, easy-going trailing and climbing plant beloved for two…
Ice Plant
The ice plant is a low, spreading succulent smothered, in summer, in brilliant daisy-like flower…
Jade Plant (Crassula ovata)
The Jade Plant is a small, sturdy succulent tree that can become a lifelong companion - often ou…
Kalanchoe (Kalanchoe blossfeldiana)
The Flaming Katy Kalanchoe is the cheerful, easy succulent that you buy already bursting with fl…
Kimberly Queen Fern (Nephrolepis obliterata)
The Kimberly Queen Fern is the tidy, well-behaved cousin of the classic Boston fern.
Ladyfinger Cactus
The ladyfinger cactus is a neat, easy mammillaria that forms clusters of slender, upright golden…
Lithops (Living Stones)
Lithops are among the strangest and most fascinating plants you can keep on a windowsill.
Mother of Thousands
Mother of thousands is the extraordinary succulent that grows a fringe of tiny, ready-rooted pla…
Old Lady Cactus
The old lady cactus is a plump, globe-shaped Mammillaria wrapped in a soft-looking veil of fine…
Old Man Cactus
The old man cactus is an unmistakable columnar cactus draped in long, shaggy white hairs, like t…
Organ Pipe Cactus
The organ pipe is a majestic columnar cactus that, true to its name, sends up a cluster of tall,…
Parodia (Ball Cactus)
Parodias, or ball cacti, are neat, globular desert cacti that ring their crowns with cheerful ye…
Peanut Cactus
The peanut cactus is a small, fast-clustering cactus whose finger-like stems really do look like…
Peperomia Columbiana
Peperomia Columbiana is a compact, semi-succulent foliage plant prized for its deep bronze-purpl…
Philodendron Brasil (Philodendron hederaceum 'Brasil')
The Philodendron Brasil is a trailing heartleaf philodendron whose glossy green leaves come spla…
Pincushion Cactus
Pincushion cacti (Mammillaria) are small, rounded, easy-going desert cacti that reliably ring th…
Polka Dot Plant (Hypoestes phyllostachya)
The Polka Dot Plant is pure cheerful color - a small, bushy houseplant whose green leaves are fr…
Ponytail Palm (Beaucarnea recurvata)
The Ponytail Palm is one of the most charming and characterful houseplants there is - a swollen,…
Portulacaria Afra (Dwarf Jade / Elephant Bush)
Portulacaria afra - known as Dwarf Jade or Elephant Bush - is a fast-growing, bushy succulent sh…
Prickly Pear Cactus
The prickly pear, or opuntia, is the classic flat-padded cactus, forming chains of paddle-shaped…
Rebutia (Crown Cactus)
Rebutias are tiny, clustering desert cacti that flower so freely and so young that a small pot c…
Saguaro Cactus
The saguaro is the giant, tree-like cactus of the American Southwest, an icon of the desert that…
Satin Pothos (Scindapsus pictus)
The Satin Pothos - sometimes sold as "Silver Pothos" or "Silk Pothos" - is one of those plants t…
Sempervivum (Hens and Chicks)
Sempervivums, or hens and chicks, are tough little rosette succulents that multiply into tidy ma…
Silver Torch Cactus
The silver torch is a slender, upright columnar cactus wrapped so densely in fine white spines t…
Snake Plant (Sansevieria / Dracaena trifasciata)
The Snake Plant is the plant for people who think they cannot keep plants alive.
Star Cactus
The star cactus is a small, spineless, geometric gem - a low, ribbed dome divided into neat segm…
String of Bananas (Curio radicans)
The String of Bananas - sometimes still sold under its older name Senecio radicans - is one of t…
String of Dolphins (Senecio peregrinus)
String of Dolphins is one of the most charming novelty succulents you can grow.
String of Hearts (Ceropegia woodii)
The String of Hearts is one of the most delicate and romantic of all trailing houseplants - long…
String of Turtles (Peperomia prostrata)
The String of Turtles - Peperomia prostrata - is a delicate, slow-growing trailing plant grown a…
Totem Pole Cactus
The totem pole cactus is a smooth, spineless, sculptural column covered in soft, knobbly bumps t…
Yucca (Yucca elephantipes)
The indoor Yucca is the tough, architectural, low-effort statement plant - a sturdy woody trunk…
ZZ Plant (Zamioculcas zamiifolia)
The ZZ Plant is the houseplant for the darkest, most neglected corner of your home.
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Choosing a plant for a home with pets? We keep toxicity off Plantvale on purpose - check the ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant list.