Ranking Home Decor Plants from Easiest to Hardest to Keep Alive (Part 1)

Whether you’ve had the tenacity to keep your guinea pigs alive for over five years as a child or never could manage to – and whether that same tenacity has followed you to your current age, we’ve got you covered. As you may or may not have yet discovered, keeping houseplants can both be much harder than keeping a pet alive or it can be as easy as just leaving it alone. Too many people discover how hard managing certain plants can be a little too late. So, we’ve taken the ten most popular house plants in people’s home according to data and ranked them based on how easy to difficult it is to manage them.

1/10 Easiest: The Snake Plant

The snake plants ability to not really care whether or not you’re taking care of it makes it the most manageable plant to keep in your home. While yes, it’s going to need water eventually like all things in life – it can live with out it for a few weeks. 

• Light: Low to bright indirect (highly adaptable to various lighting)

• Water: Infrequent; water only every few weeks when the soil is completely dry (this plant is very drought-tolerant)

• Humidity: Low to average home humidity (tolerates dry air without issues).

• Temperature: Average room temperatures (60–85 °F); keep above 50 °F.

2/10: ZZ Plant

Do you have some unlit corners that you really want to put a plant in? You’re in luck because the ZZ plant can handle it. 

• Light: Low to moderate indirect light – it survives in dim corners, though growth is faster in medium light

• Water: Rarely – allow the soil to fully dry out between waterings. It only needs infrequent watering (overwatering is the most common killer of ZZ plants).

• Humidity: Average household humidity is sufficient (not sensitive to dry air).

• Temperature: Does well in 65–85 °F. Keep away from cold drafts (not frost-hardy).

3/10: Pothos

If you’re not quite ready to make that jump into a full time house parent the Pothos is still a beginner friendly plant. While there’s a chance it doesn’t make it, it can recover from your mismanagement if you refocus on it.

• Light: Low to bright indirect light – very adaptable(In low light it will grow slower with more green leaves; bright indirect light yields faster growth.)

• Water: Water when the top inch of soil dries out – roughly once every 1–2 weeks. It copes well if you forget occasionally, but avoid constant overwatering.

• Humidity: Prefers moderate humidity but handles normal indoor air fine. (You might see more robust growth with higher humidity, but it’s not required.)

• Temperature: Thrives in 65–85 °F. Avoid temperatures below ~60 °F.

4/10: Spider Plant

Want a slightly harder challenge, but not one that blooms? You’ll only need to check on your plant ~1x a week for optimal results.

• Light: Bright, indirect light is ideal, but it tolerates lower light conditions as well (In very low light it may grow slowly or lose variegation.)

• Water: Water when the topsoil is slightly dry – roughly once a week. Spider plants like evenly moist soil but will forgive the occasional missed watering.

• Humidity: Does well in average humidity; enjoys a bit of extra humidity if possible. Brown leaf tips can occur in very dry air or from mineral buildup in water.

• Temperature: Prefers 65–80 °F. Protect from cold drafts (not a cold-hardy plant).

5/10: Aloe Vera

Is there a bright sill in your living quarters in need of a plant with utility. Hey maybe you just want to grow a plant to finally use it rather than stare at it – like food. Aloe vera is the perfect mix of utility and plant friendly.

• Light: High light is key – bright indirect light to a few hours of direct sun. Aloes do best right by a sunny window (south or west facing). Without sufficient light they may become leggy.

• Water: Low water needs – water deeply but infrequently. Allow the soil to dry out completely between waterings (in a dry home, this could mean watering about once every 2–4 weeks). Overwatering will quickly lead to root rot.

• Humidity: Prefers dry air and arid conditions. Typical home humidity is fine; avoid placing it in very humid rooms or overwatering in cool, humid weather.

• Temperature: Warm temperatures (65–85 °F). It cannot tolerate frost – keep above ~50 °F.