I’ve said it before: my thumb is leaning towards beige rather than black. Who knows whether it will ever turn green, but I digress. Being someone who isn’t a natural gardener, I tend to kill things by overloving them. Consequently, a lot of my indoor house plants end up dead so I rarely spend full price or go crazy with exotic plants (shout out to the Lowe’s clearance section!). However, there seem to be houseplants that I can’t get around here, or if I do they’re out of season and I demand instant gratification. This is when Amazon comes and saves the day. Here’s my guide for those who are thinking about buying plants online at Amazon (that I have yet to kill!)
9 Hard-to-Kill Plants from Amazon
Dionaea Muscipula/Venus Fly Traps
I keep them in these kinds of containers with the water about 1/3rd full. They stay in their soggy little world, and I never have to worry about forgetting to water them with distilled water. Side note: these are the ONLY types of plants I’ve had success in these self-watering pots. All of my other ones get root rot so quickly because of the moisture. Sigh.
Calathea Lancifolia /Rattlesnake Plant
Like a prayer plant which I had no problem getting, but their Rattlesnake friend proved to be impossible to get in Upstate NY. I love the mauve undersides of them and their cool, shiny leaves.
Assorted Tillandsia/Air Plants
Love these for how idiot-proof they are. I like to get vintage candle holders from Goodwill and stick these puppies in them. I usually spritz them once in awhile, but give a good soak for 1 hour each week.
Haworthia/Zebra Plant
I didn’t realize this was considered a succulent, but she’s pretty hardy in the regular soil I have her in and is SO lovely. She sits on a table in the kitchen under a window sill that doesn’t get a ton of direct sunlight.
Chamaedorea/Parlor Palms
Despite the name, these indoor house plants are pretty teeny…like baby bamboo plants, so don’t expect them to become the big focal of your room (or parlor if you’ve got one).
Monstera/Swiss Cheese Plant
I love her. She sits alone and is SO incredible to watch, I love to see her leaves slowly unrolling over time. I try to rotate her every few months so that she doesn’t get lopsided.
Ficus/Fiddle Leaf Fig
Yes, when it comes to finding rare types of indoor house plants, you can get these everywhere so Amazon doesn’t need to be the first place you look, but I wanted one right then and there, dammit, so I got it online. Mine is named George and he sits in my guest room, entertaining visitors.
Fairy Garden Plant Mix
I recommend this set time and time again, I’ve actually bought a few sets because I love the variety. I’ve gotten Parlor Palms, various types of Pothos, and some painted leaf plants. They all arrive pretty tiny, but in the 3 times I’ve ordered this, I’ve only had 2 die straight off and they were immediately replaced by the seller.
Succulent Mix of 20
These are hit and miss for me, so when it comes to picking the plants I’m buying online I don’t get these very often. The plants arrive totally fine and healthy-looking, but I can’t seem to keep succulents alive no matter what I do. So I recommend it only if you can actually keep those suckers alive.