The Ultimate Guide to Never Killing a Houseplant Again

Adrienne Breaux

updated Jul 16, 2020

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(Image credit: Jaclyn Campanaro)

There are those whose home is a verdant playground of lush leaves, beautiful foliage and healthy, happy houseplants. And there are the rest of us, who bring home plants full of hope, only to see that hope wither alongside each sad leaf that browns and falls off. Never again. We’ve gathered our best advice for what kind of plants to get, where to get them, what to do with them once you have them and more, all in one spot. This is your ultimate guide to never killing a house plant again.

Start off on the right leaf:

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→ Off to a Strong Start: 5 Tips for Buying Healthy Plants

Some suggestions on where to get plants:

(Image credit: Jaclyn Campanaro)

→ Where To Get Plants

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

→ 5 Easy Etsy Plant Shops

Black thumbs, ONLY choose plants from these lists:

(Image credit: Adrienne Breaux)

→ 5 Hard-to-Kill Houseplants

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→ Add Some Color! 5 Cheery, Easy-to-Grow Indoor Flowering Plants

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→ The Best Hard-To-Kill Houseplants For Black Thumbs

Lacking in light? Choose a less needy plant:

(Image credit: Shutterstock, Pekka Nikonen)

→ 5 Hardy Hard-to-Kill Houseplants for Apartments with Low Light

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

→ 5 Overlooked Plants That Can Survive The Dark (Almost)

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

→ 7 Low Light Houseplants To Green Up The Home

(Image credit: Susie Nadler)

→ Sansevieria: A Favorite Houseplant for Low Light

How to keep plants happy:

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→ Water With Flat Club Soda + Other Tips for Keeping Healthier Plants

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→ 5 Reasons You’re Killing Your Indoor Plants

(Image credit: Jaclyn Campanaro)

→ How to: Not Kill Your Plants

Why having plants in the house is a good idea:

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→ Would You Like to Be Instantly Smarter?

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

→ Replacing Air Purifiers With Household Plants

When in doubt, go with air plants:

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

→ Buy or DIY: 5 Ideas for Displaying Tillandsia

And of course, there’s always cactus:

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

→ How To Become a Cactus Collector

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

→ 10 Inspiring DIY Succulent & Cactus Gardens

What to do with your plants when you move:

(Image credit: Rebecca Orlov)

→ How To: Prepare Your Plants For A Move

Now you! Are you a former plant killer who’s figured out how to keep green things alive? Share your foolproof tips in the comments.

– Re-edited from a post originally published 9.7.2014 – CM

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