Best Low-Maintenance Houseplants for the Arizona Desert Home
While adding houseplants to your desert home can improve your life in many ways, many busy people shy away from them because they are worried about the perceived care and maintenance involved. Fear not! Plenty of amazing options for low maintenance and desert-friendly house plants that offer Scottsdale homeowners advantages to both health and home aesthetics.
1. Aloe
A classic desert-friendly houseplant, aloe secures a place in Scottsdale homes for a reason. Both beautiful and useful, aloe just exudes "cool." The plant helps filter airborne toxins, cool down the environment and acts as a natural humidifier. Far from being a one-trick pony, the aloe plant is also useful as a natural health and beauty product. Moderate sunshine and minimal watering requirements make this hardy plant an Arizona must-have.
2. Snake Plant
Despite having a tough name, this houseplant actually does a lot of good. With its long, thick leaves and detoxifying properties, the snake plant is both lovely and helpful to your living environment. Its moderate watering needs and tolerance to sunlight make it a great plant to place near your window and breathe the benefits.
3. Money Plant
Otherwise known as Devil's Ivy, the money plant is a popular indoor plant for hot climates. This gorgeous green vine plant brings a cool, healthy aesthetic to the room. Its big, broad leaves soak up the toxic air that can invade the home and release clean oxygen to refresh the air you breathe. This plant is easygoing and needs only minimal care and watering.
4. Haworthia
This adorable succulent is otherwise known as the polka dot plant or zebra cactus. It is small and easy to care for and thrives in a desert home. It is slow-growing and needs very little watering. This plant does great with bright, indirect sunlight. Bonus: Unlike many houseplants, this one is nontoxic to pets.
5. ZZ Plant
The Zanzibar Gem plant or ZZ plant is an air-purifying, drought-resistant plant that makes the perfect addition to an Arizona home. It is easy to care for and grows fairly slow. They can grow up to 3 feet high so be sure to find a space with enough room for them to thrive. Their coloring of white, green and brown and pop to the home. And they love full sun, which makes them a great match for a desert home.
6. Neon Pathos
The bright green leaves of the neon pathos plant can liven up any room. It thrives on indirect, bright sunlight and does not like to be over-watered. Its heart-shaped leaves grow from a thin vine and it functions as a natural air purifier.
7. Spider Plant
Named for its reaching multitude of long,thin leaves, the spider plant is another classic houseplant that finds a welcome home in Arizona. They do best with indirect light and minimal watering. A self-watering system works great with the spider plant, making it even more low maintenance.
8. Heartleaf Philodendron
Known for being an easy houseplant to care for, this vine plant can flourish with little attention. Keep them out of direct sun and you will have a hardy green addition to any room of the house. They do well in a hanging basket so the vines have room to run.
9. Lucky Bamboo
Bamboo may not be the first thing you think of when you imagine an Arizona home, but these refreshing green shoots are a perfect companion to a desert home. A favorite of forgetful plant lovers, these shoots just need a container of water with pebbles at the bottom to hold them up. As long as you keep the water level from getting too low, you should be able to maintain this houseplant easily.
10. Peace Lily
With its low maintenance water needs and high rating as an air purifying plant, the Peace lily matches well with Arizona's climate. A once a week watering is usually enough for this tough but lovely houseplant. With its dark green leaves and beautiful white flowers, this would make a nice housewarming gift for a desert neighbor, family member or friend.
11. English Ivy
If you are looking for a tough and hardy vine plant, English Ivy is about as sturdy as they get. This speckled plant does great with low-moderate light and minimal watering standards. Trimming any dried-out vines will keep your ivy vines healthy and looking nice.
Keeping your Scottsdale home inviting is easily accomplished with the addition of any of these low-maintenance house plants. Whether your purpose is to purify your air, add color to the room or improve the Feng Shui elements, one of these plants will do the trick. Many houseplants can be toxic to pets and children so take caution with placement if you are sharing your home with curious little people or animals.
