5 Unkillable Plants: Best Low-Maintenance Plants for Businesses

Our wide range of pots and planters makes finding the right planter for your business an easy task. With a variety of planters in different sizes, shapes, and styles, we have something for everybody and a planter for every purpose. Finding the right unkillable plants to go into your planters, however, is a whole different matter.

Last year researchers at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew published the discovery of over 100 new plants, making the total estimated number of plants on Earth over 391,000. With so many plants out there, there is certainly no shortage of options, but knowing what plants might be best suited to you and your business can be tricky.

Here we provide a shortlist of unkillable plants — the best low-maintenance plants for businesses and workplaces. Whether you’re looking for plants to improve an office space, add some greenery to a restaurant’s décor, or spruce up a hotel reception, we’ve got your covered. Here are some of the easiest plants to care for that look great, improve air quality, and can successfully spruce up your business.

1. Stubborn Succulents: Cacti, Crassulas, and Aloe

A plant’s size, the shape of its leaves, and the climate in which it thrives are just a few of the factors that dictate how much maintenance it will need. Some plants will need to be placed in certain areas of a business setting as they will have specific requirements when it comes to light and fresh air.

Succulents like cacti, Crassulas, and Aloe, however, need no such thing and won’t burden you with responsibility. In fact, succulents will do quite the opposite. Cacti — a plant species synonymous with holding its own in deserts and drylands — is an immediate contender for the all-time most bomb-proof plant.

Of course, you have to think about where cacti will live in your set-up as they’re not the kind of plant you want to be rubbing up against or bumping into. Their tolerance means that they only need to be watered once a month, they survive in almost all conditions, and they don’t often flower and create extra work. On top of this, they’re available in a range of colors and sizes making them a brilliant choice for any business environment.

For a tad more color and vibrancy — and for something a little less harsh to the touch — many other succulents offer great alternatives and will only need to be watered twice a month. Crassula Ovata — otherwise known as the jade plant — or any of the Aloe genus are extra easy-to-care-for succulents. They can live in shaded areas, they look stylish but tidy, and they’re low-maintenance.

A general rule of thumb for plants goes: the thicker the leaves the less watering required. So a few large aloes in some  stylish planters make for an aesthetically pleasing, low-maintenance touch in all business settings.

Cacti, Crassulas, and Aloes are popular choices for their striking and unusual appearances. They thrive with minimal care, and whilst they grow and improve with time, they rarely blossom, wilt, or require constant maintenance. For a particularly unique look, our Spiral Distinctive Organic Planter Pots offer an eye-catching but smart-looking planter for these types of plants.

2. Durable Dracaenas: The Sansevieria “Snake Plant”

The Sansevieria has many poignant nicknames due to its strength and flame-like foliage. “Snake plant”, “tiger’s tail”, “mother-in-law’s tongue”, and “viper’s bowstring hemp” are just a few examples ranging from different parts of the world. The latter — “viper’s bowstring hemp” — comes from the fact that its strong fibers were historically used to make strings for bows, which speaks volumes about this plant's resilience.

The snake plant is another plant that requires minimum effort to look after. When kept in a shady place, it needs watering once a month at most, and it isn’t afraid of a little neglect. The great thing about Sansevieria is that it stores up oxygen in the day, then releases it all at night making it a fantastic bedroom plant, but also meaning it can act as an air purifier in any office, restaurant, or hotel reception.

If you’re thinking that with all of these positives there has to be a drawback, you’d be mistaken. The snake plant passes with flying colors in all areas: versatility, durability, maintenance, and appearance.

The Sansevieria is no ordinary-looking plant, its leaves offer a stunning sculptural spectacle, and with each leaf individually rooted, it’s as tough as it is trendy. It is the perfect plant for year-round indoor decoration, and the vibrancy of its leaves makes it brilliantly suited to minimalistic cylinder pots. Display it in small-medium sized shelf pots, or for a stylish look, pair it with some Tall Saint Tropez Vase Planter Pots as seen below.

3. Impressive Ivys: Golden Pothos “Devil’s Ivy”

Ivys are a wonderful way of injecting some green into dull spaces, but they come equipped with several other attributes. Like the previously mentioned succulents and Dracaenas, they are also a resilient plant that is extremely difficult to kill. On top of this, they purify the air from pollutants and are constantly producing new leaves.

The difference here is that ivy requires slightly more attention and is a less subtle option than the others. It also needs weekly watering, which — given its ability to completely change a space — is still relatively low maintenance.

If you have the right set-up for something like golden pothos it can be an absolute gamechanger. Golden pothos is also known as “devil’s ivy” for its ability to thrive in dark places while staying green and vibrant. It is quite a remarkable plant that boasts beautiful heart-shaped marbled leaves that come in a variety of light and dark shades. It can turn any dim corner or dull space into a lush and lively green area.

Placed in planters, it has the ability to fall down or climb up and can also be used in vertical spaces hanging over shelves or from baskets. A Salon Window Box Planter makes for the perfect home to let golden pothos flourish in windows, on shelves, or wherever else you fancy.

 4. Indoor Palm Plants

Palm plants offer an exciting, exotic addition to interior business spaces, and they are just as resilient as any of the tougher looking plant species. Some palm plants have sleek, subtle leaves for stylish workspaces whilst others have wonderful feathered leaves that add character and charm.

Though some palm plants are famous for adorning the sunny and sandy beaches of exotic islands and glamorous coastal promenades, smaller indoor palm plants aren’t as high-maintenance as you’d think, and they don’t require a tropical climate to survive.

Palm plants come in an extraordinary number of varieties and different sizes. They require watering once a week in the colder months and twice a week in the hotter months.

The Kentia palm — as seen below — offers a unique beauty and makes an instant impact on any space. They might appear to be high-maintenance plants that need a lot of attention to make them grow the way they do, but that is far from reality.

The long leaves of the Kentia palm make it a great plant for filling a corner space. They are a statement-making plant, injecting character into a dull room or business area and filling it with life and charisma.

5. Zamioculcas Zamiifolia: The ZZ Plant

The Zamioculcas zamiifolia plant — also known as the Zanzibar gem because it originates from Africa — is more commonly known as the ZZ plant, and it is one of the most popular low-maintenance house plants around.

It’s a stylish plant that has beautiful leaves and sturdy stalks. The roots of these plants are known to store huge amounts of water and withstand long periods of drought. Consequently, it can go weeks without being watered and will not need constant attention, which makes it a very good plant for beginners that might forget to give their plants regular care.

It is also brilliant on office desks and great to have around business settings in general. It thrives in cool indoor conditions and it rarely flowers, so there will be no need to clean up after it. At the same time, it offers a classy, leafy touch and a good dose of natural greenery that doesn’t need constant attention.

Looking for some planters and design ideas for your home and low-maintenance plants? Our blog: Planter Design Ideas: Inspiring Concepts for Indoor and Outdoor Spaces might just be the inspiration you’re looking for!