Best houseplants for assisted living.

[Johndeaux22]

My family is getting some Christmas gifts for a resident of one of our local assisted living facilities, and one of her requests is a small plant. I’d appreciate suggestions as to what might give the best chances of success with the possibility of benign neglect, and/or overwatering etc. ? The first thing that came to mind for me was a Sansevieria of some description potted in a mix that won’t hold much water, along with specific instructions (ie place in a window, water every Saturday, etc. ). I’d be shocked if temperatures weren’t constantly pushing 80*F, and very dry air inside.

[Roberta]

Sansevieria would certainly meet the need. Also, Pothos is nearly indestructible. (I have one that has been going strong for more than 25 years, with very poor light, irregular watering and otherwise no attention.)

[Dimples]

Syngonium (arrowhead plant) may be a good option. They clearly communicate when they’ve gone too long without water (semi-dramatic wilting) but bounce right back. They can be pruned to keep a rounder shape, or allowed to vine. I have one that’s been around for almost a decade.

[estación seca]

For something small, Haworthia. Multiple species to choose from. Or any of numerous miniature Aloe hybrids.

Aglaonema stems (Chinese evergreen) may be grown in a vase or bottle of water. Dump out and change water weekly. This permits something with a very narrow footprint.

[Dimples]

Syngonium are also very easy to grow and propagate in water. Also, I was admiring my syngonium earlier and discovered a rather advanced soft scale infestation. The plant looks remarkably healthy, and is still churning out new growth. I’ll be treating my entire collection tomorrow, but so far I’d say it’s almost as resilient as pothos.

[camille1585]

Pothos isn't exactly a small plant... I recently cut off a 10 meter section on mine because it had worked it's way all around the room.

I like jade plants. Easy grow, hard to kill and since it grows rather slowly they stay small for a long time.

Pilea peperomioides is also on the small side and indestructible, and I love how they look.

Dracaena marginata is another favorite of mine. We have one in the lobby of our apartment building and it gets very little light, occasional watering, yet is thriving. My mother also had one for many, many years despite being a notorious plant killer. (She's also kept jade plants alive for many years, which says a lot about the plant!)

They will all deal with dry air just fine, and are tolerant of underwatering.

[Ray]

I can vouch for both Dracaena marginata and massangeana in S/H as being extremely easy to care for. Smaller pot = smaller plant.

I am currently experimenting with a holly fern in a 2.5” pot of rockwool and perlite. Spore germinated in an orchid pot, so I plucked it out and repotted it. In that pot, the fronds tend to stay under 4”-5”, compared to over 2’ for those in the ground.