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I’ve had my fair share of living in apartments over the last 12 years, and I’ve kept plants as a renter in every single one of them. In my case, that fair share amounted to 5 apartments, each with its own quirks and none of them basking in the southern sun that would have made it ideal for plant-keeping.
From a small room that could only fit a bed, a dresser and a desk (with an improvised bookshelf under the bed), to an attic apartment in which there was only one straight wall in the entire house (and that was in the shower), to an apartment with floor-to-ceiling windows that I couldn’t open because the pulley mechanism had rotted decades earlier. (Yes, staying on top of the mold and ventilation in this flat was a part-time job I didn’t know I had signed up for.)
In my first apartment after college, I only had room for three very neglected peace lilies which survived despite my overworked self often forgetting about their existence (or maybe just to spite me).
In the Pittsburgh apartment that was perpetually in the shade because it overlooked a hill, I managed to grow about 30 different types of houseplants and keep my trusty dracaena alive.
Then there was the attic apartment where I crammed as many pots as possible right below the skylight, and there may have been a pothos vine draped around the showerhead pole.
Here are a few conscious choices I make about houseplants as a renter:
1. As a renter, I bought future-proof plants.
Future-proof plants? Is that some sort of calathea with spikes that would survive the apocalypse? Or maybe a succulent so hardy only tumbleweeds would outlast it?
That’s not what I mean (although if you do find such a plant, do snatch it to glitz up your bunker).
I mean plants that would be suitable for whatever changes were coming down the line for us, as renters. As the inveterate millennials that we are, we’ve moved for our relationship, for jobs, lack of a job, school, to downsize and to upsize. All of our moves, whether cross-state, cross-country or transcontinental, were DIY-ed. There was no company relocation package and no nice cushy apartment waiting at the other end.
This meant that, no matter how much I would have liked to bring home a lush monstera or a fiddle-leaf fig, I knew there wasn’t enough room in my apartment to accommodate their bulk.
We also stuck to plants that were compact and slow-growing, such as:
Different types of sansevieria (with the reliable old gal Sansevieria laurentii as my pride and joy)
Spider plants (Chlorophytum comosum) – it’s always plural with these guys; they’re very good self-propagators
Satin pothos (Scindapsus pictus)
Different types of echeveria
I made the choice to buy smaller plants so they would be easier to carry when we would invariably move from one rental to another.
2. As a renter, I stayed away from prima donna plants.
I learned very quickly that plants with a personality were not the best choice of plants for renters. If a plant needed special conditions to grow (I’m looking at you, coffee plant!) or extra equipment such as grow lights or an intricate setup, I’d have to wait until we got more settled before I brought it into my collection.
I had an asparagus fern that constantly needed more humidity, a columnea that would only grow if watered with the tears of a virgin calico cat, and a string of dolphins in which the dolphins went on strike and dove head first onto the carpet one by one.
Let’s just say that, as a renter, non-fussy hardy plants are your best (and only) bet. My top five no-fuss plants that I would recommend to any renter and any beginner plant-keeper are:
Zamioculcas zamiifolia – and its more glamorous version, the black ZZ plant
Jade plant – as long as you’re not overwatering it
Sedum tornado (sometimes you’ll find it under the name Sedum Makinoi)
Snake plant (Sansevieria)
Pothos plants (Epipremnum aureum)
3. As a renter, I used plants as decoration.
You know how life as a renter is all about what you’re not allowed to do if you want even a whiff of your deposit back. You can’t put nails in the wall, you can’t paint the walls, you sometimes have to stick to the window treatments that come with the apartment (as if there’s anything sophisticated about yellow aged plastic blinds.)
So I turned to plants as a means of decorating my apartments.
Plants that add color to your apartment
I covered a few of my favorite plants in this post on colorful houseplants, but here are a few plants I used to add interesting decor pieces to our apartment:
Crotons (my favorite is Croton Petra, but I’m still on the lookout for a Picasso’s paintbrush)
Coleus (so many color combinations to choose from; I dream of one day having a coleus collection)
Tradescantia zebrina
Polka dot plant (Hypoestes phyllostachya)
Purple passion plant (Gynura aurantiaca). I grew one from a cutting and lugged it with me through three apartments, then gave it to a friend when we moved. As far as I know, it’s still alive.
Nerve plant (Fittonia albivenis). I have the pink variety with neon green stripes, and bought a burgundy one for my friend’s birthday.
Purple oxalis
Plants that add a beautiful scent to your apartment
Gardenia
Eucalyptus
Long-lasting herbs such as thyme, rosemary, lavender, mint. I grew these on my windowsills and in pots when I was lucky enough to have a balcony.
Geraniums. In the attic apartment, I grew these in an unused part of the gutters. Yes, our windows were above the gutter line of the building, we were that cramped.
Plants that add a variegated focal point to your apartment
Arrowhead plant (Syngonium podophyllum) – this one is an easy propagator; its nodes will show you exactly where to cut it to get some more.
Zebra plant (Aphelandra squarrosa)
Variegated pothos (the gorgeous Marble Queen)
Prayer plant (Maranta)
Ficus benjamina
Watermelon peperomia (Peperomia argyreia)
Houseplants that bloom
Do be warned that plants aren’t supposed to be in bloom all the time (this being almost the plant equivalent of being pregnant all the time, it’s just not natural).
Kalanchoe
Anthurium
African violet
Orchids – I’ve had mixed success with orchids, and while I’ve managed to revive one that had been living on top of the fridge in the lunchroom at work for months without any light and water, I did lose one where I thought I was doing everything right).
Snake plant (Sansevieria) – my oldest one bloomed on three consecutive years in June.
4. As a renter, I adapted my environment to keep my plants happy.
Of course, this customization of my apartments had to happen within the bounds of my rental agreements.
This meant placing mirrors strategically behind some of the plants in shady corners to bounce off the light and provide better light conditions in the dark winter months.
I used wood trellises leaning against the wall for my English ivy, a plant with the tendency to glue itself to vertical surfaces by putting out strong roots that were staining the wall.
I bought a few versions of the Kallax workhorse bookshelf from Ikea and used it to create a green wall with hanging plants such as tradescantia zebrina, string of pearls and heartleaf philodendron.
I used racks and rods to create green room dividers by draping the plants over the clothes rack (kind of like this one) and separating my desk area from our lounge area. A special award goes to the good ol’ sturdy pothos, a plant that I’ve used as a window covering by just draping it over the top of the curtain rod and trimming it strategically to branch it out.
5. As a renter, I thought outside the box.
Or rather outside the flower pot. I got my houseplant fix not just via potted plants. A few other items in my green collection included a tabletop air plant terrarium, a jar of mesmerizing marimo balls and a compact succulent garden that I had put together from discount succulents I bought on Etsy.
I truly believe in the importance of making a space your own and the benefit of having a home that you’re excited and eager to come back to at the end of the day. And as a renter, houseplants helped me create the sense of home, familiarity and belonging that I was craving when everything else in my life was in flux.
Disclaimer: Please do your due diligence before buying a houseplant or any other supplies. Some houseplants may be toxic if ingested (especially for pets and children). You can check on the ASPCA website for a list of plants that are poisonous if ingested.
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All images by Mickey Gast for Green with Purpose.
