I'm looking for indoor plant for my apartment to freshen the place up a bit. Any Ideas?

Question

-Its a 1 bedroom apartment
-I do have a cat

Answer 1

YUCCA Plant....very durable nice dark green foliage long trunk.I also have a cat so cover the dirt with River Rocks just in case the kitty feels like digging.
MP

Answer 2

Both a Rubber Tree plant, and a Lucky Bamboo are two great looking plants that are neither feminine or masculine looking though they both look great and add life to the place. As a bonus they're low in maintenance and don't require too much sunlight, However I do know that when you find a spot for the Rubber Tree anyway leave it. I made the mistake when it was still small to chase the sun with it to try and speed the growth. In a sense it shocked it, it started with lush green leaves and soon after frequently moving it yellowish leaves started showing up hear and there. After a little research I found out that me moving it around was most likely the contributing factor. So if you decide to go with one of those pick a spot you like & leave it.

Answer 3

If you have a southern exposure - that would be best - however there are many indoor plants that like low light just fine..
I like plants that don't mind being neglected a little :)
the best one of these is called "Mother in Law's tongue" or snake plant - I have never heard of anyone killing this plant - it likes all kinds of light and will tolerate drought - too much water may hurt it but remember it is called a mother in law tongue because it cannot be killed!Look at a picture at:
http://www.deserttropicals.com/Plants/Agavaceae/Sansevieria_trifasciata.html
or
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sansevieria_trifasciata

The next best is the group of hanging plants called wandering jews because they come in different colors for you to collect - green - green w/ white, purple etc... very nice growers
look at them and learn about care at:
http://www.ubcbotanicalgarden.org/forums/showthread.php?t=2263
and
http://www.deserttropicals.com/Plants/Commelinaceae/Zebrina_pendula.html
others to try are:
aloe vera (shady) Queen's tears (type of Bromiliad -which are great for indoor plants)
and I love my pothos vines that will trail all the way around the room with good light and water - you know? It is not to be eaten , but I have 8 cats and they don't eat my indoor plants at all, ever...Just keep the non-edible plants above ground and the cat will most likely just leave them alone.
Lastly I love the spitleaf Phylodendrons because they like water regularly but will tolerate droughts :) I also have an 8 year old ficus tree that is 4 ft tall ( I've trimmed it several times) that needs minimal light and water to thrive and some palms
Good Luck - As for the cat - keep the plants off the ground - use some rings you can scree into studs and put a plant into or find a table at a thrift store that you won't care to damage with water and perhaps put some river rock over the dirt to dissaude them digging.

Answer 4

Get a cactus. If you get alot of sun in your apartment, they're perfect. And you're cat probably won't go near it, haha. I have one that I've had maybe 4 years now. Still look great, and I even had it in a basment apartment for a few months where it got really no sun. And they freshen the air just like any other plant. Oh, and if you take good enough care of it, you might get a flower on it. I've only had mine flower once, but it was so beautiful. Definately get a cactus

Answer 5

in areas where it is cold in winter the heat in an apartment is usually high so plants like cactus, succulants and palms do well
the same goes for places where it is warm most of the year
a small orange tree
adds color and a nice aroma to the room and will flower in colder weather if it is in a sunny place i keep mine in my kitchen window
Crown of thorn plants which have either small red or white flowers also do well indoors and do not require a lot of care
if you have the room a ficus or yucca tree in a corner they add color and bring the outdoors inside and also are hardy they also come in smaller sizes that can sit on a table
miniature rose bushes available in lots of colors brighten up a room
spider plants
gardenia( nice fragrance when blooming)
of course there are many more and the ones mentioned last for years without a lot of upkeep
just water when soil is dry
i gave my daughter some of these plants and she has a studio apartment
it adds so much to the room and she has had some of them for 10 years already
i would also add some pebbles or gravel to the pots to cover the dirt in case your cat starts to dig or use the plant as a litter box

Answer 6

A Piece Lilly is a great plant it does not require a lot of sun light and has a Lilly that blooms on it all the time. Just remember to keep it in a big enough clay pot or a bucket is what I grew mine in and it seem to do better for then it got iron in it. Just make sure it can drain and have a lot of root space, I had one that grew for over 7 years and had to give it to a friend and it is still growing and now it is 10 years old... Keep the brown leaves cut off ot it only when they die from the limbs.. Hit I used small rocks in the bottom of my metal bucket for drainage. This I also do even in my outside plants and my roses take off like a weed...
Ann

Answer 7

I was going to suggest a corn plant cause it's so easy and it makes a pretty tree that doesn't shed, but then I remembered that a cat I was watching once pee'd in mine and killed it.

I like plants without a lot of little leaves, because I hate vacuuming up a mess of leaves. Something like a "snake tongue" is easy to grow, and can be put in a container your cat won't be able to dig. Sorry I don't know the scientific name for it, but it will live in sun or shade. Most nurseries should know what a snake tongue is I think.

Answer 8

I have a number of plants in my apartment, where I live with my cat. He chews on my jade when he's mad at me, and it has never affected him. I also have an African violet, and a large tree-like one that I unfortunately don't know the name of off the top of my head. My cat will get into anything he can, so I have most of my plants out of his reach. You might want to get a pole plant stand (basically a spring loaded rod that goes from floor to ceiling, with hooks on it for the plants). You could hang your plants out of kitty's reach that way.

I also would caution you against getting the cat any grass of his own, unless he is already an extremely well-behaved cat. If the cat knows he can eat that one plant, he will likely try to eat the rest (at least that's my cat's reasoning!).

Good luck!

Answer 9

Spider plants eradicate organic chemicals in the air and freshen the place up. They are also really easy and fast growers that
cannot be easily over-watered. I have one in my bed-room and the air smells sweet. I grew it from a tiny plant and now it is about 2 feet hight and wide with 100 baby spider plants on it and it has had tiny white star like flowers on it from the start of summer, Each bloom opens in the morning and closes at night
and an individual bloom lasts for a day but the overall flowering period can be 2 months. They are good grown in water retentive hanging basket compost but when you buy them there are a whole cluster in one pot. If you leave them like that they don't grow very big so separate them all and put them in good soil and you will soon have loads of plants to sell.

It should take six months for them to reach their full size with good soil, enough water and feed

I also like orange plants but they are only suitable for greenhouses or conservatories.

I know another nice plant
the maiden's hair fern
It is a vine that grows fairly big and has nice tiny soft light green hair like foliage that glows beautifully in the sunlight on a windowsill,

Large Christmas cactus- I recommend this because of the blooms that cover it all over in winter and it has thick fleshy foliage
If you want a big plant then a rubber plant is good. if its re-potted it grows up to the ceiling and might even break through into the next floor lol

if you want a rubber plant the air in your apartment needs to be quite warm for it to grow big and the bigger the plant the fresher the air will be.
Don't get geraniums for indoors they always rot on me
and they don't grow well indoors unless in a conservatory. Even in a window sill they still grow badly and look like a right mess with mold from the moist air and bits of leaves and flowers falling all over the place, They are not worth the bother
and to top it off if you water them in winter they die because they rot easier than any cactus !!!!!!!!!!

Answer 10

Here is a list of cat safe plants. Alyssum, Bachelor's Buttons, Bamboo, Brazillian orchids, Bride's bonnet, Cape jasmine, easter daisy, german violet, marigolds, jacob's ladder, moss rose, hyacinth. The first link has a list of both good and off limit plants for your kitty. The second link is poisonous plants to avoid. The final link has good kitty-safe plants and plants to avoid.

Kitty Save plants: Achillea, Chervil, Hyssop, Orchid, Shasta Daisy, African Violet, Chives, Impatiients, Oregano, Snapdragon, Alyssum, Columbine, Japanese Matatabi (Silvervine), Pansy, Spearmint, Aster, Coneflowers (echinaced), Lavender, Parsley, Spider plant, Basil, Coriander, Lemon Balm, Pea (garden, not sweetpea), Spinach, Bean Sprouts, Cosmos, Lemon Verbena, Peppermint, Strawflower (Everlasting helichrysum), Begonia, Cress, Lettuce , Petunia, Sunfolwer, Buddleia (Butterfly Bush), Dahila, Lovage, Phlox, Tarragon, Calendula, Dianthus (Pinks), Marum (Cat Thyme), Portulaca, Thyme, Catmint (Nepeta Faassenii), Miniature Rose, Dill, Rose, Verbascum, Catnip (Nepeta cataria), Dorotheanthus (Ice Plant), Mint, Rosemary, Violet, Celosia, Forget-me-not, Monarda (Bee Balm), Torenia, Wheat (sprouts), Cleome, Heliotrope (Valeriana officinalis), Nasturtium, Sage, Zinnia, Chamomile, Hollyhock, Scabiosa

Of all of these kitty safe plants the easiest plant for a small place would be the spide plant. You can start one in a dixie cup of an adult. They grow with minimal care and minimal sunshine.

Answer 11

I have two spider plants that I really enjoy. You do need to be careful with the plants that you choose. I had to throw out 3 plants when I got my cat cause I looks them up, and they are poisionous to him. Definitely don't get a poinsetta. They are very posionous. Here is the website that I went to, to check on my plants. Happy Plant Hunting!

http://www.cfainc.org/articles/plants.html