ReZoom

If you think growing real houseplants should be hardly more bother than buying fake ones, you've come to the right place. Many ReZoomers look back fondly on the days of flower power, when dorm rooms were replete with houseplants ... or to the '70s, when every home had a spider plant in a macramé hangar. And as it turns out, the flower really does have power: Keeping plants indoors can provide a mood pick-me-up, and many varieties also help eliminate toxins from your home. Most of us are too busy to tend elaborate indoor gardens, though. The solution? Buy a plant that's nearly impossible to kill – our Top 7 are featured here.

One tip: Buy from a nursery if you can, instead of from a discount store, where plants may have been languishing on the shelf for weeks without care. (That's all well and good once you bring them home, of course.)

1. English ivy (Hedera helix): Glossy leaves that climb or hang gracefully

• This vine is thought to absorb chemical vapors from rugs, drapes and upholstery
• For best results, mist the plant often and let it dry between waterings

2. Snake plant (Sansevieria trifasciata): Marbled green leaves that are tall and thick, with white blossoms that rise from the middle of the plant

• Considered to be a good all-around slayer of environmental pollutants
• So easy to grow it might be illegal (but will only bloom if well cared for -- water it every two weeks, letting it dry completely between)

3. Chinese evergreen (Aglaonema commutatum): Long leaves that usually are marbled or streaked

• Keep the soil moist but not soggy – it's best if you don't let it dry out completely
• The sap and berries are poisonous to pets

4. Rubber plant (Focis elastica): Dark, thick, shiny leaves that darken to burgundy with light

• Drawbacks are that the leaves may turn yellow if you're over-watering. Or they sometimes just turn yellow and fall off anyway toward the bottom of the plant
• Try to keep this one out of the direct light

5. Philodendron (Philodendron scandens oxycardium): Glossy, dark, heart-shaped leaves that begin like a pencil and slowly unfurl

• One of this universe's hardiest plants, stems can grow up to 30 feet long … you may want to cut that back now and then
• Ideally, water it once each week and give moderate-to-bright, indirect light

6. Gold ball cactus (Echinocactus grusonii): A round ball that can grow to a spectacular size

• Yellow spines and thin hairs cover this familiar cactus
• Water regularly in summer but not as often in winter -- will eventually rot without direct light

7. Peace lily (Spathiphyllum wallisii): Narrow white stalk with small flowers that smell great at night for a couple weeks after it blooms; even the foliage looks good, so it's not too disappointing if it doesn't bloom

• Thought to absorb acetone, a chemical found in beauty products such as nail polish remover
• Needs as much bright, indirect light as possible and should be watered just as the flowers start to wilt.

Want a few more ideas? Jade plants are popular, pretty and easy. Aloe vera is no trouble to grow and as an added bonus, you can break off the leaves for that famously soothing gel inside to treat minor cuts or burns. For something Victorian-seeming, go for the cast-iron plant, which pretty much grows anywhere. Or for something more distinctly modern, buy some lucky bamboo – the stalks only require water, so you can place them in a glass with stones for some Zen appeal.

Ready for more? Check out more stories in our Life at Home section.