The best part of growing indoor plants is that many varieties are easy to grow and forgiving about missing a watering.

English Ivy

Besides making your living space more appealing, English ivy plants also remove mold and toxins from the air, according to a NASA study, which can help support respiratory system health. The plant's leaves come in the familiar dark green, with blue, gold, gray and silver options available. An easy-to-care-for addition to bathrooms and high-humidity environments, it's best to keep its pot moist but not soggy.

Peace Lily

One of the most beloved houseplants of all time, peace lilies are easy to please. They thrive in low-light areas and only need to be watered about once a week. In addition to large, elegant leaves, they boast white flower-like leaves or bracts when healthy. To enjoy the flower without the pollen, simply snip off the center part. Once the white outer part fades, you can clip it too.

Snake Plant

Snake plants' hardiness makes them perfect for seniors who feel they possess a brown thumb. They only need watering once every few weeks to a month, depending on the relative humidity. While their leaves scorch in direct sunlight, bright indirect light leads to a fuller plant with more colorful variation.

Spider Plant

Although the snake plant and spider plant boast names that may not seem friendly to some seniors, they're great roommates for assisted living apartment dwellers. They don't mind a touch of neglect and can survive if you forget to water them regularly.

The spider plants' name actually comes from the babies that form when it's healthy. These small additions trail downward attractively. They easily root in water and can be transplanted into pots to give to your neighbors here at Bethesda Gardens Thornton.

Paddle Plant

Kalanchoe thyrsiflora, also known as the desert cabbage or flapjacks, is toxic to pets despite its edible-sounding nicknames. While pet owners should take care to keep them away from their animal companions, the succulents are perfect for apartment dwellers with south- or west-facing windows. Drought-tolerant, it thrives in sunlight that would wilt or burn other plants, and it gains a lovely reddish hue to its leaf tips when exposed to enough light.

ZZ Plants

Zamioculcas zamiifolia or Zanzibar Gems require so little care they can be forgotten and still survive. Nicknamed the eternity plant, they can handle low light and humidity conditions and only need watering every few weeks. Like many houseplants, they're toxic when ingested and have irritating sap that may bother sensitive individuals. Despite this, their ease of care and beautiful structure make them ideal for beginners.

Crown of Thorns

Seniors of faith may enjoy the symbolism of keeping a crown of thorns in their assisted living apartment. Care has to be taken when handling the toxic, thorny plant, but the visually striking succulent grows well in front of a sunny window.

When given fertilizer, direct sunlight and moderate watering, it can bloom year-round. These blossoms are simple green flowers surrounded by colorful bracts or leaves. The petal-like leaves come in red, orange, pink, yellow and white varieties, perfect for brightening up your living space during the long winter months here in Thornton, CO.

Haworthia

Nicknamed the zebra cactus for its striped foliage, Haworthia makes a striking decoration in your sunny apartment window. Like other succulents, it dislikes being overwatered and loves warm temperatures, so it handles apartment life well.

If you're aiming for something small and manageable, Haworthias usually only grow 5 inches high. The original plant adds small clusters around itself over time, but its slow growth means it only needs to be repotted once every 3 to 5 years.

Chinese Evergreen

You may think of a tree when you first hear about the Chinese evergreen; however, it's a stunning houseplant with colorful leaves in mixtures of green, white, pink, red and silver. The upright plants can grow in 1 to 3 foot clumps, although they're slow-growing. Tropical in origin, they like warmth and humidity but aren't especially fussy.

Jade Plant

Jade plants grow in a pretty tree-like shape, accented by rounded leaves and thick woody stems. Under adequate light, the leaf tips gain a tinge of color. Besides their attractive leaves, the succulent can be encouraged to produce small clusters of star-shaped flowers after being kept in a cool, dark place. The flowers can be dense enough to cover the plant, and they have a slight sweet scent to add to your enjoyment.

Hoya

Hoyas or wax plants feature evergreen waxy leaves on long woody stems. Considered low-maintenance, hoyas can be trained as a vine but are just as pretty trailing from a hanging pot. As a tropical plant, they enjoy humidity and plenty of warmth, so they fit well in bathrooms if you can supply enough light.

Slow growers, they can take 2 to 7 years to bloom, but once mature, they produce flowers several months a year. The trick to repeated flowering is to never deadhead the blossoms. The flowers grow in pretty clusters, and certain varieties have cute heart-shaped leaves.