Not only does bringing plants into your home make it look beautiful by bringing in some life but some plants actually purify the air. All sounds great, right? But if you have a history of not being able to keep plants alive it might sound extremely intimidating. It doesn't have to be!

We are going to skip the botanical names and all the history behind the plants and keep it simple. Here are our top 5 hard to kill indoor plants:

Devils Ivy

Devils ivy is a trailing plant so it will climb the way you direct it. Whether you have it in hanging baskets or even just on a shelf it drapes perfectly no matter where you put it. It can even climb around a mirror or a picture frame as it grows so it's perfect for a mantlepiece or a shelf. They do well in pretty much any spot in your house but of course, it will do better in bright light.

Devils Ivy requires watering about once a week but leave the surface of the soil to dry out completely before watering again. These plants are extremely forgiving if you forget to water them.

Pet safe? Devil's Ivy is toxic to dogs and cats.

Snake Plant or Mother in Law’s Tongue

Snake plants are extremely hardy and most people tend to say the more you ignore them the better they do so the number one rule is to not overwater this plant. If anything under water them. One of the only things that kill these plants is root rot which is what happens when they are over watered so make sure you have well-draining soil. You don’t need to water this plant until it’s almost completely dried out which can be anywhere from every 2-6 weeks. A perfect plant if you love to go on holidays.

Often Snake Plants are kept in the bedroom because at night they filter out formaldehyde and nitrogen oxide from the air.

Pet safe? Snake plants are toxic to dogs and cats.

Rubber Tree Plant

Rubber trees in comparison to Snake plants and Devils Ivy require a little more thought as to where you are going to place them. Rubber trees require bright light however that does not mean direct sunlight. For example, you could place a rubber tree near a window but make sure the sun does not fall onto the plant at any time of the day (don’t forget the sun moves!). The best way to prevent this is a sheer curtain.

Just the same as the previous plants mentioned well-draining soil is highly recommended as they don’t like to sit in wet soil. Watering Rubber trees requires a little bit of thought but it’s still simple. In the summer keep the plant moist. The rest of the year they only require watering once or twice a month when the soil is almost completely dried out. If you have a lot of heating or cooling systems running you might want to mist the plant every now and then so the dry air doesn’t hurt it.

Another good tip is to gently wipe the dust from the leaves every so often.

Pet safe? Generally speaking, Rubber Tree Plants are toxic to dogs and cats, Japanese Rubber Plant, Silver Dollar Plant, Ficus Elastica or Indian Rubber Tree are all toxic, but you are best to check the specific species to know which ones are actually toxic.

Spider Plant

Spider plants can survive a range of conditions and they don’t have too many problems other than the tips going brown. Like Rubber trees, these plants like bright indirect light however they do enjoy cooler temperatures (13-18 degrees C).

When it comes to watering, once again do not overwater Spider plants. They do not like soggy soil so let the soil almost completely dry out before you water them again. In the summer you can water Spider plants a little bit more often to encourage growth.

Pet Safe? Spider Plants are non toxic to cats and dogs and you'll probably find your pets playing with the dangly leaves.

Peace Lily

If you’d prefer a flowering plant. The peace lily is perfect. It produces beautiful white flowers, it’s hardy and can live anywhere indoors. They also clear pollutants from the air by absorbing them through their leaves.

This might sound repetitive but do not overwater this plant. Check when your peace lily needs watering by pressing your finger into the soil. If the soil is moist then it doesn’t need watering and if its dry for the first couple of centimetres then its time to give it some water.

A peace lily is another plant that can benefit from misting every couple of days to increase the humidity levels if you are using heaters or air conditioners. Peace lilies enjoy humidity so they do great in bathrooms.

Pet safe? Peace Lily's are notoriously toxic for your cats and dogs, so keep these away from pets if they tend to have a green tooth.

Extra tips:

• Try buying plants when they are younger so it can grow into your home and adapt better to living indoors.
• If you have pets or small kids make sure you always conduct your own research to make sure your plants won’t hurt your pets or kids if they eat them.