I know nothing of gardening, or having plants for that matter. I recently invested in three cacti from Ikea and I think they will survive because of the following:
1). You are supposed to water them only when they are really, really dry and therefore, don't require monitoring.
2). They need minimal sunlight, which in a garden apartment is the only kind of plant we can manage.
Now, if I knew how to plant things, I would have a garden full of lilacs, blush Gerbera daisies, and succulents, which would certainly match my outfit, but not my skill set.