The elegant Peace Lily is a household favourite.

The Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum wallisi) is a long-time household favourite and there is good reason for that. Its flower is not only elegant to the eye, the plant is also reportedly efficient at cleaning the air, ridding it free of pollutants in addition to oxygenating it! Caring for the Peace Lily is relatively fuss free: simply water once a week, keeping the soil well drained and the plant in the shade. 

3. Tillandsia

The Tillandsia ionantha has narrow silvery grey leaves that curl outwards like a blooming flower. 
Photo credit: Lily Chen

Not much time on your hands? Meet the Tillandsia, also known as the air plant! It pretty much defines ‘easy to care for’ requiring minimal care and surviving in harsh conditions. Generally, just mist the plant once a week and it should remain healthy. It can grow well under indirect sunlight or with artificial light and should be allowed to dry off in a well-ventilated place after watering to prevent bacterial or fungal infections. Blooms will vary according to the species, but beginner gardeners may choose the Tillandsia ionantha for its pretty leaves and flowers. 

Learn more about Tilly TLC here.

4. Wishbone Flower

The Wishbone Flower blooms easily and grows no taller than 50 cm. 
Photo credit: Pauline Tay

Impatient and cannot wait for your plants to bloom? The Wishbone Flower (Torenia fournieri) will not disappoint. While it is a small and compact plant that grows no taller than 50 cm, its flowers come in shades of pink, magenta, blue and purple, with a yellow bi-coloured form introduced recently. This profuse bloomer is easy to grow as a potted plant placed near a partial shady to fully shady area with moist but well-drained soil. The stamens of the trumpet shaped flowers are fused together forming a shape similar to a wishbone, thus the name wishbone flower. 

5. African Violet

Depending on its cultivar, the African Violet can come in colours like purple, red, and white. 
Photo credit: Shi Biying

The African Violet (Saintpaulia ionantha) has hybrids that come in a plethora of colours like purple, red, white, cream-pale green to yellow, depending on the cultivar. Its succulent leaves are round to oval-shaped, dark green and covered with whitish hairs. The African Violet needs porous soils with good drainage and grows well under partial shade or bright indirect sunlight with high humidity and moderate watering.


Learning More

For more gardening resources including tips for caring for your plants, click here. There are also instructive videos for easy learning.

For more information about the flora and fauna found in Singapore, Visit NParks Flora & Fauna Web here.

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Text by Jade Er

About the writer

Jade Er is a Third Year Mass Communications student from the School of Republic Polytechnic. As part of her school’s Industry Immersion Programme (Internship), she was attached to the NParks’ Communications and Community Engagement department for five months. During this time, she contributed ideas towards social media posts, produced videos and wrote articles for My Green Space. 

Please email wong_yeang_cherng@nparks.gov.sg for more information on our internship programme.