10 easy plants to grow indoors this Sustainability Week

To mark Sustainability Week, brighten up your living space by growing your own little indoor garden, starting with those 10 easy plants for beginners.

With remote working being a popular choice nowadays and as we mark Sustainability Week, it is time to make your living space a little bit cosier, whether for your own peace of mind or to jazz up the backdrop for your Zoom meetings.

House plants are a great and easy way to lighten up any living space, an office, or even bathrooms. While it may come as a surprise to many, there are quite a few houseplants available that are easy to grow – even for people who have never owned a plant before.

So for those interested in being a new plant mum or dad, here is a list of 10 easy plants to grow, and quite frankly, hard to kill.

1- Pathos (Epipremnum)

Pothos plants are one of the easiest houseplants to grow and care for. They’re trailing plants that continue to grow, and can even surpass 10 ft or more. Luckily for people who don’t have huge windows, the plant is very tolerant of all types of light conditions, even artificial light.

You can either let them trail down when they grow or secure them with a wooden stick for support.

Extra pro: Prune the plant and place each cut in a vase full of water to create even more plants.

You can find pathos at most nurseries in Qatar, including Ikea, @gt.nursery on Instagram, and Floranza Nursery.

2- Snake plant (Sansevieria)

Snake plants are the perfect fit if you often forget to water your plants, or if the space you want to decorate doesn’t have much sunlight. The plants are long-lived, easy-care houseplants, and technically very hard to kill. Snake plants are very tolerant of low light, and all you need is to water it sparingly or it will rot. The leaves are typically sharp, stiff and full of spikes.

The plant also earned the name of “Mother-in-law’s tongue” because of its long, sharp, pointed leaves. With the right vase, snake plants can be the perfect fit for a new plant enthusiast.

Luckily, the snake plant is very famous in Qatar and can be found in almost all plant nurseries.

3- Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum)

Peace Lily is definitely a favourite to many – and for good reason. Aside from its perfect size and pretty white flowers, the Peace Lilyplant thrives in warm and humid conditions. It does not die easily from overwatering, and you can pretty much detect when it wants water since it sleeps dramatically when left dry. With enough light, they’ll also produce their beautiful spade-shaped flowers throughout the year.

You can find Peace Lily in Green Tree Nursery, Floranza Nursery, Ikea and Orbee Plants and Flowers.

4- Dumb Cane (Dieffenbachia)

The big and beautiful mixed leaves of Dumb Cane makes it very popular among plant lovers, and contrary to popular belief, it is not a particularly difficult plant to grow.

Perfect for rooms that are not cold most of the time, the plant likes the temperature on the warm side. It’s better not to leave it placed near windows and drafts.

They are available in Green Tree Nursery, Floranza Nursery, and Ikea.

5- Chinese evergreen (Aglaonema)

Aglaonema is a great choice if you are keen to overwater your plants. It grows very fast, looks very cosy, and comes in a spectrum of colours, including green, pink, white, and red. The plant can also withstand excess H2O, and is very easy to take care of.

For optimal growth, allow the soil to remain dry for a few days before re-watering.

6- Aloe (Aloe Vera)

Now, if you’re a skin or hair care lover, you are probably already familiar with Aloe Vera. The sticky gel from Aloe Vera plants is used as a skin moisturiser and to heal minor cuts and ease sunburn.

Aside from its health benefits, the plant is also very eye-catchy to have around. Indoor Aloe prefers indirect light, so it can be placed as a nice decor on a table or a desk.

It needs watering every week or two for optimal growth.

7- Chinese Money Plant (Pilea peperomioides)

Chinese Money is absolutely stunning. The plant is very easy to take care of and grows best in a shady spot. It also only requires watering once a week!

The leaves are circular, and with the right practice, can grow very beautifully.

Bonus: the plant can be replanted by cutting the offshoots that sprout from the base of the stem and putting them in water.

They are available in Green Tree Nursery and can be ordered online from their website.

8-Shamrock Plant

Shamrock plants are small, colourful plants that fit perfectly on a desk or a bookcase, preferably near a window.

The plant likes lots of sunlight, but only requires watering once every other week. If you take good care of it, the plant will open beautiful white flowers.

Shamrock plant is available in Florenza Nursery.

9- English Ivy

English Ivy is perfect for high surface decoration, as it has long tendrils that can hang from a mantel or shelf. One look at it and you can see how it can make a lovely, and super resilient, trailing houseplant.

It’s great for shady spots for best care, but can also take sunny spots without dying. For optimal growing, place in medium light with average to high humidity.

You can get your hands on one in Green Tree Nursery, Floranza Nursery, and Ikea.

10- Cactus

Now, if you want a plant that will thrive on neglect, cactus is probably your best bet.

The plant comes in a variety of colors and shapes and can make a beautiful decoration for pretty much anything. Some cacti have extremely vibrant blooms, a bonus for plants that already thrill with otherworldly shapes and spiny textures.

The easy to take care of and slow-growing plants can look extremely elegant with the right pot.

You can find cacti at almost all nurseries in Qatar, including Ikea, @gt.nursery on Instagram, Orbee Plants and Flowers, and Floranza Nursery.

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