Five Flowering Indoor Plants

Are you feeling inspired to decorate your house now that we are staying at home during this period? Brighten up any home or office with these five flowering plants that can grow well indoors. These leafy friends are also easy to care for and will add colour to your life. 

1. Guzmania species and cultivars

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With its beautiful colours, the Guzmania 'Denise' and Guzmania 'Rana' are favourite flowers for indoor decorating (Photo credit: Vicky Lim Yan Ngoh)

The Guzmania species and its cultivars is commonly used to beautify landscapes and homes thanks to its ornamental foliage. Its leaves are green and smooth, and soft to touch, arranged in a rosette form. The flower stalk emerges from the centre of the rosette with flower bracts in shades of red to orange, adding the perfect accent to homes. A tropical plant that is low maintenance, this species is ideal for Singapore weather. All you need to do is water once a week or when the top layer of soil gets dry. Place your plant in an area with bright but indirect sunlight and keep the soil well drained.

2. Peace Lily

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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
 
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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
 
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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
 
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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.
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