Urban gardening in Singapore: Where to buy, how to care, and other hacks to keep your houseplants alive

The cultivation of houseplants is definitely having its moment in Singapore. Tending these potted beauties used to be the domain of boomer retirees who wanted to make the most out of their HDB corridors. However, over the last few years, a houseplant renaissance has sprouted globally. What's striking is that their keepers are decidedly younger, perhaps in need of respite from their fast-paced city lifestyle and the growing urbanisation around them. It's also no doubt that they have been spurred on by the popularity of Instagram accounts and hashtags such as @houseplantclub, @boyswithplants, #monsteramonday, #jungalow, and #crazyplantlady, all of which serving up nature's divine range of flora and fauna in hip homes to fawn over. As a fellow member of the houseplant club — admittedly one that can't remember their scientific names or classifications (seriously who comes up with these names?!) — I roped in the green thumbs of a few of Singapore's plant experts to share more on where to shop, what to choose, and how best to keep houseplants alive in our tropical climate.

Charles Loh

He is a creative designer and founder of Mossingarden, a verdant venture that began with an idea to explore and re-purpose products using botanicals as a medium.

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What is the benefit of having houseplants?
House plants not only beautify a space, they also teach us patience and bring us closer to nature in an urban environment. Plants bring people together too when they engage in conversations and exchange tips to better care for them.

Please share with us your cool plant hacks.
1. Identify the right space with an ample and sufficient light source (not somewhere with too harsh lighting — low light doesn't mean no light!)

2. Do your research. For example, an obvious thing to note is that different types of plants have different needs when it comes to their potting medium.

3. A trick that not many people would agree to when purchasing a new plant — but is the first thing I do — is to propagate them (I might even chop them up into various cuttings) to maximise the survival rate of the plant and potentially multiply them if it grows well.

4. The Internet says coffee grounds work well as fertiliser, but not all plants can take the acidity that coffee grounds produce, so refer back to point 2 (do the right research).

5. Always aerate and loose the medium at least once a month by poking into it with chopsticks for healthier roots.

What are the best plants for busy people?
Dracaena marginata, Yucca, and Ponytail Palms.

What are the best low-light plants for people living in apartments?
Monstera deliciosa, Fiddle-leaf fig as known as FLF, Philodendron types, Zamioculcas zamiifolia or ZZ Plant, and Sansevierias or Snake Plant.

What are your favourite plants in your current collection and why?
Philodendron billietiae as I love its elongated leaves with orange stems. I like odd-looking plants. It's evergreen and also one of the hardiest that I've kept over the years.

Philodendron Gloriosum, one of the first hard-to-find plants that I purchased. I like its huge leaves and white veins.

Where are the best places to shop for plants?
Locally, it would be World Farm, private nurseries in the West, nurseries on Thomson Road, monthly gardener's market by NParks, and flower festivals every two years. To begin with, make friends with your neighbours and ask for cuttings!

Sandy Soh

He is the landscaper behind Terrascapes, which provides landscape design and planting for homes and establishments as well as runs a nursery plot that grows and retails exotic plants not commonly found in local nurseries.

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What is the benefit of having houseplants?
Having house plants provides aesthetic value to one's home. Their colours are pleasing to the eyes. It is also therapeutic to grow and nurture plants. On top of that, research has shown that some species of plants help to filter and purify the air.

Please share with us your cool plant hacks.
1. There is a proper technique to watering plants, which many people are not aware of. When watering a plant, drench not only the potting mix, but also the entire plant and its leaves. Drench generously and thoroughly each time, but don't water too frequently. Many people water daily and that can lead to root rot. Allow the potting mix to dry out about 80% between waterings.

2. Choose a plant that you can provide a suitable growing environment for. Do not buy a plant just because you like it.

3. Mixing your own potting mix is better than using regular soil or potting mixes that are available in nurseries. Most imported plants come in potting media or soil that is unsuitable for growing in Singapore, especially plants that are from non-tropical countries such as Holland and China. A potting mix formula that I often use is a mix of burnt earth, cocopeat, perlite or pumice, and even rice husk whenever available. This makes the potting mix less compacted and softer for roots to grow out.

What are the best plants for busy people?
For busy people who do not want to grow plants that require frequent watering, succulents would be most suitable. Although succulents in general prefer direct sunlight, there are several species that can survive in lower light conditions such as Sansevieria, Zamioculcas zamiifolia (aka ZZ plant), haworthia, hoya, Dischidia and some species of Tillandsia (air plants).

What are the best low-light plants for people living in apartments?
For apartment dwellers, it is best to grow a shade-loving or shade-tolerant plants. Some suitable plants to grow would be Monstera deliciosa, Sansevieria, Aglaonema, Dieffenbachia, Yellow cane palm, Java palm, Synogoniums, and other aroids such as Philodendron and Pothos. For home owners who have balconies that receive at least half a day of direct sunlight, any sun-loving plants would do.

What are your personal favourite plants in your current collection and why?
I've been growing carnivorous plants such as Nepenthes and Sundews, because I'm intrigued by how they are able to trap insects and derive nutrients from them. I grow bromeliads like Neoregelia for the coloured foliage they have, Begonias for the leaf shapes, patterns, and colours; Staghorn ferns (Platycerium) for their unique look; Lycopodium or huperzia (tassleferns) for their long and trailing foliage; Aroids for their leaf colours and shapes, and last but not least, variegated plants for the white and yellow leaves.

Where are the best places to shop for plants?
Most major nurseries offer a wide range of plants. The stretch of nurseries along Joan Road is a good place to visit. Pioneer Landscape and Pioneer Garden are also good places to go to. Rabbit Island is also a great place to shop in the comfort of air-conditioning. For a good range of Tillandsia, visit Pick a Plant and for more specialised and exotic plants, visit us at Terrascapes LLP.

Cheryl Lee

She is one of four plant mamas from the creative industry who come together as The Botanist & Her Thieves , a plant project stocking thoughtfully designed products, affordable pots, planters and plants.

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What is the benefit of having houseplants?
After a long day, it's a sight of calm and an excuse to disconnect digitally.

Please share with us your cool plant hacks.
There's no hard and fast rule about plant care. You've got to customise your routine, so it works best for the plants in your environment. Here's what works for me:

1. Water deep, but less frequently. Make sure water flows out of the bottom of the pot and remember roots drink water; not stems, not leaves.

2. Never leave a pot sitting in excess water. It's not just about breeding mosquitoes, but salts dissolved in the water end up being reabsorbed.

3. Trust the finger! It's the best tool to test if your plant needs watering! Stick it deep into the soil before you water. Alternatively, use a satay stick.

4. Almost all houseplant owners have a plant graveyard. You got to kill a few to know what it takes to keep them alive.

5. Advice from a nursery is based on the nursery's environment. I learnt the most from conversations with other houseplant owners. These people don't have plants just for the 'gram. They do a ton of reading to customize their environments in order to nurture the best domestic versions of their plants.

What are the best plants for busy people?
Busy people usually forget to water, so choose drought-tolerant plants such as Sansevierias (low lit spots) and succulents (bright lit spots). Sansevieria Masoniana (Whale fin), Tradescantia Fluminensis, Rhipsalis Baccifera (Mistletoe Cactus), Euphorbia Tirucalli (Pencil Cactus), and aloe are great too.

What are the best low-light plants for people living in apartments?
Work with plants that fit in areas closest to windows such as Sansevieria Zeylanica, Calathea Musaica, Peperomia Argyreia (Watermelon), Philodendron Micans, and Marble Queen Pothos.

What are your personal favourite plants in your current collection and why?
If I have to choose, it'll be those I've nurtured from struggling to thriving.

Alocasia Amazonica also known as an African mask.
I bought this from a nursery who thought I was crazy for selecting a pot with just 2 leaves. It was sick with spider mites, but I got him growing healthy, mite-free, and actually witnessed him pushing out an inflorescence.

Anthurium Veitchii also known as the King Anthurium
My specimen from Ecuador took a year to stabilise and only in the last month did he finally put one perfect leaf.

Anthurium Regale
Though a very slow grower, each leaf is a stunner: heavily veined, heart shaped, and velvety green. When I first got him, he struggled to acclimatize.

Monstera Deliciosa
Growing one till it produces a giant leaf with beautiful fenestrations is still a sight I appreciate no matter what new plants I add to my collection.

Where are the best places to shop for plants?
Terrascapes, or shop our collection on our site. A select range of products is also available at Mother Dough Bakery.

Ryan Su

He is an art lawyer, founding director of The Ryan Foundation, Asian Art Circle Member, and committee member of the Singapore Gardening Society for over 10 years.

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What is the benefit of having houseplants?
I do not know if house plants can really purify large volumes of air as most people claim, but they certainly brighten up a room and make everything less dreary. Plants in a room or office also indicate that the person who occupies the space cares about the space and has a sense of ownership and belonging.

Please share with us your cool plant hacks.
1. Most houseplants do not need to be watered everyday.

2. There are very few true houseplants that are happy to be kept in the home for extended periods of time. Plants often succumb to disease such as spider mites due to the low humidity and stressful conditions indoors. Many need to be rotated with stints outdoors in filtered light.

3. Some plants are not worth the effort to regrow, and please do not blame yourself if they die. For example, the Phalaenopsis or moth orchids are imported from Taiwan or China where they are grown under cooler conditions and often cannot bounce back in an apartment setting and just rot off after flowering. People with gardens can tie them onto trees and hope they regrow and re-bloom, but this is a touchy process.

4. Some plants are annuals, which mean they only grow for one season and then die. Examples of annuals are chilli plants, sunflowers, and balsam plants. They will die and have to be started from seed again.

5. You can sell your houseplants for a lot of money on eBay. Certain types of plants such as variegated monsteras, go for hundreds and even thousands of dollars on eBay.

What are the best plants for busy people?
1. Lucky Bamboo (Dracaena sanderiana)
I know these are ugly, but they are virtually indestructible. They grow in water, and when they look jaded due to water not having any nutritional value, simply plant them up in soil and see them take off.

2. ZZ Plant (Zamioculcas zamifolia)
This was once a very rare plant only found in specialist collections, but somehow, they have become one of the "lucky" plants to have for Chinese New Year and are now widely propagated. There is a black variety called 'Raven' that's truly stunning. There is also a variegate form, but the variegation isn't stable, which means it will revert to a normal green plant in time.

3. Ti Plant (Cordyline fruiticosa)
This is a common wayside plant. The typical one you see is a variety called "Firebrand". These are great for people with sunny balconies. You can simply buy them as cut foliage for flower arrangements, where a bunch of 10 stalks costs around $2, and you can simply plant them up in soil and you will have 10 plants!

4. Birds' Nest Fern (Asplenium nitidus)
It's virtually un-killable and able to withstand long periods without water, despite it being a fern. If you want these to grow big, you can plant them up in a big pot and they will grow to fill the pot.

5. Peace Lily (Spathyphyllum spp.)
It's very easy to grow and can grow purely in water as well. The table-top variety with soft, lance-shaped leaves grows and flowers very easily and enjoys being overwatered. The large 'Symphony' types are suited as specimen plants in larger containers and these are trickier as they sometimes succumb to rot.

What are your personal favourite plants in your current collection and why?
I grow Heliconias, Gingers, Bromeliads, Aroids, and Plumerias that are more suited to a tropical garden or even a roof terrace. These plants feature in so many of the iconic tropical landscapes around the world and in the work of Brazilian landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx who I love.

Where are the best places to shop for plants?
IKEA sells very cheap plants. The large palms are particularly value for money.

Singapore nurseries are largely hit and miss. They do not have good selections and often import plants from places such as Cameron Highlands, which cannot really do well in our lowland heat. Amateur growers get demoralised when they die, and it isn't not their fault.

Chatuchak market in Bangkok is a plant lover's dream, but be sure to obtain a phytosanitary certificate or risk your plants being confiscated or destroyed at the airport.