Lists of easy plants abound online. The trouble is that almost all of them are written for heated European apartments, with soft water and wooden floors.
In Rabat, three factors change everything: hard tap water, a mild but damp winter in homes that are rarely heated, and tiled interiors that stay cool. Here are eight plants that hold up in those conditions.
The four unkillables
Zamioculcas
Fleshy rhizomes that store water, glossy foliage and a remarkable indifference to dim light. It shrugs off a month of neglect, making it the ideal plant for anyone who travels or works a lot.
It also tolerates hard water better than most. If you only choose one, make it this one.
Sansevieria
Upright, graphic, almost impossible to kill except by drowning it. In winter in Rabat, one watering a month is more than enough — sometimes less.
Its only enemy is too much water in a cool home. A pot with drainage holes and a free-draining mix solve the problem.
Pothos
It grows fast, trails beautifully from a shelf and can be propagated in three minutes in a glass of water. Above all, it warns you: its leaves visibly droop when it’s thirsty and perk up within a few hours of watering.
It’s the plant that teaches you how to read a plant.
Aspidistra
It was known as the cast-iron plant. It survived the candlelit drawing rooms of the 19th century and tolerates conditions nothing else will: a dark corridor, draughts, prolonged neglect.
It grows slowly, which is precisely its strength.
The four that add volume
Ficus elastica
The rubber plant. Large, thick, glossy leaves, an upright habit and steady growth. It gives a room structure within a few months.
It loves bright light without direct sun — the typical aspect of a Moroccan living room with large windows and curtains.
Monstera deliciosa
The most photographed of all, and for good reason. It grows quickly, its leaves split with age, and it forgives a lot.
An honest caveat: it takes up space. Allow a square metre of floor space eventually, and a support pole from the second year.
Chamaedorea
A small indoor palm that accepts moderate light. It adds height and a supple silhouette where a low plant would go unnoticed.
It appreciates a slightly humid atmosphere — which winter in Rabat naturally provides.
Chlorophytum
The spider plant. It sends out hanging runners that form new plantlets, which you can detach and replant. It’s the plant you share.
Very tolerant, but sensitive to limescale: the tips turn brown if the water is too hard. Flushing the potting mix twice a year solves the problem.
Three habits that change everything here
Water less in winter. From November to February, in an unheated apartment, a plant uses two to three times less water than in September. The number one cause of death in winter isn’t cold — it’s root rot.
Flush the potting mix in spring and autumn. Run lukewarm water through the pot for a minute, letting it all drain out. You’ll wash away the built-up limescale.
Raise your pots. On a tiled floor, a pot placed directly on the tiles stays cold and damp. A few centimetres — a pot foot, a small plant stand — noticeably improve drainage and root temperature.
The ones we don’t recommend to start with
- Calathea and Maranta — superb, but very sensitive to hard water and demanding when it comes to air humidity
- Ferns — the same problem, plus an intolerance of drying out
- Ficus lyrata — magnificent and temperamental: it drops its leaves at the slightest change of position
- Orchids received as gifts — they aren’t difficult, but growing them has nothing in common with growing a plant in potting soil
Nothing stops you coming to them later. They’re simply not the plants to learn on.
All these plants are available at the studio, 6 Rue Zemmour in Rabat. See the selection — and if a plant is declining at home, bring it in: the diagnosis is free.
