• 60 doodles

Plant Doodle Ideas for Pot Plants, Cacti and Shelves

Deal a plant doodle and its first strokes: a leafy pot plant, a cactus, a pot or a whole shelf.

Plant Doodle Ideas for Pot Plants, Cacti and Shelves

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  1. A pot fast asleep, its plant flopped over one sideDraw the pot, then two closed-eye curves and a small smile on it. Let the leaves droop to one side.

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All 60 doodles

Leafy pot plants 15

  • A bird's-nest fern as a rosette of wavy tongues From one centre, draw long tongue shapes with rippled edges and a dark middle rib, shortest in the centre.
  • A bonsai with a zigzag trunk in a shallow tray A low flat tray. Bend the trunk left, right, left, and put a cloud of leaves at the end of each branch.
  • A Boston fern as a fountain of comb-toothed stems Arch long stems out of the pot in every direction. Line each with tiny leaflets like the teeth of a comb.
  • A Chinese money plant as coins on long stalks A small pot with thin stalks fanning out. End each one in a circle, with a dot where the stalk meets it.
  • A fiddle-leaf fig as a lollipop tree A thin trunk in a pot. Bunch leaves at the top, each shaped like a violin: narrow waist, wide rounded end.
  • A golden pothos trailing heart leaves off a shelf One wavy stem falling from a pot. Add heart-shaped leaves on alternate sides, getting smaller downward.
  • A lucky bamboo with one cane in a spiral Two straight jointed canes and one that coils like a spring. A tuft of narrow leaves at each tip.
  • A prayer plant leaf with a herringbone of veins An oval leaf with a centre line. Draw curved veins out to the edge on both sides and a blotch between each.
  • A rubber plant with big ovals up one straight stem One upright stem. Add large oval leaves left and right with a centre vein in each, plus one rolled new leaf.
  • A snake plant as five tall flames Draw a pot, then five upright flame shapes of different heights. Add a wavy stripe or two inside each.
  • A spider plant spraying arcs from one point Draw thin arching leaves outward from the middle of the pot. Hang two baby plants on long curved runners.
  • A split leaf drawn as a heart with bites taken out A wide heart on a long stalk. Cut three slits in from each edge and dot two holes near the middle vein.
  • A staghorn fern mounted on a board A rectangle for the board. A round shield in the middle, then forked fronds hanging down like antlers.
  • A string of hearts as paired hearts down a thread Draw one hanging thread. Add small hearts in pairs, point down, every finger-width along it.
  • A ZZ plant as leaning wands with paired leaves Three thick stems leaning apart. Add pointed oval leaflets in pairs all the way up each one.

Cacti and succulents 15

  • A barrel cactus as a ribbed ball A circle sitting in a pot. Curve lines from top to bottom like the seams of a melon and tick spines along them.
  • A bunny ears cactus: one large pad wearing two small ones One oval pad with two smaller ovals on top like ears. Cover all three in evenly spaced dots.
  • A burro's tail as plaited ropes Hang three thick ropes from a pot. Cover each with overlapping teardrops, like a plait.
  • A cactus with two arms, like someone waving A tall rounded column. Add an L-shaped arm each side at different heights and short ticks for spines.
  • A jade plant as a tiny tree of oval coins A thick forked trunk. Cluster small oval leaves in pairs at the end of every twig.
  • A moon cactus as a ball grafted on a stalk A straight upright stalk in a pot. Sit a ribbed ball on top with a few short spines.
  • A prickly pear as ovals balanced on ovals One oval pad in the pot. Balance two more on its top edge and one on those, then dot spines on each.
  • A rosette from the top: rings of pointed leaves A small triangle swirl in the centre. Ring it with pointed leaves, each ring larger and set in the gaps.
  • A string of pearls plant as beaded threads over a rim Trail five thin lines over the rim of a pot. Thread small circles along each one like beads.
  • A succulent leaf sprouting a baby plant One fat teardrop leaf lying flat. At its narrow end, a tiny rosette and three hair-thin roots.
  • A trio of cacti, each in a pot of a different shape Draw three pots first: tall, wide and tiny. Give each a different cactus: a ball, a column and a paddle.
  • A zebra haworthia with bands across each spike Pointed leaves rising from one centre, the outer ones curving out. Rule short bands across every leaf.
  • An aloe as a star of thick toothed leaves Long pointed leaves from one centre, curving outward. Edge each with tiny teeth and add a few flecks.
  • Hen and chicks as one big rosette ringed by small ones One large rosette in the middle of a wide bowl. Tuck five small copies round its edge.
  • Living stones as split pebbles in gravel Rounded pebbles, each with a slit across the top. Set six in a shallow dish and dot gravel between them.

Pots and hangers 15

  • A basket pot with a woven pattern A rounded tub. Fill it with rows of short dashes, each row offset, and roll a thick rim along the top.
  • A clay pot with a thick rim, standing in a dish A band for the rim, two sides slanting in and a flat base. Slide a shallow dish under it.
  • A cracked pot with a root poking out A pot with a zigzag crack down one side. One root curls out through the gap. The plant above leans the same way.
  • A hanging glass globe with one air plant A circle with a round opening on one side, hung from a loop. Sit a spiky tuft inside on a few pebbles.
  • A jar with a cutting and its roots An upright jar with a water line. Stand one stem in it with two leaves above the rim and roots below.
  • A knotted hanger holding a round pot One knot at the top, four cords down to a second knot under a round pot. Cross the cords into diamonds.
  • A moss ball on a string with a fern on top A rough circle hatched all over with short strokes. Wrap it in crossing string and add fronds at the top.
  • A plant mister with a cloud of dots A round bottle with a trigger top. Fan a cone of small dots out of the nozzle.
  • A pot fast asleep, its plant flopped over one side Draw the pot, then two closed-eye curves and a small smile on it. Let the leaves droop to one side.
  • A seedling with two round leaves in an egg-box cell A row of three cups joined at the rim. One stem with two round seed leaves in the middle cup.
  • A stack of empty pots leaning to one side Four pots, one inside the next, rims showing as stripes. Tilt the stack and lay a trowel beside it.
  • A teacup used as a planter A cup with a handle on a saucer. Fill it with three small leaves and one taller stem.
  • A terrarium jar with layers of gravel, soil and plants A wide jar with a lid. Band the bottom with pebbles, then soil, and fit three small plants above.
  • A trowel and a hand fork crossed like a coat of arms A leaf-shaped blade on a handle and a three-pronged fork, crossed at the middle. A leaf between the handles.
  • A watering can pouring a dotted arc onto a seedling An oval body, a long spout with a rose on the end and a looped handle. Dots fall in a curve from the spout.

Shelves and corners 15

  • A cat sitting among pots on a sill A row of pots with a gap. Fit a seated cat in the gap, its tail curled round the nearest pot.
  • A footer of tall and short leaves in turn One straight line with leaves standing on it, tall and short in turn. Repeat the same two shapes.
  • A glasshouse drawn in panes with benches of pots A house shape ruled into panes. Benches along both sides, pots on them and one vine up a pole.
  • A hanging shelf on two ropes with three small pots A plank held by a rope at each end, knotted underneath. Three pots on top, one with stems hanging off.
  • A ladder stand with a different pot on every rung Two leaning rails with four shelves, widest at the bottom. Trailing plants high up, tall ones low down.
  • A leafy stem turning the corner of the paper Run a wavy line down one edge and along the bottom. Add a leaf at every bend, pointing outward.
  • A nightstand with one drawer, a pot and its trailing stems A small table with one drawer. A lamp on one side, a pot on the other with stems down past the drawer.
  • A pegboard with pots, scissors and string A rectangle dotted with holes. Hang two small pots, a pair of scissors and a ball of string on pegs.
  • A ring of paired leaves to frame a title A light pencil circle. Lay leaves along it in pairs, all leaning the same way round, and leave the middle clear.
  • A room corner: tall floor plant, hanging basket, chair arm Three lines meeting for the corner. A tall plant on the floor, a basket hung from the ceiling, a chair arm.
  • A shelf of pots drawn behind a four-pane window A window with four panes. Draw the shelf and its pots behind the bars so the frame crosses them.
  • A small pot perched on three paperbacks Three books lying flat, spines facing you. A small pot on top with one leaning stem.
  • A trailing plant falling down the side margin A pot in the top corner. Let three stems fall the length of the margin with small leaves in pairs.
  • A windowsill lined with pots of different heights One long line for the sill and a window frame above. Five pots of different heights, each a different plant.
  • Three pots hung on strings, long, short and middling Three lines down from the top of the page, each a different length. A small pot and plant at each end.

How it works

A pot plant doodle is two drawings in one: the pot, which is a few straight lines, and the plant, which is one leaf shape repeated. Each of these gives the first strokes, from one cactus to a shelf of pots.

Read the full guide

Cute plant doodle ideas start with the pot

Draw the pot first: a rim, two slanted sides and a base. Then repeat one leaf shape until the pot looks full. A snake plant as five tall flames takes five strokes, and A cactus with two arms, like someone waving, takes three. A face on the pot is optional.

Plant doodle drawing ideas that fill a page

Shelves and corners holds the bigger ones: a windowsill row, a ladder shelf, A leafy stem turning the corner of the paper. Rule the shelf lines or leave them wobbly, then give every pot a different plant. Pots and hangers adds the jars, cans and tools that go with them.

  • Overlap one leaf across another and the plant gains depth with no shading.
  • Draw three, five or seven leaves to a pot. Odd numbers are harder to arrange too neatly.

Questions and answers

What is the easiest plant to doodle?

A cactus with two arms, like someone waving, or A clay pot with a thick rim, standing in a dish, with one sprout added. Both are a handful of straight and curved lines.

How do I doodle a hanging plant?

Start with the pot, hang it from lines that meet at a knot, then let the stems fall over the rim. A string of pearls plant as beaded threads over a rim is five lines with small circles threaded on them.

What is a moss ball plant?

It is called a kokedama: a ball of soil covered with moss, with a plant growing from it. To doodle one, draw a rough circle, hatch it with short strokes and wrap it in crossing string.

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