2020 was an unusual year in the garden. Or should I say, a more observant one. The more people stayed home, the more they noticed their surroundings. In my business, that meant people’s attention shifted towards their landscape and the joy plants can bring to those sequestered at home. Continue reading
From my perspective, one of the highlights of December is when all the cyclamen arrive at the store. Juxtaposed with the customary reds and greens, their colorful petals lend a bright hue to the holiday season. That said, there’s just one drawback. Over time, the flowers often start to droop and the leaves may even turn yellow.
Still, caring for cyclamen doesn’t have to be stressful. All it takes is an understanding of where the plants come from, and why temperature is key to their success indoors. Continue reading
Decorating a home can be expensive. That said, flowering houseplants can offer an affordable alternative. I love how they instantly brighten a space with a fresh pop of color. Changed your mind? You can switch them around or swap them out completely. And houseplants last a whole lot longer than cut flowers.
I know… for some, the thought of growing plants in their home can be intimidating. But, in truth, it’s easy. All you need to do is follow the three steps below.
Sun is the main source of energy for almost every living thing. And flowering houseplants need at least some hours of bright to direct sunlight in order to produce blooms. The key is to place your plant in the right location.
Plants need at least some sunlight to flower
To understand what a plant needs, look to the label. Read it carefully to determine how much sunlight it prefers. Remember, no flower will bloom in a dark corner.
Consistent watering makes stronger plants. And flowering houseplants prefer a regular watering schedule. The watering cycle you choose will depend on the kind of plants you have and the level of humidity and amount of light you have in your home.
Plants need water
Some flowering houseplants prefer to have a good soak, then dry out slightly between waterings. This allows them to properly absorb both water and nutrients. Conversely, others like to be kept consistently moist. It may take some experimenting to determine what works best in your home. Either way, good drainage is key.
Whatever your watering schedule, always add just enough water to the pot to allow a small amount to run out from the bottom. This will ensure the roots of your flowering houseplant are well saturated. In addition, it will help wash away salts and fertilizers that may have built up in the soil.
Good drainage is key
Most importantly, never leave your plants sitting in water. This will lead to root rot and ultimately the death of your houseplant. Yellow leaves are an indicator that this may be occurring.
Unlike plants grown in soil, indoor plants are confined to the pot. That means it’s up to you to provide all their water and nutrients. Feeding your flowering houseplants not only helps them produce more blooms, but it also wards of indoor pests and diseases. I use a balanced liquid fertilizer mixed with tap water every other week during the growing season.
Plants need food to flower
Certain species such as African violets, orchids and dwarf citrus trees, though, prefer their own special food. It’s best to check with your local plant store to see which products best meet your needs.
Following are 12 top flowering houseplants for easy-care blooms indoors.
Adaptable to just about every environment, African violets are one of the easiest flowering houseplants to grow. Moreover, there are hundreds of varieties to choose from. The fuzzy-leaved plant performs best in evenly moist soil and indirect sunlight.
The key is to keep those fuzzy leaves dry. Water your African violet at the soil surface, or allow the plant to wick up water from a saucer. However, never allow your plant to remain standing in water or the roots may be damaged. African violets grow best in smaller pots.
This beautiful succulent with orange, yellow and red flowers has long lasting flowers and attractive, oval-shaped fleshy foliage. The plant blooms naturally indoors during winter and early spring.
Kalanchoes prefer bright light, but beware – they’ll burn in full sun. Again, proper drainage is key. Use a loose potting soil containing peat moss, perlite and sand and place pebbles at the bottom of the pot to guard against standing water. And never place a kalanchoe near a draft or cold window.
Jasminum polyanthum, also known as pink jasmine or white jasmine, is the most common variety of jasmine grown indoors. A fragrant plant with showy white blooms, it grows best near a south-facing window. Cool temperatures are essential to encouraging this flowering houseplant’s buds to form. Jasmine typically flowers indoors in February.
Grow jasmine in evenly moist soil and prune regularly to keep it in bounds. Repot it in the spring, trimming the roots before replenishing with fresh soil.
Often called shamrock due to the clover-like shape of its leaves, oxalis is a small-sized flowering houseplant that grows to a height of around six inches. The delicate white or soft pink flowers bloom off and on during fall, winter and spring. The leaves fold up at night and open again in the morning.
Oxalis grows from tiny bulbs that can be divided at any time. Water your plant when the potting soil is dry to the touch or if you observe the stems starting to droop. Look for exotic varieties for best indoor performance.
This beautiful flowering houseplant loves holidays. There are Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter varieties, some of which can be encouraged to re-bloom. Buds start forming a month before blooms and darken as they swell. And the flowers come in a wide variety of colors including, red, pink, orange, purple, orange and cream.
Christmas Cactus likes bright, indirect light and cool temperatures. But, keep it away from drafts and heat sources that can stunt growth and burn leaves. Unlike desert cacti, these tropical cacti cannot tolerate dry soil. Keep the potting soil evenly moist for best growth. And water only when the top inch of the soil feels dry.
The heart-shaped ‘flower’ of anthurium is actually a modified leaf that grows from the base of a fleshy spike of flowers. The most common houseplant variety is Painter’s Palette, which features long-lasting blooms (usually red) and glossy green, arrow-shaped leaves.
Anthuriums grow best in medium to bright light (avoid direct sunlight, however.) Keep the potting soil constantly moist and for best results, use tepid water. A consistently warm temperature is key to achieving good growth.
Often tossed after they quit flowering, gloxinias can become great houseplants with proper care. Best known for their large bell-shaped blooms, the dramatic plants come in a wide variety of colors, including white stripes and speckles. The plants’ soft gray-green, fuzzy leaves contrast beautifully with the flowers.
Gloxinias prefer warm temperatures, evenly moist soil and high humidity (supplement humidity with a humidifier or tray with pebbles and water). As with African violets, it’s important to keep water off of the foliage to avoid brown spot.
Unlike African violets, gloxinias require a period of rest in order to bloom again. Once flowers fade, reduce watering to about half and resume regular watering when new growth appears.
There are hundreds of varieties of this beautiful plant to choose from, most of which will produce indoor blooms all year long. Foliage varies among green, silver, variegated or maroon. And flowers come in a variety of colors, including red, pink, white and yellow.
All begonias prefer medium to bright light and evenly moist soil. However, they can become leggy fast without proper care. To prevent this from happening, keep your plants in shape by following these simple pruning techniques.
Angel-Wing begonia is so-named for the shape of its leaves that resemble wings. Numerous cultivars exist in different sizes with different leaf colors and red, pink or white blossoms. Angel-Wing begonias are some of the easiest flowering houseplants to grow. Pinch back tall stems to keep the plant bushy.
Rieger begonia is a winter-blooming variety with clusters of camellia-like blossoms in fiery colors of red, yellow and orange atop glossy green leaves.
The popular (outdoor) bedding plant, wax begonia, can also make a great houseplant. Varieties feature red, pink or white flowers atop waxy green foliage. The plant needs good air circulation to thrive.
Arguably the most recognizable of all the orchid varieties, the easy-to-grow Phalaenopsis produces flowers that can sometimes last up to three months. The long sprays of large blooms flourish indoors under normal light and prefer the same temperatures that humans do.
Place the plant in indirect sunlight and water once a week, making sure the soil remains moist just under the soil surface. Be careful not to overwater or the flowers will wilt and fall off. Good drainage is essential to guard against root rot. After the last flower finishes blooming, cut the stalk in half and wait to see if the plant re-blooms.
Silver vase plant is a type of bromeliad that is grown both indoors and outdoors depending on the climate. The common name comes from the structure of the plant, the center of which resembles an urn or vase. The plant produces a large pink spiky-shape flower above stiff, silver and green foliage. It lasts for months and grows to around six inches.
Low-maintenance, silver vase plant makes a great flowering houseplant. Its minimal requirements include bright light and periodic watering (every 2-3 weeks). Watering involves filling the “vase” (and not the potting soil) with water.
A member of the amaryllis family, the Kaffir lily can be forced into bloom in winter or early spring indoors. It bears clusters of up to 20 reddish-orange tubular flowers with yellow centers above glossy green leaves. The plant is also available in red, peach, yellow and white varieties.
Kaffir lilies need cool and dry temperatures for 6 to 8 weeks in fall in order to bloom. Water sparingly until the bloom appears (keeping the soil on the dry side), then increase watering midwinter. Place in bright light, but keep away from direct sun.
The Calamondin Orange is actually a hybrid between a mandarin orange and kumquat. The dwarf citrus tree has woody stems covered with oval, glossy green leaves that give off a citrusy aroma. In late winter or early spring, fragrant white blossoms appear followed by fruits that may stay on the plant for many weeks. Once ripe, the fruits can be harvested and used like lemons.
For best performance indoors, plant calamondin in a small container. Plants won’t re-bloom if they are potted in a container that is too large. Make sure there are good drainage holes in the bottom of the container to protect against root rot. Place the tree in bright light, with at least four hours of direct sunlight a day. Rotate the plant a quarter turn each week to promote even growth. Fertilize with a good organic fruit tree fertilizer.
Looking for more? To see photos of my garden designs, including plant lists, check out my Instagram at carole.herebydesign. I post seasonally from spring through fall.
I’ve always been fascinated by mazes. And the corn maze is my number one favorite. Far less predictable than a typical hedge maze, the corn maze changes each year, adapting its complex network of passages to the whims of its creator. The corn maze challenges us to draw upon the very best of our navigational skills to face the unexpected. Not unlike daily life, I’d say. Continue reading
Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.
-Albert Camus
I like to think of fall from an Alice In Wonderland perspective. That is, autumn is a time when we shrink in proportion to our gardens while the leaves ‘bloom’ above us. And every year nature charts new territory, unveiling color schemes so daring they leave little doubt as to her ability to create designs far superior to our own. Continue reading
If you’re a fan of early bloomers, then the crocus is the plant for you. For what it lacks in size, it more than makes up for in impression. Resilient and tough, these diminutive flowers will bloom for weeks, even in the harshest of weather. They’re the perfect way to brighten the last gloomy days of winter. Continue reading
Have you ever wondered what happens to all those plastic pots once we’re done with them? I was under the false impression that most were recycled. As it turns out, a large percentage of them join other single-use plastics in landfills. That’s according to Jean Ponzi, Green Resources Manager in the sustainability division of the Missouri Botanical Garden. Continue reading
Annuals for the cutting garden/Photo: Julie Hove Anderson Photography
As a landscape designer, I’m well versed in perennials and the kind of annuals you buy from a nursery. But when it comes to growing annuals from seeds, my experience lies mainly with zinnias. So recently, I was delighted to attend a webinar hosted by ButterBee Farm owner Laura Beth Resnick on the top annuals she grows for her cutting gardens. Continue reading
Now that we’re all spending more time at home, it can’t hurt to know what’s blooming. And finding the answer is easier than ever with one the many plant identification apps available. But which ones work best and provide the fastest, most reliable data? To find out, I decided to do a side-by-side comparison. Continue reading
‘It was an uncertain spring.’ – Virginia Wolf, The Years
In times of trouble, I often turn to Voltaire’s Candide to help put things in perspective. In this classic satire, Candide and his companions undergo unspeakable hardships only to find themselves in the end alone, together. Faced with a new normal, Candide arrives at the only sensible conclusion. “We must cultivate our garden,” he says. Continue reading
