Flowering Houseplants

Flowering houseplants can sometimes be more difficult to raise than foliage ones, but if you’re determined, the effort is worth it to try.

Often plants such as cyclamen, violets, bromeliads, orchids, and even cactus are sold blooming and they are soo… pretty, but when you bring them home they bloom for awhile and then never bloom again.

That really isn’t that unusual and it shouldn’t discourage you as a gardener.  These plants all need very specialized environments to bloom and rebloom and unless you do these things they won’t bloom again.

There are some plants though that can and do bloom without so much fuss.  Begonias, and geraniums come immediately to mind, and I also have a crown of thorns that blooms continuously for me.  My hibiscus plant flowers for quite awhile in the fall when I bring it in from outside and so does my fuschia plant.

BEGONIAS

Begonias come in three major types: fibrous rooted (central stem and common looking roots); tuberous-rooted (bulbs); and rhizome-rooted (creeping thick roots).

Begonias are often grown now as bedding and container plants for a summer garden, but they can be brought into the house for flowering houseplants, too.

       

To flower in the house, begonias require high but not direct light and moist soil.  I usually cut mine back in the fall when I bring them in and sometimes again during the winter if they get too leggy.   (If they don’t get enough light they will get leggy.) 

       

Begonias don’t appreciate dry soil and they will gradually lose strength or become susceptible to disease if this happens too frequently, but with proper attention they can flower continuously. Use half strength fertilizer about once a month for the best results.

GERANIUMS

Geraniums are also grown for outside gardens, but will adapt to house conditions and can bloom frequently if the light is bright enough.  There are so many varieties of geraniums its impossible to list them all. New strains and varieties are constantly being introduced. Ivy leafed geraniums are grown  to be used in hanging baskets and flower boxes and some of these are among my personal favorites.

When grown in a house, geraniums like warm days and cooler nights.  They need moist, but never wet soil. Like my begonias, I cut them back when I bring them inside for the winter, but in a bright location they will quickly grow back and start to flower again.

Fertilize your geraniums about every two weeks in the summer and once a month during the winter.  Sometimes I cut my geraniums back again in March to make it easier for them to adjust to the outside again come spring.

AFRICAN VIOLETS

African violets are very popular flowering houseplants, but not everyone is successful in keeping them flowering- me being one of those!  My mother and a friend of mine are both very successful and I know many other people are, too.  I’ve tried, but with very limited luck.

I believe that my biggest issue is lack of enough light. I know some people grow their violets under special grow lights, but I don’t choose to do that.  If it can’t grow under normal house conditions then so be it.  I’ll just choose something else that likes my house better.

CYCLAMEN

It is very easy to find blooming cyclamens in nurseries during the winter and they are beautiful, but they have pretty specific low temperature needs.  Most houses are too warm to keep this plant blooming so just enjoy it for awhile and then throw it out when it starts to wither and turn yellow.

BROMELIADS

Bromeliads are members of the pineapple family and they are grown both for their spectacular leaves and their brilliant, unusual flowers. Florists love them as accent plants but they need specialized fertilizing to keep them flowering. 

They require bright light but not direct sun.  Like African violets some people use grow lights to keep them flowering.  They like warm days and cool nights and hate being overwatered.

Some bromeliads actually get their water from the base of their leaves where in nature water can collect if it rains.  Even though the soil may be drier, the base of the leaves should never completely dry out

(This is the bromeliad I recieved this year as a hostess gift!   Wish me luck!)

I’ve never owned an orchid so I won’t even pretend I know how to grow them.  Like the other flowering houseplants I’ve mentioned, I know they have very specific needs.  People who grow them love them and usually being successful with one becomes a hobby and then a passion and soon you are a new orchid grower with several varieties in your home.

If you’d like to share your success and tips for growing flowering houseplants I’d love to hear and will share your successes, too!

Thanks for reading Julie's Garden Journal.