Can I Use Flower Food For Houseplants

Dolores has landscaped for private clients, maintained one customer'south small orchid collection, and keeps 30 houseplants.

While most popular houseplants are grown for their foliage, in that location are quite a few flowering plants that are grown indoors. One of the advantages of a flowering houseplant is that the blooms last for a long time. Freshly cut flowers may be beautiful simply they rarely concluding more than a calendar week. Many indoor flowering houseplants produce blooms that remain fresh and attractive for upward to six weeks. Others may produce blooms for the greater function of the year.

A few tips for growing houseplants:

While flowering houseplants crave light, never set a plant directly in front of a south-facing window, especially in the summer. The heat will be too much and may scorch the leaves.
Never allow plants to touch a window pane.
Recall that low calorie-free does not mean no calorie-free. All plants need lite for photosynthesis.
The greatest killer of houseplants is overwatering. When instructed to keep soil moist, that means equally wet as a wrung-out sponge. Soggy soil will rot the roots.
Flowers volition accomplish toward the light. Plow the plant occasionally to keep information technology looking balanced.

thirteen Flowering Houseplants

African Violet or Saintpaulia
Amaryllis or Hippeastrum
Angel Wing Begonia
Christmas Cactus
Cyclamen
Clivea
Moth Orchid or Phalaenopsis
Paperwhites or Narcissus Papyraceus
Peace Lily or Spathiphyllum
Pitcher Found or Nepenthes Hookeriana
Poinsettia or Euphorbia Pulcherrima
Primrose or Primulaceae
Scarlet Star or Guzmaia Lingulata

Each of these flowering plants is introduced below.

African Violet or Saintpaulia

African violet is a low-growing constitute with round, fuzzy leaves that grow in a whirl. This onetime-fashioned favorite loves humidity but hates moisture leaves. Water carefully and assault a tray of clammy pebbles. Feed with a fertilizer that has been particularly created for African violets.

Flowers bloom in shades of imperial, violet, white, or pinkish. An African violet constitute will alive for years and flower several times a year. Prepare in a north or eastward-facing window and continue soil moist.

Amaryllis or Hippeastrum

Amaryllis are popular Christmas gifts. Large bulbs planted in a loose soil mix shoot thick stems up 2 anxiety in early wintertime. Dramatic flowers appear vii–10 weeks after planting. Blooms come in many colors, including cherry, cherry-red, salmon, white, multicolored, and flecked.

Identify amaryllis where it can receive brilliant lite in a warm area of at least 68 degrees Fahrenheit. Constitute the bulb up to its neck and water sparingly until shoots emerges, and then go on soil moist.

Cutting stalks after flowers fade. H2o and fertilize to build energy for adjacent year'south flower. After the leaves turn yellow, cut them off. Remove the seedling from the soil and store in a cool, dark, dry out place until ready to plant the next wintertime.

Affections Fly Begonia

Angel wing begonia is just 1 case of the many types of begonias grown indoors. Angel wing could easily be grown only for its beautiful foliage. Leaves are shaped similar an angel'south wings and are from dark greenish to maroon with light-colored polka dots.

This cheerful long-lived plant produces flower clusters from pink to bright ruby-red for most of the yr. Prefers moist soil and bright, filtered light. Must be occasionally pruned back to avoid condign gangling or top heavy.

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Christmas Cactus

The long, arching stems of a mature Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera truncata) characteristic flat, scalloped segments. Blooms grow from the ends of the outer segments in shades of purple, pink, red, orange, and white. Mature specimens can grow quite large.

Despite information technology being a cactus, do not allow the soil to totally dry out. Set in indirect light. In social club to bloom, keep Christmas cactus out of bogus light in early on fall.

Cyclamen

The brightly colored petals of cyclamen flowers are swept dorsum. Some are aromatic and some accept ruffled petals in pink, ruby-red, or white.

Traditionally grown as an annual plant (thrown out after blooming), newer hybrids enable people to keep cyclamen for years and in bloom for the better part of a year. Cyclamen capeesh brilliant, filtered calorie-free and cool temperatures. H2o when the soil begins to dry out out.

Clivea Miniata

Dark green, strappy leaves brand Clivea a beautiful foliage plant. Side shoots tin can be broken off for like shooting fish in a barrel propagation. Often moved outdoors in summertime, Clivea tin can non tolerate bright or straight dominicus. Keep it in a northward-facing window while indoors and in shade if you put it exterior. H2o when soil dries out.

The flower stalk shoots up from the center of the constitute producing luminous orange flowers in Spring. Clivea is an easy to maintain long-lived plant.

Not long ago, orchids were an exotic and expensive rarity, a flower merely seen at special occasions. New big-scale growers accept made the moth orchid a popular and affordable flowering houseplant. Frail flowers bloom along the ends of long, arching stems. (Those stems volition need support.)

Blooms last for up to six weeks. (Last yr I had ane in abiding bloom for over iii months!) Plants kept in bright but not directly sunlight in an orchid medium that are watered thoroughly and immune to dry out may flower once again. Fertilize with a commercial orchid fertilizer and follow manufacturers' directions.

Moth orchid.

Photograph by Dolores Monet

Paperwhites or Narcissus Papyraceus

Paperwhites are gorgeous reminders of spring that bloom indoors during the winter. Bulbs planted in a loose medium send upwards bright stalks topped by bright white, effluvious flowers. While most people dearest the exciting aroma of paperwhites, there are a few folks who can't stand the smell.

Establish bulbs in a loose medium and fix in a cool but brightly lit spot. Odd numbers of bulbs commonly look meliorate than an fifty-fifty number. Keep growing medium moist but not soggy. Paperwhites rarely blossom once more and are more often than not thrown away after the flowers fade.

Peace Lily or Spathiphyllum

Peace lily is non a true lily. This found is very tolerant of depression light conditions and often seen in lobbies and offices.

Peace lilies feature large, sleeky, deep green leaves upwardly to 14 inches long and 4 inches wide. Beautiful unmarried petal flowers emerge on a alpine stem. A central spadix is surrounded past a spathe in white or pink that ofttimes fades to light-green.

Proceed soil moist and lightly fertilize once a month. Cut back on water and fertilizer in winter months. Peace lily is mildly toxic but is a great air purifier that removes contaminants from the air.

Pitcher Plant or Nepenthes Hookeriana

Showing upwardly of a sudden at a few concatenation hardware store garden shops, bullpen plants are not an easy care houseplant. Amusing for its exotic looks and the fun fact that information technology is a carnivorous constitute, pitcher plants demand the warmth and humidity normally provided in a greenhouse setting. If you want to take a try at growing this exotic at home, toss the occasional ant into its maw and drizzle a bit of water into the blossom occasionally.

Pot in a loose, soilless medium or wrap in sphagnum moss. Hang on the wall in a humid surface area and promise for the best.

Pitcher plant. — Pitcher institute.

Photo by Dolores Monet

Poinsettia or Euphorbia Pulcherrima

Poinsettia, those cute plants sold at Christmas fourth dimension, are often disposable houseplants. Forced plants oftentimes perish after blooming. But poinsettia can be tended and coaxed back into color the next year with proper care.

Planting outdoors and providing fifteen hours of darkness in fall tin can recreate the colour merely non always in time for the holidays. Clip earlier planting outdoors.

Poinsettia flowers are actually very tiny. The bright cherry-red color (or pink or white) is in the bracts or leaves surrounding the bloom. When bringing habitation for the holidays, place poinsettia in brilliant, filtered low-cal. Water when soil dries out. Poinsettia prefers cooler nights.

Primrose or Primulaceae

Several types of primrose are available, but Primula vulgaris is the well-nigh common. With its rosette of wrinkly leaves and several stems of petty posies, primrose is a pop gift plant when it flowers in late winter and early leap.

Move outdoors later flowers are spent, then let to become dormant for ane–2 months. Not an easy plant for reblooming, most people give primrose the heave-ho once the flowers fade.

Scarlet Star or Guzmaia Lingulata

Carmine star is a popular bromeliad with arching, strappy leaves that are a rich brown at the base and bright greenish above. Leaves overlap to create a central well.

From the center of the establish, a stalk bears tiny flowers surrounded by brightly colored bracts in cherry-red or orange.

Continue soil moist and pour a fleck of water into the central loving cup. Set up in indirect but bright light. Plant in a heavy pot, as ruby star may exist a chip top heavy.

Scarlet star. — Reddish star.

Photo by Dolores Monet

For Further Reading

Nigh of these books are rather old. You tin can find older books used online for a smashing price.

Flowering House Plants; Time - Life Books; 1990

An Illustrated Guide to Flowering Houseplants: How to Relish Year Circular Color in Your Dwelling Featuring 150 Plants by Jack Kramer; Rutledge Press; 1981

The Instant Guide to Salubrious Flowering Houseplants by Tom Gough; Crown Publishing Group; 1986

Happy Orchid by Sara Rittershausen; DK Publishing; 2019

Dolores Monet (author) from East Coast, United States on June 28, 2013:

toknowinfor - give thanks you lot!

sgbrown - Hi, Sheila, thank yous! Yes indeed it does. I am only working on a whole hub most Clivea equally mine recently flowered indoors. I used to put it outside in late Bound but wanted to encounter if I could go it to blossom by post-obit my ain directions, haha.

Sheila Brown from Southern Oklahoma on June 15, 2013:

What a wonderful hub! I love to have flowers blooming inside, specially in the winter. It gives me a petty feel of spring during the common cold months. I have many of the plants you lot have mentioned here. One of the plants that seems to work best for me is the Affections Wing Begonia. I motion mine in during the common cold months and place it in a large pot beside my from window and it continues to bloom all winter. Come bound I prune information technology and put it dorsum outside and it goes "blooming crazy". You lot have mentioned several plants here that I would similar to effort. I really enjoyed this hub, voted upwards, useful, interesting, cute and sharing! Have a cute day! :)