Flowering House Plants for Home and Office

Flowering plants add sparkle to indoor displays. This group provides flowers of every color and form—from delicate campanula petals to attention-grabbing primary-colored Hippeastrum blooms.

Plants like jasmine, hyacinth, and gardenia bring wonderful spring scents indoors, adding an extra dimension to enjoyment.

Great variety exists in flowering performance. Some are steady plodders flowering nearly year-round with little attention. Others have one brilliant annual flash—often tricky to coax back into flower after year one, but these tips ensure full potential.

A further group—poinsettias, cyclamen, bulbs—is often sold for a color burst then discarded. Most gardeners hate discarding plants so easily.

Winter flowerers are among the most useful. Jasmine and cyclamen provide welcome color when even the garden lacks it. Forced bulbs like narcissus and lily-of-the-valley bring a touch of spring to winter's darkest days.

Many are impressive enough alone on a windowsill or table, but delicate plants may look best grouped with foliage plants that show off flowers to greater advantage. Experiment with placing flowers next to different foliage to see which leaves bring out the best in blooms.

Aechmea – Urn Plant or Coral Berry

In nature, most aechmeas are epiphytic—growing in tree cracks far from ground. They have small root systems and hate over-watering or large pots of compost that stay damp. In both situations, roots rot.

Keep in a relatively small pot for several years before considering repotting.

When watering bromeliads, always fill the central vase. This prevents over-watering. In winter, reduce watering but don't let the vase dry completely—keep filled to just below halfway. Occasionally tip out remaining water and refill with fresh.

Due to epiphytic nature, aechmeas can display on a dead branch. Secure branch in a pot, wrap roots in damp moss, strap root bundle tightly around branch with wire. Water by filling vase, mist root bundle regularly.

After flowering, the flowering rosette naturally dies. However, the plant usually produces offsets at this time. Tease these from the main plant and pot up.

To induce flowering, raise temperature and humidity. Move to warmest, brightest part of house and mist regularly. Once flowers form, return to average temperature.

Pineapple or Ananas

Ananas, or pineapple, is a well-known bromeliad. The houseplant lives up to the fruit's exotic image. Bold, strongly variegated foliage yields a rising flower spike forming a miniature pineapple. Few plants have such broad appeal—children love the emerging spiky fruit, yet the plant retains sophistication for design-conscious adults.

In warm, humid conditions, flower spikes appear late spring to early summer. Fruits take up to seven months to mature. Edible but not particularly tasty—best appreciated ornamentally. Fruiting spikes are solid and long-lasting; plants bought in flower display for months.

Ananas comosus (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

If you can't provide high temperature/humidity for flowering/fruiting, enjoy the impressive leaves. In Ananas comosus 'Variegatus', variegated foliage flushes deep pink toward the base.

As with all bromeliads, the main plant slowly dies after flowering. Not a big problem—small offsets appear beside the main plant. As they grow and form roots, gently tease away and pot in fresh compost. New plants flower and fruit after about two years.

Water by filling the central vase—try to ensure it never dries out. In nature, Ananas grows in ground, so not suitable for bromeliad trees like many other bromeliads.

Billbergia

Of all bromeliads, Billbergia is easiest to grow and flower. Unusual as it's mainly grown for flowers. Narrow greyish leaves are fairly attractive but don't hold as much interest as other bromeliad foliage.

Billbergia has elegance sometimes missing from others—both flower spikes and leaves arch and droop gracefully rather than standing stiffly upright. Flowers emerge from bright pink bracts, dangling below the main stalk. True flowers fade relatively quickly but pink bracts last longer.

Billbergia withstands the lowest temperatures of all bromeliads, even slight frost (not recommended). With good light and regular feeds, flowers appear late spring through late summer.

High humidity less critical than for some bromeliads, but keep the central funnel/vase wet always. Can also water directly into compost. Billbergia suffers if deprived of food—leaves yellow, no flowers. Feed monthly after flower dies down, continue slow feeding in autumn.

As with all bromeliads, main plant dies after flowering. Billbergia is extremely prolific producing offsets around its base—propagate to maintain stock. When offsets are large with roots, peel gently away and pot in fresh compost. Small plants need extra care until established.

Begonias

Many begonias make good houseplants—all shapes, sizes, colors. Some have big blousy bright blooms; others delicate subtle flowers. Easy care, one for every taste—don't overlook when choosing indoor plants.

Foliage begonias belong to another large group. The two groups serve slightly different purposes: foliage begonias hold year-round interest; flowering begonias provide seasonal color splash. Though they have nice leaves, flowering begonias offer little interest in non-flowering season, especially as many species' leaves die down for winter. Use as colorful fillers or to brighten rooms when flowering, then stow in a bright spot while leaves die back or until next flowering.

Several begonia groups, each with own maintenance needs. Rhizomatous begonias start from rhizomes each spring—plant individually in small compost pots early spring. Keep warm, water carefully until shoots show. Increase watering as plant grows, water freely during flowering. Fleshy stems susceptible to rot—don't over-water. After flowering, reduce watering until foliage dies down. Cut dead foliage, treat rhizomes.

Pendulous begonias—great for hanging baskets. Lovely lax habit, drooping stems tipped with flowers through summer. Die back to rhizomes in winter.

Winter-flowering begonias like Begonia 'Gloire de Lorraine' don't die back. Keep in brightest spot through winter to encourage flowering. Water carefully through summer.

The delicate tumbling flowers of Campanula isophylla (Italian bellflower), native to Northern Italy, make it one of the most popular flowering plants.

Best grown in hanging basket or container on shelf edge so flowering stem cascade shows fully.

Campanula

Campanula isophylla is popular because it's so easy to grow. Given little more than regular watering and occasional trim, it produces masses of pretty flowers early summer to early autumn. Needs warm summer temperatures or display disappoints. Warm summers = flowering well into late autumn; cool summers = late start, early end.

To encourage repeat flowering, deadhead as flowers fade. In autumn, once flowering stops, completely remove all flowering stems to prevent seed setting—this uses energy and weakens the plant. Next year's flowers grow on new growth; leaving old growth leads to flowers only at tips of bare leggy stems.

Keep in relatively low temperatures in winter, reduce watering. Cool, frost-free greenhouse ideal. Warmth now starts growth, weakening next season. Avoid frost—likely fatal.

Campanula isophylla 'Alba' equally floriferous with pure white flowers.