Yahoo LifestyleThe Best Indoor Flowering Plants Even Beginners Can Keep Alive
- 1/16
The Best Indoor Flowering Plants Even Beginners Can Keep Alive
All summer long, you enjoy the flowers in your garden. And of course, you also love your sturdy snake plant, handsome Monstera, and other indoor green plant babies, too. But sometimes you crave color! That's when indoor flowering plants come to the rescue. From the sturdy holiday cactus to the charming African violet, there are plenty of options for adding to your home for year-round blooms. So we're here to tell you about all the best indoor flowering plants to add to your collection.
Before we dive in and set you up for success, we wanted to share a few helpful pointers on general indoor flowering plant care first. One important note is that it's best to purchase mature plants instead of seeds unless you have loads of patience and years to wait for them to flower (the amaryllis flower is an exception, which will bloom indoors from a bulb in a matter of four to six weeks ). On the plus side, live plants provide instant gratification. Even better, flowering houseplants thrive for months and even years, almost always lasting longer than a fresh bouquet, so you'll get plenty of enjoyment out of them.
Ahead are our top picks for indoor flowering plants that even new plant parents can enjoy!
Peter Frank Edwards for Chadduck Hillegas - 2/16
1) Pink Anthurium
The Sill
thesill.com
$88.00
The heart-shaped leaves and pretty red, pink, or white blooms of this plant make it a must-have. The flowers, which are actually modified leaves, show off for a couple of months. This sturdy plant is almost always in bloom.
The Sill - 3/16
2) Orchid
1800Flowers
1800Flowers
$109.99
Delicate-looking orchids are not as fragile as they appear. They’ll bloom for months and can live for years with little care. They prefer bright, indirect light (an east or west-facing window is best). Water once a week until it drains out of the bottom of the pot.
1800Flowers - 4/16
3) Bromeliad
thesill.com
$70.00
Bromeliads are fun and funky plants related to pineapples! The striking flower, or bract, is its calling card. It needs lots of bright, indirect light (it won't tolerate low light) and water every one to two weeks, letting it dry out between waterings.
thesill.com - 5/16
4) Shamrock Plant
Sky Blue Blossom
etsy.com
$15.95
Shamrock plants bloom profusely with pretty, little star-shaped flowers. The plant's foliage may be green or burgundy. Give it bright indirect light, and keep it slightly moist. Most species of shamrock, which grow from bulbs, go dormant a few times a year. Stop watering, and place the plant in a cool, dark place. When you see new growth, move your shamrock back into bright light and resume watering.
Sky Blue Blossom - 6/16
5) Polka Dot Plant
Proven Winners
plantaddicts.com
$15.49
Polka dot plant may not have flowers, but it makes up for it with its gorgeous, bright polka-dotted leaves all year long. You'll find it in white, hot pink, and pale pink varieties. It's actually easier to keep this plant alive than many other flowering indoor plants. It needs bright indirect light and slightly moist soil.
Proven Winners - 7/16
6) Cyclamen
$39.99
The heart-shaped leaves and butterfly-like flowers of this charming plant add plenty of color to winter days. Cyclamen need bright, indirect light and prefer to stay slightly moist. Like shamrocks, they also go dormant. Put them in a cool place, don't water them for two months, then bring them back into the light and start watering again. With any luck, it will rebloom. Or, if that seems like a lot of work, just enjoy it while in bloom, then compost it when it fades.
1800Flowers - 8/16
7) Calamondin Orange Plant
Via Citrus
amazon.com
$65.00
This plant blooms flowers and bears fruit! The calamondin orange is a cross between a kumquat and mandarin. It has pretty, super-fragrant blossoms year-round, which then develop into one-inch oranges that are just as cute as they are edible. They're perfect for cocktails! Give it bright light--preferably a grow light-- and let it dry out a bit between waterings.
Via Citrus - 9/16
8) Crown of Thorns
Plantvine
plantvine.com
$47.00
This handsome plant has thick, thorny branches. But it's also easy-care and boasts pretty red or pink flowers, or bracts. Give it loads of bright light, or use a grow light. Because it is a succulent, it needs to dry out between waterings.
PlantVine - 10/16
9) Holiday Cactus
Hirt's Gardens
amazon.com
$4.59
These old-fashioned favorites have been popular for decades (and they can actually live that long!). Their exotic-looking blooms come in an array of beautiful shades ranging from pure white to corals, pinks, and reds. Different species bloom at different times of the year, including Thanksgiving and Easter. They like bright indirect light. Water when the soil is dry, and don’t let water sit in the saucer.
Nadezhda_Nesterova - 11/16
10) Kalanchoe
Plants for Pets
amazon.com
$14.56
This succulent has glossy green leaves and bright red, yellow, pink, or orange flower clusters that last for weeks. It does best in bright indirect light and prefers to dry out between waterings. Cut off the flower head after it fizzles, then enjoy the foliage all year long-- or compost it because these are tough to get to rebloom next year.
Tatyana Abramovich - 12/16
11) African Violet
Optiflora
amazon.com
$41.99
These dainty old-time favorites in shades of purples, pinks, and whites bloom almost continuously. Some of these have been known to live for decades! They like to soak up indirect light on a window ledge facing south, east, or west. Keep the soil lightly moist, and don’t let water drip on the fuzzy leaves because it will cause brown spots.
Christina Schmidhofer - 13/16
12) Peace Lily
Costa Farms
amazon.com
$28.12
Shiny green leaves and spoon-shaped white flowers make this hardy houseplant a must-have. With the right conditions, these plants last for many years with almost no care. Peace lilies prefer low to moderate light but tend to bloom better with bright filtered light. They like moist, not soggy, soil.
Amazon - 14/16
13) Flowering Maple
MamasHomeGarden
etsy.com
$17.99
Also called abutilon, this plant has red, yellow, pink, or peach papery blossoms. The plants typically last a few years before getting leggy and unattractive. They like bright indirect light, preferably by a window with south or west exposure. Water when the top inch of soil feels dry.
Etsy - 15/16
14) Clivia
UrbanCottageCo
etsy.com
$62.00
This elegant flower, a member of the amaryllis family, has long-lasting orange or yellow flowers with long, strappy glossy leaves. It tolerates most light conditions. Let the plant dry out between waterings. It’s a long-lived plant, but getting it to rebloom can be tricky. Keep it outside in fall, then move to the coolest room in your house before the first frost. Keep it rather dry until midwinter, then gradually increase the water. You should have blooms in February or March.
Etsy - 16/16
15) Amaryllis
Longfield Gardens
longfield-gardens.com
$23.50
These stunning flowers come from bulbs sold in the fall. Put them in a bright spot; too little light causes them to flop over. Keep the soil evenly moist. Blooms occur about six weeks later and last for a month or more. You can try to get them to rebloom next year: Save the bulb, leave the foliage intact but cut the faded flower stalk, then move into shade outdoors after the last frost. In late summer, let the bulb go dormant, cut off the foliage, and don’t water until November. Then start to water again, and cross your fingers!
Longfield Gardens
