Indoor Blooms & things that get you through the winter.

You guys are killing me...now I need indoor blooms.

Thanks everyone!

FlowerJen I want to share my little wishlist with you. I tried to select ones that said they are easy and bloom in winter. (When we in the north need them to.)

Houseplant Wishlist

Aechmea fasciata - Silver Vase Plant
Pour water directly into the vase to provide moisture for the plant.
Growing Conditions: Bright light; 65-75 degrees F.; water the foliage vase rather than the soil
Size: To 3 feet tall and wide

Schlumbergera x buckleyi - Christmas Cactus
Flower in response to cool temperatures and short day length. In fall, keep the plant in a sunny, cool, frost-free location until you see flower buds beginning to develop.
Growing Conditions: Bright light; 70-80 degrees F., 55 degrees F. in fall; keep soil moderately dry
Size: To 12 inches tall and 18 inches wide

Clivia miniata - Kaffir lily is also commonly called clivia.
Note: This plant is poisonous and can make children or pets ill if they eat or chew on the plant.
Usually blooms in winter. Clivia blooms only when it has been exposed to cool, dry conditions, so give it lower temperatures in winter and keep it on the dry side. It's extra easy to grow and the flowers brighten up January days when there's not a lot else in bloom.
Growing Conditions: Medium light; 60-75 degrees F., 50-55 degrees F. in winter; keep soil barely moist
Size: To 2 feet tall and wide

Streptocarpus x hybridus - Cape Primrose
Streptocarpus blooms almost continuously if given the right conditions. Most of the hundreds of hybrid varieties available bear trusses of pink, white, purple, or red flowers, often with contrasting white or yellow throats. With the exception of providing cooler winter temperatures, treat it as you would its cousin, African violet.
Growing Conditions: Medium to bright light; 70-80 degrees F., 60-65 degrees F. in winter; keep soil barely moist
Size: To 18 inches tall and 30 inches wide

Haves:

Aeschynanthus radicans – Lipstick Plant
This African violet relative is great for hanging baskets because it produces arching stems with showy flowers that dangle from branch tips. The tubular paired flowers have dark purple cups encircling scarlet flowers. The plant blooms heaviest in fall, but can flower sporadically year round. If you take it outdoors in summer, the red flowers may attract hummingbirds.
Growing Conditions: Medium light; 60-80 degrees F.; keep soil evenly moist
Size: To 20 inches tall and 36 inches wide

Jasminum
Many-flowered jasmine (J. polyanthum, pictured), and Arabian jasmine (J. sambac) are two of the easiest to grow; just give them plenty of light and moisture. They'll all bear fragrant pink to white blooms on vining plants.
Growing Conditions: Bright to intense light; 60-75 degrees F., 40-60 degrees F. in winter; keep soil evenly moist
Size: To 4 feet tall and 6 feet wide

Pelargonium spp. - Geranium
The common garden geranium (P. x hortorum), and ivy geranium (P. peltatum), offer showy flowers but on easier-growing plants.
Growing Conditions: Bright to intense light; 60-75 degrees F.; keep soil moderately dry
Size: To 3 feet tall and wide

Abutilon x hybridum – Flowering Maple
Grow the plant upright as a tree, prune it back to keep it shrubby, or even grow it in a hanging basket.
If blooms drop, check the watering. Uneven watering can cause flowers to fall.
This fast-growing plant is almost constantly in bloom.
Growing Conditions: Bright to intense light; 65-75 degrees F.; keep soil evenly moist
Size: To 5 feet tall and 3 feet wide

Clever idea, Jo Ann! Booj---take lots of cuttings of that orchid, what a beauty! And Victor, how nice to have a hydrangea at this late date! I plan on taking a photo of what I still have blooming outside on Dec. !st...a few calendula, but they're brightly colored. Other than plants, I'm trying to knit my way through winter...I only began knitting last winter, it's much harder than it looks, & my &%* airedale ripped up part of the sweater I was knitting for my GS---had to start all over again.

I like your list Meredith...I think jasmine is hard to get into bloom, though. My art teacher was drawing some for White Flower Farm---they gave her the jasmine already in bloom, but it hasn't had a bud since.

I only have one room that gets a lot of light( that's where I have all my cuttings) so I need houseplants that like low light, putting in grow lights is not an option.

Nice view Victor! I an decidedly jealous as well!

Meredith, good list.
I have the Schlumbergera x buckleyi - Christmas Cactus and also the
Schlumbergera truncata - Thanksgiving Cactus. The Thanksgiving cactus is blooming now.
I also have several Clivia, never have been able to get them to bloom even though I follow all the directions, but they are a nice indoor plant anyway.
I have a Stapelia with dark red flowers. Its easy.

I also have the paperwhites beginning to grow, love to see them bloom , not the smell so much.
I have some oxalis, different colors that make a pretty pot. Have a HUGE Rubber plant that I have to trim each year, I must have the perfect conditions on my front porch in the summer.

I had to look up some of your others, I liked them.

And not that I'm worried about it, but I do sort of consider myself a North Easterner, since the weather channel includes us with you guys, Oh, and I did live in CT for 4 years .... loved it.

Karen et all
I show my gardens to manny people over the season, not to mention myself in there daily.
I used to do outdoor art shows.
One show on the Cape, there was a nasty accident.
The artist(not me) had used rebar to stake his tent down. Even tho he has red tags on the rebar, a customer ,wandering off the path ( going to the back of his booth to paw thru his pots) opened her leg on the rebar. Its nasty stuff no mater how much we love it to anchor things down.
She sued him and won, he was out of business in a year.

toofew, we have a saying here in the Northeast Forum, everyone is welcome here, your Northeast of somewhere and thats good enough!! Besides, your weather and growing conditions are much like ours....please feel free to whine with us about having to short a growing season. ^_^

Meredith thats a great list! I've never tried growing Clivia because of it being so toxic but I have seen them in bloom several times at my favorite GH....they are beautiful!!
One looks like this, catches your eye from clear across the room.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/63348497@N00/786932892/

mornin pixi

Welcome toofew. You are one of us!

Morning Ge, morning Victor, is it raining in your neck of the woods? It is here.....again!

Morning, Celeste. Not yet - but it will.

Overcast and cold, rain due today and snow Thursday.

Robindog, I bought a Jasmine in Feb and it looked like it tried to put a couple flowers out in spring and actually again earlier in fall. But the buds turned yellow and died before blooming both times. I saw some where that it can be caused by chilly temps. Mine was outside with fluctuating night temps so I think that could have been why. So I am going to take your word that they 'are' hard to get to bloom. My plant has grown a real lot, I have it trained on some copper tubing I shaped into a hoop to try and duplicate a plant I saw at the nursery for which was in bloom but they wanted $55 for. I got my plant there for 3.95, but it was just a start, I just didn't want to findout $55 dollars later that it was a plant I would kill. I haven't killed it at least. lol I'll post a pic of it.

Hi Toofew good to see you and yes I have to agree you are a north easterner! : ) Are paperwhites not pleasant smelling? I always wonder with Narcissus. I don't think I've ever smelled one that made me say Ahhh. I did add a bunch of outdoor types this fall that claimed to be pleasantly fragrant but I think that depends on the nose smelling them. That's why I had to try them so I could figure out if I have a nose that likes them or not. lol

Pixie that is a beautiful picture of Clivia - it looks a lot like the picture of one I was thinking of ordering from Logees.

Here's my baby Jasmine when I first bought it.

beautiful picture.

Here it is now. : )

Meredith--I had 2 clivia -one from Logees--one from a local greenhouse--they are easy and the mid winter/early spring blooms are breathtaking in perdon. Pics don't do them justice. Your Jasmine is gorgeous! Has it bloomed indoors?

very nice Merideth

You're definitely welcome here, Toofew!

JoAnn, that's terrible what happened to that lady with the rebar. Terrible what happened to the crafter who got sued, too. That's why I top my hose guides with tennis balls, to keep anyone from being injured. Like you, I show many people my gardens, too, and I don't want accidents occurring to keep me from continuing to share my gardens.

Overcast here, but not too cold. No rain yet, but we're expecting it.

Your jasmine looks nice, Meredith. I hope you can get it to bloom for you. You could say paperwhites don't have a pleasant smell. Personally I think they smell like cat pee. Not pleasant at all!

Celeste, love that pic of the clivia. Beautiful color on that!

Karen

Thanks Ge : )

Phoebes Thanks, maybe I will get a Clivia from Logees then! : ) Nope it hasn't bloomed indoors but I think I'm going to try moving it downstairs, where it is usually 10 degrees or so cooler than up stairs in my living area. We have a wood stove in living area, which is pretty much constantly lit when it gets real cold. So it is probably way too warm in this area to get it to bloom, downstairs is where I keep most of my plants, unless they start blooming, then I usually bring them up to enjoy them.

Thanks Karen, now I am not upset for not getting paperwhites for indoors. : ) I think I have been swayed by Dgers into believing they don't smell good and that is probably why I have never taken the plunge and tried them. I'd much rather force some Hyacinths now, which I think smell wonderful! : ) I was thinking on waiting for some places to start selling them cheap and get some.

Wow finally a new thread thanks!!!

Karen, I agree that paperwhites smell like cat pee. lol
But I keep them far enough away from where we sit, that the smell is not an issue.
Meredith, I will be forcing hyacinth in another month or so. Hit the 50% off sales for the fall bulbs.
Nice what youve done with Jasmine.

Here's my most recent hibiscus to bloom inside.

Love jasmine, Meredith. Such a heavenly smell.

The paperwhite scent is strong!! I think indoor plants should have a gentle scent, if that is the way to put it.We really don't have good indoor conditions, although an angel wings begonia has been going strong & has to be cut back again. It was given to me after our oldest daughter was born & was several yrs old then. So it is over 50 yrs old. they are grown more for their foliage.

We cross posted. what a great Christmas color on your hibiscus, Polly.

Thanks. It's just a little off true red, and of course probably won't bloom for Christmas.

Paperwhites stink!

Yes, but they are so pretty. And I guess some are stinkier than others. They just kind of say Christmas to me.

That hibiscus is stunning polly!

What Pixie said!!! How many Hibiscus do you have Polly?

It's gorgeous! Would look lovely blooming for Christmas! Meredith, very nice presentation of the jasmine. I agree about the paperwhites...another scent I don't like is freesia.

Thank you! I have six. I got five of them in a co-op, and had them around my pond, never planning on bringing them in, but just couldn't let them die. But they're all hanging in my bathroom, and it's crowded in there.

I checked and it does have another small bud, so maybe for Christmas.

I have one too, Polly. It's yellow with this cherry red center with a red halo around the center. It's finally getting bigger but hasn't started it's winter blooming yet. Do you have other colors?

Yes, they're all different. I didn't take pictures outside, so will drag them out of the bathroom and get pictures as they bloom. Here's the first one that bloomed.

They all came from the Dupont co-op, except for one I got at Lowes, I think.

Very nice Polly, you must have a large bathroom to be able to keep 6 Hibiscus in there! I don't even have a window in my small bathroom/ laundry room. : (

It's around 14 X 10 or so. We put a bakers shelf in there to hold them. I had them sitting in the whirlpool tub for awhile, and I had to take showers. Only one small window, but there's a skylight, so I think the conditions are good to at least keep them alive.

Oh you poor thing having to take a shower instead of a whirlpool! : ) At least those pretty flowers will help you feel better! ; ) lol

Well, sometimes that whirlpool feels darn good. Especially after digging and dividing a box full of irises at the end of the year to send to someone, ahem. I am a shower person anyway, so it was really no hardship. My granddaughter was not happy she couldn't take a bath the night she stayed, though.

The hibiscus were 7.00 each in the co-op. And at first I thought that kind of pricey, but since they had some different ones I got them. I expected little twigs. They were huge bushes already.

I just can't get any more house plants though, unless we get a greenhouse.

They are beautiful! Worth the price ^_^