Better Homes and Gardens recently featured many beautiful flowering plants that you can easily add into your home for some color. Most of them can be found at Walmart, Home Depot, Lowes, Amazon or your local nursery. Here are just five of our favorites that they showcased. I really want to find the Ixora plant.
African violet
Among the easiest flowering houseplants you can grow, African violets bloom several times a year with little effort from you. They come in hundreds of varieties, some with variegated foliage or ruffled or white-edged blooms. African violet likes warm conditions and filtered sunlight, but avoid getting water on the fuzzy leaves; it causes ugly brown spots.
Why We Love It: In a bright window, this plant will bloom almost constantly. It's fun to collect several different varieties with all sorts of flower colors and shapes.
Growing Conditions: Medium to bright light; 65-75°F; keep soil evenly moist
Jasmine
There are many types of jasmine. Flowered jasmine (J. polyanthum) and Arabian jasmine (J. sambac) are two of the easiest to grow; just give them plenty of light and moisture. They'll bear fragrant pink to white blooms on vining plants.
Why We Love It: The beautiful pink or white blooms are some of the most fragrant you'll find on any houseplant.
Growing Conditions: Bright to intense light; 60-75°F, 40-60°F in winter; keep soil evenly moist
Christmas Cactus
Many of the plants sold as Christmas cactus are actually closely related species sometimes called Thanksgiving cactus, which usually blooms a few weeks earlier. Both these plants flower in response to cool temperatures and short days in fall and winter.
Why We Love It: It's an old-fashioned favorite with exotic-looking flowers.
Growing Conditions: Bright light; 70-80°F, 55°F in fall; keep soil moderately dry
Guppy Plant
This African violet relative blooms most in summer, but if it has enough light, it'll flower all year long. Some other species bear their blooms on long stalks that dangle like a fishing line with a goldfish at the end of the line. The arching stems and dangling blooms of guppy plant make it a good choice for hanging baskets.
Why We Love It: How can you not love a plant whose flowers look like goldfish! It's a fun plant for getting children excited about houseplants.
Growing Conditions: Medium to bright light; 65-80°F, 50-55°F in winter; keep soil moderately dry
Ixora
Sometimes called flame of the woods, ixora has orange, red, and yellow flower clusters that almost seem to glow. Its leathery foliage emerges bronze but turns glossy green. A little pruning will help keep the plant compact if the stems become too leggy.
Why We Love It: Its big clusters of orange, pink, red, or yellow flowers are wonderful treats on winter days.
Growing Conditions: Bright light; 65-80°F; keep soil moderately dry
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