Easy Care Flowering Houseplants

Houseplants bring life into a room. As ornamental as houseplants are, many also provide health benefits by purifying the air and increasing humidity. Flowering houseplants add another layer of enjoyment, bringing color and maybe even scent into your decor. And you’d be surprised how some can survive on the most minimal attention. Try your hand at growing flowering houseplants or brighten someone else’s abode, with these 8 flowering houseplants that will thrive with minimal care.

1. African Violet (Saintpaulia)

Every home has an African violet in it at some time. They seem to flourish for years and then give out without warning. They are favorites because they don’t require a dormant period and can keep blooming year round. And you can find flowers in shades of purple, white and red.

2. Begonias

You may be used to growing begonias outdoors, but many varieties make excellent houseplants, blooming almost continuously in good conditions. Some of the fancier leaved varieties don’t even need to be in bloom to be color. Look for the fibrous rooted types like wax-leafed, angel-wing and hairy-leafed varieties.

3. Bromeliad

Cherry and tropical, Bromeliads do well in bright light situations. These quirky looking plants are members of the pineapple family. Luckily, most don’t get quite so large, so they make excellent potted houseplants.

4. Chenille Plant, Red-Hot Cattail (Acalypha hispida)

I think both chenille and red-hot cattail are apt descriptions. Few people can resist rubbing the dangling fuzzy, red flowers. It’s a fast grower and a long bloomer.

5. Christmas Cactus (Schlumbergera x buckleyi)

Christmas cactus seem to thrive on neglect. They don’t even need you to manipulate their light exposure to set buds for Christmas blooms. They are especially long lived and propagate easily from cuttings.

6. Clivia or Kaffir Lily (Clivia Miniata)

This amaryllis relative is also grown from a bulb and like it’s cousin, needs to be potbound to flower. Also like the amaryllis, Clivia go through a dormant period before sending up a flower stalk. They’ll need total darkness at night, when they go dormant in late fall. The stalk will sprout anytime from December through April and normal care can be resumed. Flowers are usually some shade of yellow or orange.

7. Kalanchoe (Kalanchoe blossfeldiana)

Many succulents make easy care houseplants, but few look as lovely as Kalanchoe. By the way, the preferred pronunciation is kal-un-KOH-ee, but they look beautiful no matter how you say it.

8. Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum floribundum)

The Peace lily is a great houseplant for the houseplant challenged. I guess that’s why it’s so popular as a housewarming gift. The glossy, dark green leaves are offset by white spathes or bracts that enclosing the tiny flower clusters and look almost like variegated leaves. I’ve heard claims that the flowers are lightly scented, but I can’t say I’ve noticed. Still, how many other plants flower in the shadiest of homes?

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