Tips and suggestions for growing indoor flowers | Indoor Plants | Gardening Australia

Tammy suggests eye-catching flowers that bloom indoors. Subscribe 🔔 http://ab.co/GA-subscribe
We most often grow indoor plants for their ornamental foliage and there's a good reason. They tolerate much lower light levels than their sun-thirsty, flowering counterparts. But we don't have to miss out on enjoying flowers indoors. Here’s Tammy’s top tips for bringing colourful showy flowering plants indoors.

Phalaenopsis orchids bloom once or twice a year with flowers that last for months at a time. It’s important not to feel disheartened when the flowers start falling off. Your blooming romance can be revived and nurtured. To revitalise the Phalaenopsis flower, Tammy recommends cutting the stem back to the second or third node. This will trigger the plant to sprout a brand-new flower stem. These orchids are epiphytic, which means they have adapted to rugged growing conditions and very free drainage. Pot them up using a specialist orchid mix that has big chunky bark. Fertilise every fortnight over the warmer months with a weak dose of specialty orchid feed to encourage more flowers and healthy roots. In bright, indirect light and a warm humid spot, they will be blooming for years to come.

Bromeliads produce long-lasting flowers from the centre of their rosettes, and they make a great low-maintenance indoor plant. They don't require much sun and only need the occasional water added to the central cup. They are loved for their dazzling foliage, but the flowers are also very striking and a bit alien looking. They can come in fluorescent shades of pink, magenta and neon purple and are truly a unique addition to your home. Most bromeliads flower only once, with the plant surviving a year or two afterwards. However, during this time, pups or plantlets will start to form near the base of the rosette, and these can be detached to form new plants. Bromeliads are epiphytes and need a free draining mix when grown in a pot. Fertilise with a weak liquid feed to keep the plant happy and healthy.

Anthuriums have long been a favourite indoor plant, being some of the longest bloomers of all. They have dazzling colours and big fancy leaves which are all the rage right now. Anthurium is a Greek word meaning tail flower and this is due to the tiny flowers arranged round a fleshy tail-like spadix or spike. It is protected by a spathe that can be bright red, hot pink or even lilac and peach. They need medium to bright light, or they won't bloom, so put them near a sunny window avoiding harsh direct sunlight. Make sure to grow them in a well-draining orchid bark mix to keep them moist but not soggy.

Hoyas flower in the warmer months if you give them at least half a day of bright or dappled light. We often grow them in the shade and wonder why they won't bloom. Some species can take years to reach reproductive age, so if it's not happening, you may have one that's too young. The flowers are also borne on existing flower spurs so don’t ever cut these off. Their stunning bunches of unusual waxy pink, white or yellow blooms are fun to watch unfurl. They also have a strong scent, so expect your loungeroom to be thick with fragrance. Most hoyas are epiphytes, so use a free draining mix and don't pot up again until they burst out of the pot. To keep the flowers coming, apply a control release fertiliser over the warmer spring and summer months.

We can all do with a bit of eye-candy in our homes now and again, so why not invite some dashes of colour indoors so you can appreciate the power of the flower.
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