Eco Gardeners

Blooming Plants to Grow Indoors during Cold Weather Months

Craving some winter flowers? Consider a few of these winter bloomers.

1. Indoor Forcing Bulbs:

• Amaryllis is a favorite holiday season bloomer with big, boldly colored flowers. These can be forced to bloom in time for holiday decorating or a little later during January and February.

• Paperwhites are absolutely the easiest thing to grow, no chilling required, and performing well even if planted in gravel and water.

See below for detailed instructions on how to plant and care for your Amaryllis and Paperwhite bulbs.

2. Houseplant Winter Bloomers:

• Clivia is a rewarding grower with bold orange or yellow blooms. It does best if given a cool, dry period in fall to prime for bloom.

• Christmas cactus is long lived and explodes in wonderful colors including white, fuschia and pink. They may require a short day treatment to set buds.

• Kalanchoe is often sold as a florist plant and can bloom annually.

• Begonia come in popular varieties with patterned foliage as well as sprays of typically soft pink blooms to gently brighten the darkest winter day.

• African Violets are a favorite flowering house plant. There are so many different types you can quickly amass a significant collection. They bloom prolifically on a window sill with indirect light. Serious growers use supplemental lights for peak performance and optimal health.

• Poinsettias are a holiday favorite. They can be easily found in a variety of colors such as white, pink and most popular red.

• Orchids bloom exquisitely throughout the winter. You can usually find prices lower on those that have stopped blooming. Bring them home, revitalize them with an organic feeding to watch them burst with blooms!

All indoor flowering plants thrive from a monthly organic feeding. Try our #1 selling SeaResults Micronutrient Solution with all of your indoor plants and enjoy an abundance of blooms.

3. Outdoor Container Plants Brought Indoors:

• Geraniums will provide a few blooms in winter, although not as heavily as during the summer outdoors since they are sun lovers.

• Impatiens come in double flower or rosebud varieties and will continue to flower once brought indoors. • Miniature Roses require an exceptionally bright window sill or supplemental lighting to bloom well but the extra attention and care are worth the trouble in blooms.

• Violas and pansies simply require a cool windowsill to help them stay compact and blooming indoors.

Here are some easy to follow instructions to ensure your new amaryllis grows and blooms this holiday season:

When to Plant:

You will be forcing your amaryllis to bloom in mid winter instead of at its normal time. The bulb is basically preprogrammed to grow and bloom, so it is easy to do. Allow about six to eight weeks from planting to bloom time.

How to Plant:

Select a container with a drainage hole. Plant the bulb with the pointed end up so it is half covered with soil or planting pebbles. Water generously once, and place in a warm, sunny place. Once it begins to grow foliage, water as needed to keep the roots damp. Turn the pot every day or so to keep the stem growing straight.

Bloom Care:
To keep your amaryllis looking nice as long as possible, cut off faded flowers. When all the flowers on a stem have faded cut off the stem. A big healthy bulb will send up two (or possibly more) flower stems. The flowers last longer if your room temperature is on the cool side. Water to keep moist while the plant is blooming.
Your bulb may begin to grow leaves before, during or after it blooms. That is normal.

After Blooming Care:
When your amaryllis finally stops flowering you have a choice. You can throw away the bulb or you can keep it for next year.

Once your amaryllis has finished blooming and you want to keep it for reblooming next year, encourage the foliage to grow by treating it like a houseplant. You will also need to give it a little rest next fall before bringing it back into active growth.
It takes about five good leaves to energize the bulb to rebloom. The more big healthy leaves your bulb grows, the healthier and stronger the bulb will be and the better it will bloom next winter.
Water to keep the bulb slightly damp. Fertilize regularly with a water soluble complete fertilizer for houseplants such as SeaResults Micronutrient Solution. Give it as much direct sun as possible.
You can set your amaryllis outside for the summer in a location with bright light or morning sun. Continue watering and fertilizing. Keep it in its container so it is easy to move indoors in the fall.

Reblooming:
In mid September, stop watering completely and rest the bulb for about two months. Store it in a dry, dark and cool (not cold) place with a temperature of about 50 to 55 degrees. Some gardeners turn the pot on its side during the rest period. When the leaves yellow and die back, cut them off.
After about eight to ten weeks of rest or dormancy (or if your bulb begins to grow on its own) it’s time to restart the bulb. If needed, repot it now. Use a potting mix or planting pebbles and a pot with drainage holes.
Set it in a warm (70 to 75 degrees) and sunny place and water it thoroughly once. Once it begins to grow foliage, water a bit more generously so it is moist. Turn the pot every day. When it begins to bloom, move the pot to a slightly cooler but still bright location; cooler temperatures help keep the bloom stem short and sturdy and the flowers last longer.
Expect blooms in six to eight weeks. Timing depends partly on growing conditions and partly on the specific variety you are growing — some take longer than others. To speed up blooming, move to a slightly warmer place (75 degrees). To slow it down, keep it cool (65-70). If your plant is tall and leaning, increase the amount of light it receives.
To order Amaryllis and Amaryllis Gift Sets visit us at www.thehappygardener.info

Paperwhites are special daffodils that bloom indoors during the winter months. Paperwhite bulbs produce clusters of small, fragrant flowers that last about a week or two. Most varieties come in white and the popular “Ziva” is white with a yellow center. They make beautiful holiday accents and they couldn’t be any easier to grow!

When to Plant:
For a nice display use at least five bulbs. Plan on about four to six weeks from planting to bloom in fall or they will bloom faster when started later (late November) in about two to three weeks.

How to Plant:
Use a waterproof container with no drainage hole that is at least four inches deep. Fill the container halfway with clean, small stones, gravel, pebbles, or marbles. Set the bulbs on top of the stones with the pointy end up and the flatter root end down. Place the bulbs close together. Fill around them with more stones so they stand up. When you are done, the top third of the bulb should still be visible.

Watering:
Add water to just below the base of the bulbs. The bulbs must not sit in the water or touch the water or they will rot. They will grow roots down into the water. Use your finger to check the water depth. Keep the water level just below the bottom of the bulbs. Place in a sunny window.

Bloom Care:
Keep blooming paperwhites cool to extend flower life. An overheated, dry room makes the flowers fade quickly. In bloom, they do not need as much light as they did before. Continue adding water as needed.
Paperwhite bulbs will not grow very well afterward blooming. Once the blooms fade, discard and buy new bulbs next year.
To order Paperwhite Bulbs and Paperwhite Gift Sets visit us at www.thehappygardener.info