With the short days and blustery weather, growing flowers probably isn’t the first thing on your mind. Not much that’s alive and green, other than evergreens, can survive the cold winters in Uniontown, but at Neubauer’s Flowers, our florists don’t let the weather stop us from gardening. We’ve put together a list of our favorite plants that bloom in winter to grow indoors.
1. Poinsettia
We can’t have a list of favorite winter flowers and not put the poinsettia at the top. These beauties are traditional for celebrating the holiday season. They make wonderful gifts and will look lovely in your own home, too. While the red and white varieties of poinsettia are the most popular, they come in other, unexpected colors, too, such as pink, salmon, orange, yellow, and a variety of marbled color combinations.
Poinsettias begin to bloom in response to the shorter days of winter. Although lots of people mistake their colorful bracts (leaf-like structures) for their flowers, poinsettia flowers are actually the small yellow clusters located at the center of the bracts. To keep yours healthy through the season, be sure it has plenty of sunlight. Keep its soil moist, but be careful not to let it stand in water.
2. Amaryllis
The amaryllis is probably the second-most popular floral choice for the holidays. Amaryllis has big, bright-red flowers that sprout on top of vibrant green stalks. A bulb plant, amaryllis can be grown again, each year. Just be sure to store your amaryllis bulbs in a cool, dry location once the flowers are spent. Plant again in autumn and expect flowers in six to eight weeks.
Be careful where you display an amaryllis. A cousin of the lily, the amaryllis is poisonous, too, and should be kept away from pets and small children.
3. Cyclamen
One of the most cheerful flowers for winter, the cyclamen’s blooming season lasts from fall until spring. Cyclamens have delicate petals that are swept back into a shooting star-like shape. They bloom in white and just every shade found between pink, red, and violet.
Native to the Mediterranean, cyclamens need as much sunlight as they can get, but they also like to be in a humid environment. It’s important to keep their soil moist. When dormant, cyclamens look like they’re never going to come back. If you’re patient and store yours in a cool, dry location, you can resume watering the fall and enjoy another winter of blooms.
4. Orchids
Orchids also bloom naturally in the winter, as they respond to the dropping temperatures. We love them for their tropical looks and beautiful, vibrant colors. They’re also an incredibly diverse flower family, with an estimated 30,000 species around the world.
Orchids like to have filtered sunlight and a humid environment. If the air inside your home is dry in the winter, you can mist your orchid with water or a special plant spray. Be sure to water regularly, but never let your orchid sit in standing water.
5. Christmas Cactus
The Christmas cactus blooms in response to the length of daylight it receives, which results in Christmastime bloom that you can pretty much set your watch by. We love them for their unusually shaped, tubular flowers that bloom in alluring shades of pink, purple, red, orange, and white. Another great thing about Christmas cacti is that they’re one of few plants that’s completely non-toxic for people and pets. Ingesting any part of the cactus will likely cause an upset stomach, but it’s not going to do any real harm.
Native to the forests of Brazil — and not the desert — Christmas cacti don’t tolerate drought as well as their cousins from hot, dry climates. While they shouldn’t be allowed to sit in standing water, they do need to be watered more frequently. Put yours in a sunny location and get ready to enjoy its winter flowers year after year.
Enjoy Naturally Purified Indoor Air
Cooped up in the winter with your doors and windows sealed tightly shut, indoor air pollution often becomes trapped indoors, lowering the quality of the air you’re breathing when you’re inside. By introducing lots of green plants into your environment, you can actually purify your home’s air in a natural way that will look beautiful, too. When plants breathe, they take in carbon dioxide and breathe out oxygen, which cleans and replenishes your home’s atmosphere. Some of our favorite green plants for air purification include English ivy, spider plants, bamboo palm, snake plants, and dragon trees.
For more tips, tricks, and personalized recommendations for starting your indoor winter garden, we welcome you to stop by Neubauer’s Flowers any time this winter.