Winter Houseplants- Tips for success!
It is always difficult in winter to keep the house colourful with plant life. One on the most obvious reasons is the harsh weather conditions and many flowers and plants cannot survive or some don’t even flower over the winter months. However they are a select few of colourful plants and flowers which will bring some joy to you in the winter.
Hyacinths are a very popular plant to have over Christmas as they are very easy to look after; they give off radiant smells and bloom into amazing colours. It is advisable to try and find a cool but bright spot for the hyacinths to flower and watch how easily they can scent an entire room. Once the hyacinths have flowered you can then plant the bulbs in the garden and they will bloom year after year.
Usually producing bright pink and purple flowers the azalea flower is an amazing gift you can give to a friend during the cold months. Keep an eye on the azalea and deadhead it regularly and it should flower for approximately six weeks. It is the perfect plant to use in a cool room. Water sparingly with lime-free water, rainwater is the best option if you can use it, and feed with cold black tea. Try and keep distance between the flower and radiators as they could dry the foliage and this will in turn kill the azalea.
The schlumbergera, better referred to as the Christmas cactus, is a winter flowering succulent that enjoys living in centrally heated homes. The plant requires very little looking after and is not expensive. The flower requires less light than many people expect. To get a successful flower it is best to place it in light for 8 hours then dark for 16 hours. It’s benefits greatly from being misted from time to time.
As well as these flowering plants there are many more which you can purchase for yourself or as a gift to give to your friends to add a little colour in your homes during the short dark days of winter.