Four must-have indoor plants for a blooming home

Four Must-Have Indoor Plants for a Blooming Home

Do you want to outsmart winter by blooming and decorating your home with indoor plants? Here are four original and, above all, easy-to-maintain choices to add color to your home.

Remarkable Bougainvillea – Bougainvillea spectabilis

Family: Nyctaginaceae
Origin: Brazil
Type: exotic shrub plant
Growth habit: climbing
Height: 1 to 1.2 m (3 to 4 ft) in cultivation
Width: 80 to 120 cm (32 to 50 in) in cultivation
Foliage: semi-evergreen
Blooming (bracts): pink, red, purple, orange, yellow, white
Exposure: lots of light, sun
Soil: rich, neutral to acidic, light
Minimum temperature: 3 °C
Ideal temperature: above 18 °C
Watering: dry soil in winter, moist soil in summer
Fertilization: regular fertilizer applications keep its beautiful blooming

Rat Tail Cactus – Disocactus flagelliformis

Family: Cactaceae
Origin: Mexico (Hidalgo, Oaxaca)
Type: perennial epiphytic cactus
Growth habit: trailing
Height: 1 m (3 ft)
Width: stem measures 2.5 cm (1 in)
Foliage: has spines
Blooming: dark pink
Soil: well-drained
Exposure: filtered sunlight during summer, but good exposure in winter
Minimum temperature: 3 °C
Ideal temperature: above 10 °C
Watering: cool during summer, but let the soil dry between waterings; little to no watering indoors in winter
Fertilization: a liquid fertilizer once a month

Hybrid Guzmania – Guzmania

Family: Bromeliaceae
Origin: Central and South America
Plant type: perennial tropical epiphyte
Growth habit: upright
Height: 60 cm (2 ft)
Width: 40 cm (16 in)
Foliage: glossy
Blooming: red, yellow, orange, and purple bracts
Soil: well-drained, neutral pH
Exposure: near a window indoors for bright but filtered light, not in direct sunlight outdoors
Minimum temperature: 3 °C
Ideal temperature: above 18 °C
Watering: if the leaves turn yellow and brown, shower the plant; the leaves of this epiphyte plant need to absorb a lot of water
Fertilization: apply fertilizer in the watering water in spring and summer every three weeks

Kalanchoe blossfeldiana – Kalanchoe blossfeldiana

Family: Crassulaceae
Origin: Madagascar
Type: perennial succulent
Growth habit: upright and bushy
Height: 30 to 45 cm (12 to 18 in)
Width: 38 to 45 cm (15 to 18 in)
Foliage: thick and shiny
Blooming: pink, yellow, orange, white, purple, bicolored shades
Soil: well-drained, neutral pH
Exposure: a sunny window
Minimum temperature: 10 °C
Ideal temperature: 18 to 20 °C
Watering: every 15 days and every 10 days if it's very hot, excess water leads to root rot
Fertilization: apply fertilizer every three weeks when the plant is in bloom