Keeping houseplants is a simple but effective way to brighten up our homes, and they can also bring us a number of physical and mental benefits. From purifying the air we breathe to lifting our spirits when we’re feeling down – and even making us more productive, house plants can improve our lives.
And if you just so happen to fill your home with flowering house plants, you have the additional joy of savouring a riot of colour and fragrance when they bloom.
Speaking of which – here are five exquisite flowering houseplants you may just want to consider adding to your collection of plant babies in the near future.
Kalanchoe
Even if you have never heard of kalanchoes, you are undoubtedly familiar with their glossy green foliage and brightly coloured clusters of flowers. Kalanchoes are a staple of supermarket plant displays, usually housed in small decorative pots and available to buy for just a few pounds.
They make ideal houseplants, particularly for beginner plant enthusiasts, as they are very low maintenance. Simply place them on a bright windowsill, water and deadhead them occasionally, and they will liven up your home for a long time to come.
Corn Plants
Corn plants – also known as dracaena fragrans – are an ideal option for those who have a fondness for larger indoor plants. In fact, they are capable of growing to a height of six feet or more, and, according to research, they can cleanse the air in your home by removing toxins.
If that wasn’t enough to recommend them, these verdant plants can produce clusters of white blooms that bloom in the evenings and perfume the air with a heady fragrance.
These corn plant flowers, as explained by Urban Garden Gal, can last for up to a week and are all the more remarkable because a corn plant can go for years without flowering before suddenly surprising you with its sweet-smelling display.
Orchids
There can surely be few people in the world who are not captivated by the sight of an orchid. In fact, these stunning tropical flowers were once so popular that they fuelled a craze known as ‘orchidomania’ during the Victorian era. Queen Victoria even had her very own specially appointed ‘Royal Orchid Grower’, Frederick Sander, so she would never be short of these exquisite flowers.
These days, we don’t need to send explorers deep into the jungle to bring back delicate tropical plants for our amusement.
Orchids can be purchased from most supermarkets for sometimes as little as £5 and brought home to cheer up an empty east-facing windowsill or a countertop. Water and feed them once a week and they should continue to bloom throughout the year.
Zygo Cactus
Also cheerily nicknamed the ‘Christmas cactus’, these attractive cacti are the perfect houseplant for hesitant beginners who are just developing their green thumbs. Not only are they hardy and very low-maintenance, but they will brighten up your home with their trailing vines and vibrantly coloured flowers. As such, they make an ideal option for hanging planters.
Cyclamen
During the drab grey months of autumn and winter, it can be cheering to have some delicate pops of colour around the house.
Cyclamen will bring eye-catching hues and delicate beauty to your windowsills and are capable of flowering for several weeks if cared for correctly. Even when not flowering, their richly coloured, heart-shaped leaves are an attractive sight to have about the house.
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