STARRY CUPHEA Cuphea byssopifolia

A good bonsai candidate,this small plant is covered almost all year long with tiny star-shaped blooms. C.platycentra, cigar flower,is much-loved  houseplant.

Size: 12-16" tall

Colors: Red,purplish-rose,orange-scarlet.

Light: Filtered sun,or to the side of a bright E or W window; back from a S window.

Water: Keep soil evenly moist. Mist often.

Propagation: Root 6" tip cuttings in spring.

Special Care: Rich potting soil mix is importat. Use African violet soil with double fertilizer added.

BEAUTIFUL FLOWERING HOUSEPLANTS: BROWALLIA browallia

BEAUTIFUL FLOWERING HOUSEPLANTS: BROWALLIA browallia: A beautiful basket of lavender-hued flowers that bloom well all year. Size: 12-18" and more Colors: Blue,some whites. Light: Keep to...

BROWALLIA browallia

A beautiful basket of lavender-hued flowers that bloom well all year.

Size: 12-18" and more

Colors: Blue,some whites.

Light: Keep to the side of a sunny E or W window. Summer out in filtered light.

Water: Keep soil evenly moist or plant wilts dramatically and lose some branch tips,leaves and blooms. Mist very often.

Propagation: Branch tips root well after summer blooming.

Special Care: Pinch back branch tips to keep plant full. Likes to be on the cool side,70-72 F

BEAUTIFUL FLOWERING HOUSEPLANTS: BOUGAINVILLEA bougainvillea

BEAUTIFUL FLOWERING HOUSEPLANTS: BOUGAINVILLEA bougainvillea: Glorious jewel-toned blooms that seem to go on forever-from Crimson Jewel to California Gold. Indoors it blooms more sparsely than in its ...

BOUGAINVILLEA bougainvillea

Glorious jewel-toned blooms that seem to go on forever-from Crimson Jewel to California Gold. Indoors it blooms more sparsely than in its native tropics but in the same beautiful colors.

Size: From inches tall to years long

Colors: White,gold,pink,fuchsia,reds.

Light: Full sun. Use grow light floods at night if blooms are slow to come.

Water: Let soil surface dry a little,then water well. Mist now and then.

Propagation: Root tip cuttings in summer. 

Special Care: Cut back severely in spring and keep pinching back branch tips till July. Summer out in full sun to encourage lots of winter flowering.

BEGONIA

Constantly in bloom and almost indestructible,begonia varieties are endless: showy,big-flowered Reiger hybrids,simple fibrous-rooted begonias like the new "Foremost Pink", lovely trailers and fragrant types.

Size: All sizes,from compacts to giant-leaved rex types.

Colors: White through yellow,coral,pink,red; often brilliantly colored leaves.

Light: A few hours of direct or indirect sun daily. Or,grow under lights.

Water: Keep soil evenly moist. Mist often.

Propagation: Tip or leaf cuttings.

Special Care: Keep tips of wax types pinched back and use these as cuttings to start new plants for outdoor use.

THE AFRICAN VIOLET saintpaulia

Best loved flowering houseplant,it provides year round color. Among the most constant bloomers are "Blue Boy" and it's pink sister

Size: 4" minis to 8" standards

Colors: White,pink,blue,lavender,purple. With contrasting edges,ruffles,in single and double double blooms.

Light: Filtered light in an E or W window, in a N window,or back from a S window except in summer when that's too bright.

Water: Keep soil evenly moist. Mist air around plant often. Grow on wet pebble bed.

Propagation: Leaf cutting root easily in any medium.

Special Care: Rub off tiny plantlets that sometimes grow along stem sides.