Most plants kept as houseplants are native to tropical regions where the conditions are considerably different than the average home. These plants are very adaptable and can flourish indoors in many climates, but they are unlikely to produce flowers unless they're grown in the wild. However, some houseplants like prayer plants can surprise you with blooms. Here are some other houseplants with a higher likelihood of blooming when kept indoors:
There are more than one hundred species of hoya, commonly called wax plant. The hoya carnosa is popular for being easy to care for and producing long vines of thick, shiny green foliage. This trailing species of hoya is more likely to bloom than others, but only when the plant is fully mature. You may have to wait until the plant is at least five years old, but the blooms are stunning: round clusters of star-shaped flowers with a sweet scent. It's even common for multiple flower clusters to appear on the same vine.
Begonias grown as houseplants are typically loved for their colorful foliage, but they can produce flowers in the right conditions. One example is the rex begonia, sporting vivid leaves in a rainbow of color combinations depending on the specific cultivar. Outdoors, the begonia blooming season is from early summer until the first frost, but indoors they can bloom at any time. As long as you maintain ideal temperature, humidity and provide plenty of bright indirect light, you may find your colorful rex begonia producing flowers to add to its beauty.
Oxalis, also called shamrock plant, grows well as a houseplant as well as outdoors. One of the most popular varieties for houseplant enthusiasts is the oxalis triangularis, with its deep purple leaves resembling butterfly wings. Oxalis blooms with tiny white flowers on a seemingly random schedule, but most frequently during the winter months. In the summer, the plant will go dormant, so don't expect any blooming to happen until the weather cools off again.
These are only a few popular houseplants with indoor blooms. If you provide ideal conditions and consistent care, you may find your favorite houseplant surprises you with flowers one day.
I'm John Mahan, Sales Associate with William Raveis Real Estate, Harwich Port Office.
Throughout his childhood, John Mahan spent summers on Cape Cod at his parents’ home in Dennis Port. His intro to the Cape was, as he puts it, when his parents “carried me down the stairs at Sea Street Beach when I was a week old.” With a lifelong connection to Cape Cod, it seemed only natural for John and his wife, Mary, to move to Harwich – where they still reside – with their two young children in 1996.
Prior to moving to Cape Cod, John lived in the Worcester-Auburn area where he worked for Mass Electric for 10 years and was a member of the International Brotherhood of Utility Workers. When John and his family moved to the Cape, he worked at NSTAR for six years.
John began his career in real estate in 2002 when he joined Team Waystack Realty in Harwich Port. He has been a consistent top producing realtor in the Harwich area for the past 20 years. John’s approachable demeanor, combined with an integral understanding of the Cape Cod residential real estate market, have allowed him to build trusting, long-term relationships with his clients – both sellers and buyers.
