I am moving into an apartment with no balcony, patio, or lawn of any kind. I am looking for flowering plants that will flowe year round, so that there is never a time when that planter, with however many flowers, 1 or 20, doesn't have blooms. I know nothing about gardening. I was thinking about busy lizzies, or the flowering maple. Do those bloom year round? How long do individual blooms last? Are there better flowers for my purposes? I'm 100% open to suggestions. Thanks for having this forum up!

As a side note, I was wondering if it would be possible to grow ivy or a vine inside. I could hang lattice on the wall, with the pot in front of or under the lattice, and let it grow up the lattice, if it would have enough light. It might not be possible for the ivy to get direct sunlight.

I also am not sure yet if the apartment has north, west, east, or south exposure.

Thanks a lot.

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I know nothing about gardening. YAY!

I would do spathiphyllum or anthurium. They do not bloom all the time but will bloom enough to keep you happy.

Keep in mind that blooming takes a lot of energy from a plant. Most plants that blooms a lot fast are annuals. They bloom and die.

Also with using artificial grow lights.. (they can come as spotlights) you can provide almost any kind of lighting. Also things that bloom a lot are messy.

I grow Ivy in my west facing windows, along with violets, philodendron selloum, snake plants. In other windows I grow wondering Jew, Norfolk Island pine, lipstick plants, Christmas cactus, kalancho, spider plants, and ficus too little.

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The Buglady
Suzanne Wainwright-Evans, www.bugladyconsulting.com
Educating the world... one bug at a time

Hi Shane,

You had best find out the light exposure before you make any decisions about which plants to use. Some of the plants mentioned previously must have some direct sun while others must be protecetd from direct sun. Light makes all the difference.

You should also lower your expectations a bit. As Buglady indicated, no indoor plants will flower for you constantly.

Getting indoor plants to climb latticework is a tricky business. Pothos and Hedera ivies will grow fine indoors, but they will not attach themselves to the lattice. You will have to do all the intertwining for them. Then there is the issue of what to do when they outgrow their pots or the latticework. In my experience, they look better grown as hanging plants or spreading out across a windowsill or table.

gosh shane, that is definitely a will question. i do know that african violets will flower for a couple of months and in the right conditions, the blooms will last several weeks. the same is true for spaths and anthuriums. but... you have to remember, all plants live in a cycle that is about a year long. so, it can take up to a year for them to bloom again. many house plants will rebloom if they are fed, due to the artificially stable "weather" conditions, but even they have a form of internal clock that lets them know it is time for rest.

You can probably grow a Phal orchid. Also known as the Moth orchid. they have strap like leaves that hover over the soil. The blooms can last for several MONTHS. Sometimes over 3 months. They like medium light (no sun) and moist but not soggy bark. Feed every other watering with half strength fertilzer. Stunning in bloom. One of the longest blooming plants you'll ever see indoors!

Tom

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My memory's not as sharp as it used to be. Also, my memory's not as sharp as it used to be.

are there any flowers where different blooms on the same plant will bloom at different times, which I can expect to overlap so that flowers are always visible? Or perhaps I can plants a bunch of a type of flowers together so that individual plants will bloom at times that overlap? Sorry I'm so ignorant, but I am trying to consider all my options. Also, any colorful foliage plants? Perhaps that stay colorful (meaning they contain at least some bright colors besides green) throughtout the year? Thanks for your patience.

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I know nothing about gardening. YAY!