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feature
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care guide to the
top blooming plants |
Here’s what you need to help your customers.
 Customers
prize blooming plants for the great values they are as well as for being
the always-perfect choices for both gift-giving and self-purchase;
however, customers will feel more comfortable making their selections if
they have an expert to guide them.
We’ve gathered care information and reblooming tips for the top-selling
blooming plants. Use this information to help guide your customers to
the right plants.
african violet
saintpaulia
 Light:
Bright, indirect light (no direct sun).
Water:
Keep the potting medium moderately moist. Water when the surface is dry
to the touch, and don’t allow plants to stand in water. High humidity is
essential; surround the pots with damp peat moss, or place them on
pebble trays. Mist lightly with a fine spray only when the plants are
not in flower.
Temperature:
Warm
temperatures—70 F to 75 F during the day and 65 F to 70 F at night.
Availability:
Year-round.
Colors:
White, pink, blue, purple, yellow and bicolors.
Bloom life:
Continuous flowering in proper conditions.
Reblooming:
African violets
are known for their ability to flower at almost any time of the year. If
the plants’ basic needs are met—steady warmth, careful watering, good
light, high air humidity and regular feeding—consumers should have
several blooming periods a year. Dead flowers and damaged leaves should
be removed immediately.
Other:
Water on leaves
and flowers can cause spots, and cold water can cause necrosis (dead
spots), so water carefully with tepid water. Water either right under
the rosette of leaves at the edge of the pot with a narrow-neck can, or
pour water into a saucer underneath the pot, and allow the roots and
growing medium to absorb what they need.
azalea
rhododendron
 Light:
Bright, indirect light (no direct sun).
Water: Keep the potting med-ium evenly moist at all times; don’t ever allow it
to dry out. Water when the surface is dry to the touch, and don’t allow
plants to stand in water. Mist the leaves daily during flowering season.
Temperature: Low temperatures—60 F to 65 F during the day and 55 F to 60
F at night are preferred and will dramatically increase these plants’
longevity.
Availability: Year-round; the plants are most popular January through
April.
Colors: Red, pink, crimson, magenta, salmon, purple and white.
Bloom life: Three to eight weeks.
Reblooming:
After the flowering period ends, move the plants to a cool
room, and continue watering. When the danger of frost has passed, move
the pots to a shady spot in the garden, and feed, water and mist them
until flower buds appear, usually in early autumn. Then bring them into
a cool room until the buds open.
chrysanthemum
dendranthema
 Light: Bright, indirect light (no direct sun).
Water:
Keep the soil moderately moist; never allow soil to dry out. Water when
the surface is dry to the touch, and don’t allow plants to stand in
water.
Temperature: Moderate temperatures—65 F to 75 F during the day and 60 F
to 70 F at night. Keeping plants on the cool side (60 F to 65 F) will
promote longevity.
Availability: Year-round.
Colors:
Many, including purple, lavender, red, pink, orange, bronze, yellow,
butterscotch, white and bicolors.
Bloom life: Three weeks or longer.
Reblooming:
Potted chrysanthemums are difficult to rebloom in the home,
and doing so is not recommended. Instead, advise customers to cut their
plants back and plant them outdoors, in areas shaded from midday sun,
where they will revert to their natural growth habit no later than
summer or fall of the following year.
Photo
courtesy of Yoder Brothers, Inc.
easter
lily, trumpet lily
lilium
 Light: Bright, indirect light (no direct sun).
Water:
Keep the soil moderately moist. Water when the surface is dry to the
touch, and don’t allow plants to stand in water.
Temperature: Moderate temperatures—65 F to 70 F during the day and 50 F
to 60 F at night.
Availability: March and April.
Color: White.
Bloom life: One to two weeks.
Reblooming: As the leaves turn yellow and stems die, reduce watering.
Repot the bulbs in the fall. Keep them cold, dark and moist. When shoots
appear, move the plants to a brightly lit spot. The flowers will be
smaller than those on plants raised from newly purchased bulbs.
Other: To prevent pollen staining, remove anthers on open flowers, and instruct
consumers to do the same.
miniature rose
rosa
 Light:
Bright, direct light; a sunny window sill is ideal.
Water:
Water liberally, allowing the soil to dry out slightly between waterings.
Mist the leaves frequently, and stand the pots on pebble trays if the
room is warm.
Temperature:
Moderate temperatures indoors—50 F to 70 F during flowering.
Availability:
Year-round.
Colors: Many, including reds, pinks, peach/salmon/apricot, oranges, yellows,
white/cream/ivory and bicolors.
Bloom life:
Two to three weeks.
Reblooming: Repot the plants in the fall, and transfer them outdoors,
burying them in soil, if possible. In midwinter, bring the plants
indoors, and remove the top half of the stems. Put the plants in an
unheated room for a week or two before moving them to a heated room.
Other:
Remove blooms as they die, or they will turn into rose hips, which use
energy the plants need to reflower.
Photo courtesy of Nurserymen’s Exchange, Inc.
orchid
cymbidium, dendrobium,
phalaenopsis
 Light: Bright, indirect light (no direct sun).
Water:
Keep the growing medium moderately and evenly moist. Reduce watering in
the winter. Mist the leaves occasionally or place pots on pebble trays
because orchids require constantly humid air.
Temperature: Daytime temperatures of about 70 F in summer and 60 F in
winter; nighttime temperatures should be about 10 degrees lower. Cold
drafts, however, can be fatal, and orchids will not tolerate hot, stuffy
conditions, so provide good air movement.
Availability:
Year-round.
Colors: Many, including white, cream, magenta, purple, lavender, pink, orange,
green, yellow, red, brown and bicolors.
Bloom life:
Weeks to months.
Reblooming:
With proper care, most orchid plants will rebloom. Specific
care instructions for individual genera are available from suppliers and
are easily accessible online at any number of Web sites.
Photo
courtesy of Rocket Farms
poinsettia
euphorbia
 Light:
Bright, indirect light (no direct sun).
Water: Keep the soil moderately and evenly moist; these plants are sensitive to
both drying out and overwatering. Water when the surface of the potting
medium is dry to the touch, and don’t allow plants to stand in water.
Mist the leaves frequently.
Temperature: Moderate temperatures—65 F to 70 F during the day and 60 F
to 65 F at night. Poinsettias are sensitive to prolonged exposure to
temperatures lower than 50 F.
Availability: November and December.
Colors:
Red, pink, peach, yellow, purple, white, cream and variegated.
Bloom life:
Weeks to months.
Reblooming:
Cut the stems to 4-inch stumps, and put the pots in a mild,
shady spot, keeping the potting medium nearly dry. In early May, water
and repot the plants, removing some of the old potting medium. Water and
feed regularly. New growth should appear; remove some of it, leaving
four or five strong, new stems. For eight weeks, starting at the end of
September, keep the plants in total darkness for 14 hours a day,
followed by 10 hours of bright light. The plants should rebloom for
Christmas.
Other: Feed every two weeks with a liquid, all-purpose fertilizer when the
plant is growing.
Photo courtesy of Paul Ecke Ranch
spring flowering bulbs
hyacinth (hyacinthus), tulip (tulipa),
daffodil, jonquil, paper-white
(narcissus)
 Light: Bright, indirect light (no direct sun).
Water: Keep the soil moderately moist. Water when the surface is dry to the
touch, and don’t allow plants to stand in water.
Temperature:
Cool environments—no higher than 65 F during the day and 55 F
to 60 F at night.
Availability:
Hyacinths: December through April.
Tulips: September through May.
Narcissi: November through April.
Colors:
Hyacinths: white, pink, red, purple, blue, blue-violet,
yellow, salmon
Tulips: all colors except blue and green although some bicolor varieties
feature green
Narcissi: yellow, white, cream, orange, salmon and bicolors
Bloom life:
Hyacinths: seven to 14 days.
Tulips: seven to 14 days.
Narcissi: five to 14 days.
Reblooming: Bulbs forced out of season can’t be reflowered indoors.
After the flowers fade, remove them, but continue watering the plants
until the foliage matures. Plant the bulbs outside in the late spring or
fall, before the first frost. They will flower in one or two years
during the spring blooming season.
Other: Hyacinths’ top-heavy flower heads often cause stems to topple; staking
or tying is typically required.
Tulips’ flowers develop rapidly once color is present, so
encourage customers to buy them prior to flower opening (in the green
bud stage) for maximum life.
Daffodils/jonquils should be purchased and marketed in the “pencil”
stage, which is the straight-up position of the flower relative to the
stem.
Photo courtesy of Netherlands Flower Bulb Information Center
Sources: Flowering & Foliage Plants Book 2, by The John Henry
Company; The House Plant Expert, by Dr. D.G. Hessayon;
The Houseplant Encyclopedia, by Ingrid Jantra and Ursula Krüger
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