Seven Indoor Flowers That are Easy for Beginners

I’m a big fan of keeping houseplants that bloom. It adds a nice pop of color to your décor. If you love the thrill of getting a new leaf on your houseplant, you will equally enjoy it when you get your first flower bud! In this blog, I will give you the run-down on some of the most common flowering houseplants. Some blooming houseplants can be difficult to care for (I'm talking about you, Orchids), but I assure you that there are plenty of indoor flowers for beginners.

African Violets

African Violets are a very popular blooming houseplant. They are a bit finicky about water so they might not be the best bet if you are a beginner. However, I see them at most home improvement stores and even some grocery stores, often for about five dollars. They’re cheap enough to take a chance on if you ask me.

African Violets come in a variety of colors such as purple, pink, red, blue, and white. Some varieties also have leaves and flower petals that are frilly. As I mentioned earlier, African Violets can be particular about water. It’s a good practice to leave your water out for a day or two to allow chemicals from your tap water to evaporate off. This will also ensure that your water is room temperature which is what African Violets prefer. The foliage can get spots from water droplets when you water, so some people water their African Violets from the bottom. This blog from RepotMe has a great explanation on how to water from below if you want more tips.

African violets stay small and are slow-growing, so even if you have small space, it can work. They are also dog and cat-friendly.

Anthurium

Anthuriums, or Laceleaf Plants, have beautiful waxy-looking flowers that last a long time. I would put this one on my easy flowering houseplants list. You can usually find these at most home improvement stores. However, you are likely to only find the red ones at those stores. I think the red variety must be the most common.

Anturiums flowers can be red, pink, purple, blue, and white. As I mentioned earlier the red is the easiest to come by. They prefer bright indirect light. Consider putting your Anthurium in an east or west-facing window with a sheer curtain. They can tolerate low light, but they will grow slowly. Avoid bright direct light that you would most likely get from a south-facing window because that can burn your Anthurium leaves.

Anthuriums get around a foot tall. They are not safe to be ingested by cats or dogs, so be sure to keep them out of reach.

Christmas Cactus

Christmas Cactus is a fairly prolific bloomers when cared for correctly. Mine blooms consistently for around six months a year. There are other holiday cacti, Easter and Thanksgiving, that are closely related and require similar care. All these cacti are easy to come by at home improvement stores leading up to the holidays that they are named after. If it’s not the holiday season, you may need to go to a nursery to get one.

Christmas Cacti actually grow in the rain forest. So while it's technically a cactus, they require more moisture than one tends to think for traditional cacti. They like bright indirect light, think an east or west-facing window. I actually keep mine in a south-facing window but there are a lot of trees and shrubs filtering the light so it isn’t too strong. Unlike desert cacti, Christmas Cacti like humidity. Your bathroom is a great spot for it.

Christmas Cactus is an easy flowering houseplant. They can tolerate low light, but they will grow slowly. When the leaves start to get long enough to hang over the pot, I think Christmas Cacti look great in hanging planters. They are also a pet-safe plant option.

Kalanchoe

For succulent lovers, we have the Kalanchoe. Not all varieties of Kalanchoes bloom, so make sure you’re getting what you want. The blooming varieties are often called Flaming Katy or Widows Thrill. You will most commonly see them available with flowers that are pink, orange, red, or yellow. These might be the most widely available blooming plant on my list. I see them pretty consistently at the grocery store, and of course, home improvement and garden stores have them as well.

They have pretty standard watering and fertilizing needs. When you purchase it, your Kalanchoe will likely already be in bloom (they make them look nice to sell to you). The flowers eventually die off. To get your Kalanchoe to bloom again you will need to give your plant a break from light (maybe in a closet) for about six weeks to trigger blooming. At the same time, you also need to reduce or even cease watering. The stress triggers the blooming.

Kalanchoes are relatively compact and slow-growing, so they will fit in most places. They are toxic to cats and dogs. Keep them up high if you have pets.

Peace Lily

Peace Lilies are often considered one of the easiest plants to care for. This makes them great indoor flowers for beginners. They have large dark green leaves and the flowers are white. Peace Lilies are pretty easy to come by at home improvement stores and garden stores.

They like bright indirect light and do best in an east-facing window. Too much light will scorch your leaves. Peace Lilies like moist soil and have a flair for the dramatic. The leaves will droop to let you know when the soil is too dry. Don’t worry, they spring back once you water them.

Peace Lilies can grow pretty tall and wide so make sure you have the space. They grow very slowly though, so if you get one that fits on your space you don’t need to worry about it getting too big too quickly. They are also toxic to cats and dogs so be mindful of where you place them.

Bromelaid

Bromelaids have a unique flower. They are often called Vase Plant. They’re very tropical looking and remind me of a pineapple. You can often find these at your local home improvement store. The flowers come in many vibrant pink, orange, yellow, and red shades.

They are fairly drought tolerant plants and generally easy to care for. The flower is long-lasting, typically around three to six months. The plant actually dies off after the flower is done blooming, but they usually send off pups (plant offshoots that can be replanted) before they die.

There are a number of varieties of Bromelaids. Some get around two feet tall so make sure you have the space. They are not toxic to cats and dogs, but you probably shouldn’t let your pet nibble on them anyway.

Peperomia

Last but not least is the Peperomia. There are a lot of varieties of Peperomia and not all of them will flower. The flowers are admittedly weird. They are long spikes with a bunch of little tiny flowers on them. I’ve always liked them, but they aren’t for everyone.

If you are looking for a Peperomia that will bloom these flower spikes go for a Rosso, Red or Silver Ripple, or a Frost. I’ve always found Peperomias to be super easy to grow. In my house, they do best in an east-facing window and I get blooms all spring and summer. I think they are one of the easiest indoor flowers for beginners.

Peperomia plants, especially the flowering varieties stay pretty compact. They are also cat and dog safe. I don’t recommend that you let your pet chews on your plants either way because they could ingest fertilizer which could be harmful.

As you can see there are many houseplants that help you bring the blooms indoors. All of these plants are great indoor flowers for beginners. What are your favorite flowering houseplants?