Does this blooming thing exist?

August 12, 2005 12:11 PM

I'm looking for seeds for an indoor flower or plant that will grow in about 2 to 3 months. Ideally, this plant should require very little space, not be seasonal, and be easy to grow for amateurs like myself. Does my ideal plant exist on this planet, or am I being completely unreasonable? Any ideas?
posted by reformedjerk to home & garden (9 comments total)

Bamboo & Money plants are hard to kill, since all you have to do is make sure to regularly water them by draining the old water out and filling the vase with new water. No soil required either.
posted by riffola at 12:29 PM on August 12, 2005

Do you want to go from seeds to fully-bloomed plants in 2 - 3 months? That might be hard to do, as many plants take at least a few weeks to germinate (sprout), if not a month or two. I recommend starting with pre-germinated plants so that you have a head start.

More than that, though, I recommend going to the best nursery you can find and asking this exact question. They should be able to set you up with what you need.
posted by boomchicka at 12:48 PM on August 12, 2005

If you're looking for pretty indoor flowers, orchids really aren't as tough as you might think to care for . You do have to water them once a week and let them have some sun, but they do last a few months at times. African Violets have also been called the poor man's Orchid, and they have some pretty flowers.
posted by jonah at 12:48 PM on August 12, 2005

Also, with African Violets, they are very easy (and fun) to propegate by clipping the petals and growing them in water.
posted by jonah at 12:51 PM on August 12, 2005

It's not a blooming flower, but a nice, trimmed, level box of grass has a very clean and pleasing look to it. Good color, nice association.

You'd be surprised how receptive people are to a box of grass in the middle of January in Minnesota. :)
posted by unixrat at 1:45 PM on August 12, 2005

You might be able to pull this off with a seed geranium. There are many colors available. The only non-standard maintenance that will be required is prunning, and then only once or twice a year.
posted by kc0dxh at 1:57 PM on August 12, 2005

unixrat said: You'd be surprised how receptive people are to a box of grass in the middle of January in Minnesota. :)
Ditto that. Grass is really easy to grow. Just throw a bunch of seeds in a container, water a little every day, maybe add a little sunlamp if it's going to be in a shady corner. You can use a nice-looking lamp and just buy a "natural sunlight" light bulb. It helps if the container has drain holes, of course. I grow wheat grass all the time. And I kill plants all the time too. Just not the grass. They make nice centerpieces. Oh, and I live in Minnesota too. It is nice to have real live green stuff during those looooong winter months.
posted by brighteyes at 1:58 PM on August 12, 2005

Bulbs. Forcing bulbs indoors. Easy. Only last 3 weeks - but you can force bulbs once a month and have blossoming plants all winter.
posted by trii at 6:54 PM on August 12, 2005

If you can sacrifice the flowers, try a windowbox full of herbs. Basil and cilantro will both grow happily from seeds indoors given enough light; they smell great and, bonus, you can eat them. Oregano, thyme and mint will also work. You can probably even find little wooden boxes packaged complete with seeds at the hardware store.
posted by mygothlaundry at 8:41 PM on August 12, 2005