Houseplants add a lush green look to a home, but did you know some of them reliably produce colorful flowers during the darkest months of the year. We visited Hicks Nurseries in Westbury to show you a few!

There are thousands of different species of Bromeliads, and most of the varieties you’ll find for sale are the perfect indoor plant. The plants only produce a bloom once before the mother plant produces baby plants along the sides and fades away. The color from these blooms can last for months.

Guzmania lingulata is the most common bromeliad. Also known as the torch bromeliad, it has simple green leaves and then a tower of colorful bracts in red, yellow, peach, orange, or purple. Care is very easy. These plants thrive in a bright room. They get their water from their leaves, not their roots. Soak the leaves in water once every week or every 2 weeks.

Most succulents are grown for their pretty leaves, but Kalanchoe blossfeldiana has beautiful flowers. Succulents have fleshy leaves that retain a lot of water, which means they can dry out for up to 2 weeks and survive!

Florist Kalanchoe is a tiny plant and does best in a bright windowsill, where it will get a lot of sunlight. The blooms will pop up sporadically throughout the year, but are heaviest in the winter when the days are shorter.

This classic plant blooms just about all year long but tends to make a flush of blooms in the winter and again in summer. African violets prefer a north facing window where it gets bright light but does not get direct sunlight.

Water African violets once a week. Make sure not to get water on its fuzzy leaves. Some gardeners will place a tray of water under their African violets once a week for a few hours and let the plant soak water from the bottom, so the leaves stay dry.

Orchids

Phalaenopsis orchids, also known as a moth orchid, are the most common orchid available. They come in countless flower colors and sizes and have long lasting flowers. The plant naturally blooms when it feels a draft from the window and shorter daylight hours, but they can be found in bloom at a local nursery any time of the year.

Typically, the blooms will last for 2 months before they start to fall off and a happy plant will rebloom at least once a year. Orchids are very easy to take care of. Soak the leaves and soil in water once every week or every 2 weeks. Orchids grow in bark or moss and you may have to water more frequently if yours is in the former. Orchids growing in moss require less watering. Make sure your orchid plant is never sitting in water.

Although these are two unrelated plants, both have a similar look and plenty of long-lasting color! They produce flower spathes that rise above the leaves sporadically through the year. Peace lilies tend to bloom more heavily in the winter and anthurium bloom when they sense warmer temperatures as longer days.

Peace lily spathes are white and will fade to green over the course of a few months. Anthurium can have red, white, or pink spathes. These plants are not as easy to grow as peace lilies but can do well in normal household light and temperatures.