Start six months ahead of time to plan for winter flowers and colour in your Conservatory or Glasshouse.

Growing Exotics

Streltzia regina or Bird of Paradise flowers are as exotic as they come. Keep them dry and remember that as part of the banana family Strelitza are ‘heavy’ feeders.
Succulents and Cacti are becoming popular again and the Schlumbergera or Rhipsalidopsis are worth persevering with.
Anthurium thrive at temperatures between 60-72 degrees and at lower light levels than other house plants.

Forcing Bulbs for Christmas

Narcissus Paperwhite are one of the most popular bulbs for indoor growing. Try White Ziva variety from Thompson Morgan.
Hyacinth bulbs give off a tremendous scent that can fill a room. I would certainly give them house room. Start them off in the dark and allow the roots to develop in the cool. Stagger the planting time and grow several varieties so you can have them in bloom from Christmas to April.
Another plant that continues to grow in popularity is the Amyrillis with very showy flowers.

This Anthurium is a different colour to the blazing red that we know from holidays in Maderia. There are a growing number of new varieties to try with good colour variations now available. They are not too hard to grow though as they are vine like it is worth giving them a pole or support to scramble up.

Streptocarpus are more likely to be in flower through much of winter and are worth cultivating. There is a wide range of colours and varieties particularly from Dibleys Nursery. Their close relative the Gloxinia is another indoor flowering plant although it does need a lot of good light.