🔥 It opens overnight, wakes up just for Thanksgiving!

• 🔥 Gloxinia sylvatica - Bolivian Sunset, is one of those plants that waits for the perfect cool morning and then explodes in red.
• 🔥 The blooms really do show up overnight - bright fire-red, glowing even in deep shade. and blooms all through fall and winter. In Summer it sleeps, then flowers come back in Fall.
• 🔥 It's an easy, water-loving, shade-loving plant that makes a showy holiday ground cover. It stays low, spreads from rhizomes. And if you like sharing plants, this one gives you plenty of starts to pass around during the holidays. Perfect timing, perfect color, perfect seasonal surprise!

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🌸 An heirloom holiday cactus lost for decades: Thanksgiving-to-Easter bloomer

• 🌸 Schlumbergera x New Deal is not your regular Christmas cactus. This is a true heirloom, a variety that vanished from the trade for decades and originally appeared at a rare plant sale at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden back on November 8, 1932 - the same day F.D.R. won the presidency and launched the famous New Deal. The name stuck, and so did the plant’s reputation!
• 🌸 What makes New Deal special? First, the flowers. They are big - about an inch larger than standard holiday cactus blooms – and show up in brilliant violet-pink and white. Second, this variety blooms twice a year, which is why people call it a Thanksgiving-to-Easter cactus. It usually opens a full flush around Thanksgiving and Christmas, then surprises you with a second wave toward spring.
• 🌸 Despite its pedigree, New Deal is easy to grow. It handles normal houseplant conditions, stays compact, and rewards even casual care with heavy blooming.
• 🌸 The plants available today come from 3rd-generation cuttings of an original specimen that's still alive, making this one of the rarest and most authentic holiday cactus cultivars you can add to your collection. A living piece of history - and one of the most generous bloomers for the holiday season!

❄️ How to overwinter the tropical Bird of Paradise

• Strelitzia reginae - the Bird of Paradise is a resilient tropical that can adapt to indoor conditions through winter if given bright light, moderate warmth, and careful watering. With a few preventive steps and timely protection, plants will stay healthy and reward you with vigorous new growth and blooms when warmth returns.

When should you move plants indoors?


Move Bird of Paradise indoors before nighttime temperatures consistently drop below 55F. Extended exposure to cooler air can slow growth and stress the plant. In central and south Florida, this often means late fall; in cooler zones, aim for early to mid-October. Once temperatures fall below 50F, leaf damage and root stress can occur.

What is the right location for a Bird of Paradise in winter, and why?


Place the plant in the brightest spot available - ideally near a south- or west-facing window. Strelitzia reginae is light-hungry even during dormancy. Low light leads to leaf yellowing, weak petioles, and slowed recovery in spring. If natural light is limited, supplement with a full-spectrum grow light set 12-18 inches above the foliage for 12-14 hours daily. Maintain room temperatures between 65F and 75F.

Do you need to do anything before moving them indoors?


Inspect the plant for pests such as mealybugs, scale, and spider mites, which often hide in leaf bases. Rinse the leaves and petioles thoroughly and check the soil surface for insects or snails. Prune off any damaged or aging leaves. If the plant has spent the summer in heavy rain, allow the soil to dry slightly before bringing it indoors to avoid fungus gnats or root issues.

Do plants need watering or feeding during winter?


Reduce watering. Indoors, the Bird of Paradise grows slowly in lower light, and excess moisture can cause root rot. Let the top 1-2 inches of soil dry before watering again. Avoid fertilizing during winter rest; resume feeding in spring when new growth appears. If the air indoors is very dry, increase humidity with a pebble tray or humidifier rather than overwatering.

Can you overwinter Birds of Paradise outdoors?


In frost-free areas of Florida (USDA zones 10-11), they can remain outdoors year-round. In zone 9, occasional cold snaps require protection. Mature clumps tolerate brief dips to about 30°F, but foliage burns easily at low temperatures.

What tips do you have for protecting plants outdoors?


When frost threatens, water the soil thoroughly a day before - moist soil retains heat better than dry. Cover the plant overnight with frost cloth or breathable fabric, not plastic, to trap ground warmth. For large clumps, wrap the base with mulch or straw to protect rhizomes. After cold events, remove damaged leaves but wait until spring to cut deeply, as live tissue below may still recover.

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🐟 When the Goldfish blooms...

• 🐡 If you’ve never seen a Columnea Melissa - Flying Goldfish Plant in full bloom, get ready for a surprise. Columnea Melissa is one of those houseplants that looks almost too whimsical to be real. Its bright orange flowers pop out along long, velvety stems, and every single one looks like a tiny goldfish with wings. When the plant starts cascading, it really does look like a whole school of flying fish drifting through the air.
• 🐡 This plant comes from tropical cloud forests, so it loves humidity, gentle light, and steady moisture. An airy mix, a hanging basket, and a bright window are all it really asks for. Cooler winter temps are fine, just keep watering on the light side.
• 🐡 Give it a kitchen or bathroom windowsill and it will reward you with nonstop color. It’s one of those plants that visitors always point at and say… okay, what is THAT?

📚 Learn more:

• The most colorful houseplant
• This goldfish lives in a pot and Why is it called Gold Fish Plant
• Six colorful plants for your indoor garden

👹 This giant red stared right back at me

• 🌺 Disocactus ackermanni, also called the Red Orchid Cactus, or Jungle Cactus - is one of those plants that surprises you even when you already know it well. It grows like a tropical fern, with flat, leaflike stems that hang and drape from a basket. Most of the year it looks calm and green. Then, without much warning, it opens a single huge, bright red flower that can reach up to 6 inches wide. The color is intense, almost glowing, and the bloom only lasts a short time, which makes it even more special.
• 🌺 Despite being a cactus, it behaves nothing like a desert plant. This species is native to the tropical forests of Mexico, where it grows as an epiphyte in trees. It prefers shade or filtered light, and it enjoys regular watering. No spines, no trouble, just a very unusual growth habit and a spectacular bloom.
• 🌺 The plant usually flowers from spring through summer, sometimes offering more than one flush. When it does, it always steals attention, and it is one of those plants visitors immediately point at and ask about. This makes it a favorite among collectors of epiphytic cacti and unusual hanging plants.
• 🌺 If you grow it in a hanging basket and give it bright shade, humidity, and consistent moisture, it rewards you with one of the most striking red flowers you will ever see!

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