Everyone is familiar with cyclamen, but I adore them because I can get five to six months of more or less continuous blooming beginning in the late fall, and lasting throughout the winter. I purchased the one in the photo a few days after Thanksgiving. Generally, cyclamens have a long first bloom, rest for 3-4 weeks, and then go into an equally lengthy and prolific second bloom.

There are two keys to cyclamen happiness: keeping them cool, and keeping the soil moist. Because I am "blessed" with casement windows dating from 1927, I can easily provide the former until about late May. This plant is in a tiny window facing northwest. Don't let the soil dry out -- the plants will droop, and immediately begin shedding blossoms and leaves.

 I also fertilize with a few drops of Miracle-Gro every second or third time I water. Once these plants go dormant, I generally discard them, though I hear they over-winter well. 

The clivia is even more low-maintenance, though it also needs a slight chill to produce a flower spike. I have it in a room that also faces northwest that rarely gets warmer than 68 degrees in the winter, and is even cooler at night. Unlike the cyclamen, it likes to get absolutely bone dry between waterings, and I fertilize only between April 1-Sept. 30.

This is a relatively pricey plant; last summer, I bought it out of bloom and for half price, and I still shelled out $35. But, I was thrilled when it bloomed so effortlessly the very first year. Not only do clivia like shade, they burn easily in the sun, despite their tough-looking, strappy leaves.

And finally, of course, there are orchids. My doritaenopsis prefers a bit more sun than the other two plants, but needs less than other types of orchids. It seems perfectly happy in an east (medium light) window. 

This little guy is short enough to fit on a windowsill, and will bloom for a good three months. I have my dorit planted in spaghnum moss, and don't water it more than once every three weeks. It seems to like being watered thoroughly, and then drying fully, but not staying dry for longer than a day or two at most.  I fertilize it with half-strength orchid fertilizer every second or third watering.

Dorits are relatives of phaleanopsis, and that means that they also need a cool spell to spike, where nighttime temperatures drop to about 55 degrees. I can achieve this in the winter simply by turning off the heat at night, but you can also try putting your plants outside in the spring or fall, in the shade. Like the clivia, their leaves burn easily.

Has anyone out there had success getting plants to bloom in low light in a warm house?