Kalanchoe
This houseplant with little orange flowers also comes in shades of red, pink, yellow, and white. You’ll often see Kalanchoe blossfeldiana for sale at the end of winter and into spring. It’s a common houseplant you can find nearly anywhere plants are sold, including grocery stores. Native to Madagascar, kalanchoe is a succulent with fleshy, waxy, and dark green leaves. The small flowers grow in clusters. You can also find double-blooming varieties. Grow kalanchoe in a location that gets plenty of bright sunlight. Avoid overwatering and make sure the soil and container drain well. Let the soil dry out between waterings for the best results.
Clivia
This houseplant with orange flowers is also known as bush lily. Clivia is related to amaryllis and also blooms in winter. Like amaryllis, the flowers grow on tall stems amid long, evergreen leaves. Unlike amaryllis, the flowers are small and clustered rather than large and single. The blooms are deep orange with yellow centers. Clivia doesn’t need full sun, and it likes to be rootbound, so it’s an ideal houseplant. Let the soil dry between waterings. The fleshy root holds a lot of water. Keep your clivia plant cool, provide less water and stop fertilizing it in fall to encourage another season of orange winter flowers.
Orange Star
The orange star houseplant is also known as vase plant and drophead tufted air plant. Guzmania lingulata is an epiphyte and a bromeliad and doesn’t require soil to grow. The common name comes from the reddish orange, star-shaped flowers. The colorful parts of the orange star are actually bracts, modified leaves, not petals. The flowers are small and white and nestled inside the showy bracts. Use a potting mix designed for air plants or orchids. Water only sparingly but keep water inside the cup formed by the leaves to provide some humidity for this rainforest native. Orange star dies after flowering, but look for offshoots you can continue to grow as new plants.
Crossandra
Crossandra infundibuliformis, or firecracker flower, is a native of southern India and Sri Lanka. It is a flowering shrub with glossy leaves and an abundance of blooms that range in color from pale peach to salmon orange. The delicate petals overlap and fan out on top of a tubular base. Although it is a shrub, crossandra does well as a houseplant in a container. Provide bright but indirect light and rich soil that drains well. Keep the soil moist but not soggy. Crossandra will not tolerate soil that is too dry for long. The location should be warm with humid air, so use a pebble tray or mister to keep it happy.
Flowering Maple
For a unique indoor plant with orange flowers try flowering maple, also known as Chinese lantern or Chinese bellflower. More popular in Victorian times, flowering maple is making a comeback. The flowers on this small shrub are shaped like hanging bells and most often orange. You can also find pink or red cultivars. Grow flowering maple like a shrub or trim it into a small tree. Regardless, it does need regular pruning to avoid leggy growth. It’s fairly easy to grow flowering maple in a container inside. Provide it with bright sun and any kind of potting soil. The soil should stay moist through the growing season, but you can let it dry out a little more in winter.
