Whether you don’t have space in the backyard for a soil garden or want to grow flowers that don’t live long in your climate, an indoor hydroponic flower garden adds a unique element to your home’s decor. Soilless, hydroponic gardening uses less water than you’d use for a soil-based, outdoor garden and enables you to control the environment that your plants grow in, allowing you to cultivate a wide variety of flowers, fruits, and vegetables. If you want to get started with a new gardening method, try raising these flower species that thrive in a hydroponic garden for an easy learning experience.
Bulbs and Perennials
You’ll find that many flowers that stem from bulbs, which are usually perennials, are easy to grow with hydroponics. Some bulbous flowers that work well in this setting include:
- Daffodils
- Amaryllis
- Lilies
- Tulips
- Irises
When growing bulbs with hydroponics, it’s essential to remember that they all require a dormant period for a healthy growth cycle. After the flower and leaves wilt and wither, keep the bulb somewhere dark, dry, and cool to give it time to grow. Your dormant phase may vary from plant to plant but always tends to be around three months long.
A Special Note About Hyacinths
Hyacinths also grow from bulbs and are likely the easiest to grow using a hydroponic system. However, you don’t need to take hyacinth bulbs out of your growing medium once they enter their dormant state. Some gardeners grow hyacinths in a specialty hyacinth bulb vase that puts the bulb on display as it grows out of its nutrient solution. By using hydroponic equipment to keep your hyacinths healthy, you’ll have more room for flowers and a larger basin of nutrient solution to continuously feed them.
Peace Lilies
Though peace lilies have “lily” in the name, they aren’t related to lilies at all! These elegant white flowers grow straight up, and each has a single pitcher-like spathe wrapping around one side of its spadix. The biggest difference between peace lilies and lilies is the lack of a bulb in peace lilies. Despite this, they work extraordinarily well in a hydroponic system with dechlorinated water. Take care not to overwater them, and you’ll have a beautiful addition to any garden.
A side note: be careful growing peace lilies if you have pets or children, as they are poisonous if ingested.
Carnations
In addition to making lovely corsages for prom or homecoming, the carnation is a flower species that thrives in a hydroponic garden. You can start the plants from cuttings or seeds—if starting from seeds, be sure to use a starter plug before transferring them to your main system. They’ll require slightly acidic conditions and cool air temperatures to stay healthy. Carnations only need five to eight hours of light, which is easy to accomplish with grow lights. With a large variety of carnation colors to choose from, these plants are one of the best to grow if you want bundles of colorful, aromatic flowers at any time of the year.
