Bulbs such as iris and freesias make great indoor flowering specimens .
Sunflowers are annuals that love the plentiful moisture and nutrients of hydroponic systems .
Choosing dwarf and compact cultivars of flowering annuals is a good way to give maximum impact with minimal space .
“ A popular flowering houseplant option includes bulbs , which are readily available to purchase during their dormant season and relatively inexpensive .”
Seed supplies usually state the time to flowering for each annual species so a hydroponic display can be timed for maximum visual effect . Suitable taller annuals include snapdragons , stocks , cornflowers , zinnias , and inpatients while more compact and trailing plants for the front of a display include pansies , violas , petunias , lobelia , and nasturtiums . Taller-growing annuals may require some basic plant support like stakes or flower netting , particularly if the objective is to produce some cut blooms with long straight stems . Restricting plantings to only the short and compact annuals is another way of keeping plants in check without the need to support plants as they develop . Some larger flowering annuals can be grown as specimen plants , either individually or in small groups . These include the ever-popular sunflower , which with a high water and nutrient requirement is well suited to hydroponic conditions . Sunflower cultivars come in a range of colours and heights with compact dwarf varieties only growing to 30-91cm , making them ideal for pots and hydroponic systems . Colours of sunflower now include not only the traditional yellow , but also red , orange , white , cream , brown , and bicoloured . Sunflowers are also a popular cut flower species and can be grown for profit hydroponically .
FLOWERING HOUSEPLANTS
Flowering houseplants fall into two categories : those which are more traditional indoor plants and can be grown long term — including well-known species such as begonias , African violets , cyclamen , kalanchoe , peace lily , gerbera , streptocarpus , and anthurium , and the more temporary houseplants , which are brought into the growing area as they start to bloom and complete the dormant stage of their life cycle outdoors . These include many flowering bulbs that can also be forced to flower out of season . Garden and greenhouseplants such as dianthus , fuchsia , primula , chrysanthemum , and miniature roses are commonly utilised as flowering houseplants for part of the year when in bloom and all thrive under hydroponic cultivation .
50 Maximum Yield