In this series, we're learning all about houseplants and in this segment, we're going to learn about tropical plants, which are very easy to grow. There are many types of tropical plants that you can grow as houseplants. Pretty much any plant that comes from a warm region of the Earth, can be grown as a houseplant because they like the warm temperatures in your home. All tropical plants must stay in a warm location; they cannot freeze. So when you're selecting plants or places to put them in your home, make sure that you keep them on the inside of the house because even in your entryway sometimes in the winter if you live in a colder climate, they can freeze and you'll lose them. Also, most houseplants don't want direct sunlight because they are houseplants and if you take them inside to outside and put them in the direct sun, they'll be shocked and you'll probably lose a lot of leaves. When taking care of your tropical houseplants, make sure to select a location that has some light in it. If you don't have a lot of light coming into your house, you can place artificial lighting by just putting a lamp or a little night light near it and it will make all the difference. So this plant right here is a tuberose and when I received it as a present, it was in bloom and it smelled glorious. I just loved it. But the blooms have died and the leaves are withering a bit and it's just not doing a whole lot. And most people would probably chuck it, they'd say, "Forget it. It's dead." But I don't kill any plants before their time because I realize a tuberose is actually a bulb. It goes dormant for part of the time. So even in the warm climates, it does go dormant down to the ground and dies back. So when my tropical houseplants die, I realize many times that they're not really dead, they're just dormant. So, it's as easy as throwing it in a little closet near your laundry room or putting it in the corner of your atrium, somewhere where it's not going to be visible or seen and I just leave it there. And I'll add water to it once a month or twice a month just so it has some water. And, sure enough, I bet next year out of the blue, I will get a new tuberose bloom and new foliage and I can bring it back out for everyone to enjoy. So tropical plants make great houseplants but so do flower bulbs. In the next segment, we'll talk about it.
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