Question: What flowering plant can I grow indoors besides African violet?

Answer:Try an easy-care plant in the same family as African violets, lipstick plant (Aeschynanthus sp.). They typically have glossy, leathery leaves and develop red or red-orange blooms that emerge from a tube, thus the name "lipstick plant." These are mostly epiphytes, plants that grow on other plants in nature, rather than in the soil.

They fare poorly in soggy soils and should be grown in a well-drained planting mix and allowed to dry out somewhat between waterings. They make a good sprawling container plant with their trailing stems.

Plants will bloom several times over the year in bright but not direct light.

A commonly available variety is A. radicans "Mona Lisa," which has flowers with interesting purple-brown tubes and scarlet blooms.

These plants can withstand our low humidity and will bloom in the winter, providing welcome interest.

Carl Wilson is a Colorado State University Cooperative Extension horticulturist in Denver. For more information on many horticulture topics, visit planttalk.org.