Using indoor artificial light allows the home gardener to extend the gardening zone to a much higher one than might be possible in their particular outdoor growing situation. There has been a big trend in gardening circles to push the envelope of gardening zones by introducing tropical plants into outdoor gardening situations. It is also easy to grow exotic flowers indoors, when you have the help of great lighting that is available through the use of grow lights using a hydroponic digital ballast.
One type of exotic flower that is readily available for purchase is the orchid. This is a plant that loves the warm weather that is typically found in its native Philippines, India and southeast Asia. Orchids do not like direct sun, but instead prefer bright and indirect lighting. It performs well under fluorescent light. Consistent watering and appropriate air circulation, along with proper lighting, is needed to succeed with indoor orchids.
Another beautiful tropical plant you might wish to try growing indoors is the tropical hibiscus. This plant will get fairly tall, around five feet, and will have lovely three to six-inch diameter blooms. However, the only way this plant is going to thrive indoors is with a proper grow light. The light should be placed at five feet above the floor, and then you set your plants underneath. Fluorescent grow lamps work very well and provide the correct light spectrums required by indoor hibiscus.
Ginger is a super plant to try growing indoors. If given good lighting and protection from the cold it will thrive very nicely indoors. The spiky, vibrant flowers come in pink and red.
A Hawaiian plant that is lovely when grown indoors in a container is the Zebra Costus. The zebra' name comes from the striped black and white two to four-foot canes that the plant produces, and it has a beautiful orange-hued flower.
You might want to try a flowering vine indoors. A Passion Flower could be just the plant you were looking for. It likes indoor temperatures ranging from the mid-fifties to the mid-sixties, and it enjoys a good quantity of indirect light. It also needs good air circulation to thrive indoors. The flowers are a purple/blue shade, and the vine also produces edible fruit after it flowers.
If you are looking for a bright spot of floral color indoors, then you might enjoy growing a bromeliad. Because they do not have an extensive root system, they can thrive in a fairly small pot, and prefer plenty of water but good drainage so the roots don't sit in water.
All of these plants require appropriate lighting, such as would be found with HID lights used with either electronic ballasts or digital ballasts of the galaxy digital ballast variety .
Alison Agnock is an expert in indoor hydroponic gardening methods that use grow light digital ballasts, hydroponic grow lights, and full spectrum grow lights.
