How to Plant, Grow, and Care For Flamingo Plants

Flowering houseplants are a wonderful way to bring color and personality to your decor. They brighten up a space in a soft and natural way, bringing an earthiness and purifying the air at the same time. It’s no wonder that flamingo flower is such a popular and widely beloved plant!

If you’re looking for a houseplant with flamboyant and long-lasting flowers, this one has few rivals. While it does have some specific care needs, overall, it thrives under indoor conditions. Let’s take a look at the lovely flamingo flower and how you can care for this plant in your own home. 

What Is It?

Flamingo flower is a type of anthurium plant that can be a bit fussy and difficult to care for. This one, however, is sturdier than some rarer species and easier to propagate, so it’s not nearly as costly. It’s a nice starter anthurium, and as a bonus, it has large, showy flowers that make it a conversation piece in the home.

With more than 1,000 species in the genus, there is a lot of variation between them. A wide range of sizes, leaf shapes, and flower colors characterize this group of tropicals. The flamingo flower is commonly given as a housewarming gift, as a symbol of love and hospitality. 

Characteristics

These leafy, tropical aroids are epiphytic, growing in trees rather than in soil like terrestrial plants. Their roots are accustomed to exposure to the elements, and they prefer a lot of air circulation. This is an important factor to consider when potting them, which we will get to in a minute. 

Large, glossy, heart-shaped leaves build the foundation of the flamingo flower. The blooms are large and flamboyant and come in shades of pink, red, white, and occasionally orange. They are particularly showy for the genus. All anthuriums bloom, but most of the flowers are unremarkable. 

The opposite is true of this species. The flowers are the main selling point. Large and waxy, they consist of a single, large, heart-shaped spathe with a large cream-colored spadix. They are elegant and long-lasting, so they are often cultivated for the floristry trade. 

Native Area

Anthuriums, specifically A. andreanum, are native to tropical rainforest climates in Colombia and Ecuador, where they grow happily beneath the canopy. They are evergreens that like humidity and moisture, but because of their growth habit, they need exceptionally good drainage. Warm to mild temperatures are best, with a range of 60-80°F (16-29°C) being ideal. 

Planting

If you’re lucky enough to call a tropical climate your home, you can grow these in the ground. Their cultivation is primarily for floristry and as houseplants. 

If you’re planting outdoors, wait for the warm months of spring and summer. Indoors, you can purchase them any time of the year and re-pot them as well. Their usual bloom time is in spring and summer, but as houseplants, they can bloom year-round.

How to Grow

Many anthuriums are difficult to care for, and these also have some specific needs. However, flamingo flower is not among the more finicky of the anthurium plants, and it shouldn’t present too much of a challenge as long as you consider its needs.

As with most houseplants, moisture is the most significant issue. Overwatering your anthurium is deadly, as it causes root rot. Underwatering is less of an issue, but a significant need for humidity makes things trickier. Let’s get down to business and talk about how to keep your flamingo flower thriving. 

Light

Considering their habitat, under the canopy in rainforests, they need similar light conditions to orchids, which grow in the same way and in similar locations. Bright light that is indirect or filtered is the ideal condition.

They need light to produce flowers, but direct sun is not good for the foliage, which is prone to sun scorching. A brief amount of direct sun early in the day will typically be fine but try to avoid any direct sunlight. 

Water

These are moisture lovers. After all, they make their homes in the rainforest. They prefer their potting media to remain moist, but too much and their roots can rot, leaving you with a dead plant. 

Expect to water once a week in the summer. Allow the top of the soil to dry to the touch before watering, but don’t let the potting media dry out completely. In winter, they are dormant, so reduce watering, following the same rule. Pay attention to the soil rather than the calendar.

Soil

Loose, well-draining, organically rich soil is ideal for your flamingo plant. Peat moss makes a good foundation for your potting mix. Add organic compost to add nutrients and bark to improve drainage. The same type of soil that other epiphytes appreciate works well for this plant. 

Temperature and Humidity

Your flamingo plant will appreciate a consistent environment with few fluctuations. Slightly cooler temperatures at night are perfectly fine as long as the fluctuation doesn’t exceed 20°. Try to keep it between 60-80°F (16-27°C) for best results. Keep it away from drafts or heating and cooling vents, which can stress it and dry the air.

Fertilizing

Nutrient-rich soil will go a long way for this epiphyte. Because it needs good drainage, fertilizer tends to wash out quickly. It’s best to fertilize weekly, diluting a liquid to about 1/4 strength. Fertilize only during the growing season; fertilizing in winter can burn the roots. 

For strong flowers, use a phosphorus-rich formula. This stimulates flowering and helps the flowers develop. A formula with a ratio of 1-2-1 or similar will bring you the most blooming success. 

Maintenance

Give your flamingo flower a pruning once per year to encourage full and healthy growth. The best time for pruning is just after it finishes blooming. Remove dead and damaged leaves any time you see them. There is no need to wait until pruning time to do this. 

Trim offsets down to the soil or divide them when you re-pot. These can drain nutrients and energy from the parent plant. You can prune for shaping and to enhance the natural beauty of the plant, but stay away from hard pruning. If the plant is leggy, you can hard prune it but expect it to take some time to bounce back. 

Always deadhead spent blooms to redirect energy back into the plant. This will allow the plant to apply that energy to more flowers and new growth. When you remove spent blooms, cut the entire stem down to the soil level.

Propagation

The most popular propagation methods for anthuriums are offsets, division, or stem cuttings. Division is simpler and typically the more successful method. 

Cuttings

To propagate from stem cuttings, you need a node. You need to cut all the way down to the crown of the plant, which is risky. It doesn’t always work, and you cut away a thriving part of the plant, so I don’t recommend it, especially when division is so easy to do and nearly always successful.  

Division

If you give it some time, your flamingo flower will produce offsets, which essentially means it propagates itself into new plants. However, you can also propagate by division any time you re-pot it. It’s a simple process. Here’s how to do it:

Popular Varieties

There are many varieties of flamingo plants to choose from. Here are a few of my favorites.

‘Aren’t You Orange’

	common name ‘Aren’t You Orange’
	botanical name Anthurium andraeanum ‘Aren’t You Orange’
	sun requirements Bright indirect light
	height 12”-18”
	hardiness zones 10-12

‘Aren’t You Orange’ has glossy reddish orange spathes that decorate this variety. Deep green leaves are a nice contrast with the brilliance of the blooms. As they age, the flowers fade to coral and eventually a warm pink shade.

‘Sweet Dream’

	common name ‘Sweet Dream’
	botanical name Anthurium andraeanum ‘Sweet Dream’
	sun requirements Bright indirect light
	height 1′-2′
	hardiness zones 10-12

‘Sweet Dream’ has large leaves that form a lovely canopy and support the wonderful flowers. The blooms are mostly pink, but many have hints of green and white, especially near the base of the spathe. They deepen as they age. 

‘Mystique’

	common name ‘Mystique’
	botanical name Anthurium andraeanum ‘Mystique’
	sun requirements Bright indirect light
	height 1′-2′
	hardiness zones 10-12

‘Mystique’ is a stunning cultivar with leaves that form semi-horizontal layers. Rising above the elongated heart-shaped leaves, the blooms are a rainbow of color. Green at the base, they fade to white and then to pink before a touch of red at the tip.

‘Joli Peach’

	common name ‘Joli Peach’
	botanical name Anthurium andraeanum ‘Joli Peach’
	sun requirements Bright indirect light
	height 12”-18”
	hardiness zones 10–12

‘Joli Peach’ has a taller habit with leaves that grow to all levels. Rather than sitting above the leaves, the flowers sit amongst them. The blooms are glossy and the perfect shade of peach, with a yellow spadix. 

Common Problems

Anthuriums are not low-maintenance in general, but this species tends to be easier to care for than some rarer species. There are a few issues to look out for that will require intervention. 

Pests

Anthuriums are susceptible to all the usual suspects. Aphids, mealy bugs, scales, and thrips can be an issue for these. Thrips, mites, and aphids are best treated initially with a strong stream of water from a hose. Take your plant outdoors to do this.

Pop mealybugs and scale off the plant into soapy water with a cotton swab soaked in 70% or less alcohol. Neem oil is a good product to keep on hand for all of these pests. It’s great for cleaning the leaves of your houseplants, and it does a good job of warding off insects. If you have a serious infestation, horticultural oils work well. 

Diseases

Root rot is the most common issue you will see in these plants. It is nearly always the product over overwatering. Once you notice, it’s usually too late to save it, but in cases where only some root tissue is rotten, trim it off and re-pot it in fresh soil. 

Bacterial blight can also be a problem for your anthuriums. It appears as wet-looking lesions on leaves that turn yellow and eventually brown. Remove any affected tissue as soon as you see it to stem the spread. If your plant succumbs to a raging infection, quarantine it or toss it out and start over.