Plants are offered when in flower, during the late spring and summer months. Once the bracts have formed, and coloured, they should remain on the plant until the autumn. During the summer the plant should be kept in a bright light, preferably direct sunlight, when inside the house or outside. On the other hand, if the atmosphere is too dry the bracts are. apt to fall; consequently, if the room is heated, it is advisable to provide the plant with moisture either by spraying it or by standing it on pebbles in a dish of water (or similar means of providing moisture).
When the bracts have faded or fallen, the plant should be put in the greenhouse, keeping the compost on the dry side, but watering sparingly from time to time. A temperature of 45 - 50° F ( 7-10°C) will suffice during the winter.
In spring repot the plant by removing as much of the old compost from the roots as possible (see pelargoniums for the method of doing this) and potting the plant in the same size of pot, if possible, but if it has grown too large for this then use the next larger size. Use compost E6 or JI No.3. At the same time the plant should be pruned. Cut out all the weak growth and reduce the strong growth by about a third.
If plants are repotted every year they do not really require any feeding, but a fortnightly feed with a balanced liquid fertiliser from mid-summer onwards is beneficial for plants which have not been repotted. After potting the plant should be watered, and from then on keep the compost well watered during the growing and flowering season, but do not allow it to get too wet.
