Fresh cut flowers in a vase bring color and fragrance to a room, but don’t last long. Living plants, however, can brighten up a space with their blooms for much longer periods–sometimes more than once per year. Here is a basic guide to cyclamen and Christmas cactus, two of the best flowering houseplants to have in your home:

Cyclamen

Cyclamen is a popular flowering plant to grow indoors, particularly for its blooming schedule. While many flowers emerge in the spring and summer, cyclamen are fall and winter-bloomers. The plant has small heart-shaped leaves and upright flowers in a variety of colors including white, pink, red and purple.

Cyclamen needs bright, indirect light during its growing season, but shade and cooler temperatures during the summer months. Water from the bottom of the pot to avoid leaving excess moisture on the leaves, which can lead to rot.

Christmas Cactus

As the name suggests, the Christmas cactus is another winter-blooming plant. There are different varieties with different schedules, each named for nearby holidays (like Thanksgiving or Easter), but all require the same basic care. However, even though it’s called a “cactus” its watering needs are more similar to regular houseplants.

These plants produce long, sectioned arms with bright blooms at the end. Flower colors include white, yellow, red and pink and will last several weeks. To encourage your Christmas cactus to bloom, move it into a shady, cool spot in your home. Doing so will mimic the changing of the seasons happening outside your climate-controlled home environment and allow flower buds to form. Keep watering the plant throughout it’s blooming period to keep the flowers from drying out and dropping.

Both cyclamen and Christmas cactus are excellent choices for brightening up an indoor space with cheerful, vibrant flowers even on the darkest winter days.