Nothing cheers up a room like a bit of bloom. Cut flowers are great, but if you're the green-thumb type (or you're not, but would like to try growing a plant anyway!) give one of these gorgeous houseplants a try.

African Violets

These old-fashioned stand-bys are popular for a reason. They are so cheerful, and, despite their reputation, they're really easy to care for. You can find African violets in every color except for yellow, and in single and double forms. There are even African violets with variegated foliage, so that you have an attractive plant even when it's not in bloom. African violets do best in medium to high light. The number one killer of African violets is overwatering. The key is to let the soil dry out quite a bit between waterings, then set the pot into a tray or saucer of water (bottom watering) so that it the soil gets thoroughly moist again. Watering from the bottom is the best option, too, because watering from the top can result in rotting the leaves of the plant. If your violet is not blooming, try moving it to different spots in the house until you find a spot where the plant starts putting on new growth.

Heliotrope

Heliotrope is generally grown outdoors, but it is actually a wonderful plant to grow indoors. Give it a bright, sunny window, and it will reward you with it's heavenly, vanilla-scented blooms, even in the middle of winter. Heliotrope is generally found in purple or white blooming varieties. While the purple smells wonderful, the fragrance is more pronounced on the white varieties.

Gardenia

Most garden centers and nurseries carry gardenias in their housplant sections now, and with good reason. These easy-care, gorgeous-blooming beauties may be iffy in many parts of the country if grown outdoors, but they do very well indoors. They are not as easy to care for as some other plants, though. They don't grow well with neglect. They require plenty of bright light, even moisture (never allow them to dry out completely) and a fairly high humidity level. The best way to provide humidity is to run a humidifier in the room full time, or set the plant over a dish of pebbles that has water poured into it. The pebbles will keep the pot out of the water (which would rot the roots eventually) but the plant will get plenty of humidity as the water evaporates.

Lavender

Lavender is another plant that people typically associate with the outdoors, but it makes a wonderful houseplant for a bright, sunny windowsill. It doesn't mind drying out a bit (in fact, keeping it too moist will kill it) so it's perfect for those of us who tend to forget to water. When it blooms, your home will be filled with that soothing, fresh lavender scent. Even when not in bloom, the stems and foliage of lavender release that wonderful aroma when touched. It is definitely worth growing.

Orchids

Orchids get a bad rap for being a picky housplant, but it's just not true. Provide them with a nice, bright spot, keep them moist, give them some humidity, and your orchids will be very happy, and will bloom reliably every six months or so. If you have an orchid that isn't blooming for you, move it around as recommended for African violets, above, until it does. One tip: Phaleonopsis, also called "Moth orchids" are the easiest to grow, and they are highly recommended for beginning orchid growers. I do have a word of warning, though: once you start growing orchids, you may find yourself buying more and more of them. Their elegance, beauty, and long bloom period are simply addictive.

There you have it: five gorgeous blooming houseplants.