Anthurium, red candle, flamingo flower: which is easier to grow, and what are the differences?

Many people like to keep a potted plant at home as a decorative ornament, but when browsing the flower market, some plants leave people completely confused, for example anthurium, flamingo flower and flamingo lily; what they have in common is a fairly similar flower shape, so how should flower lovers tell them apart? This article briefly shares some views.

In fact, anthurium, flamingo flower and flamingo lily are different names for the same plant; the flower market gave them several aliases in order to subdivide them by spadix color or by occasion of use. So anthurium is an alternative name for flamingo lily, while flamingo flower belongs to the same genus as flamingo lily; the main difference between the two is that the flamingo flower's spadix is long and curved, like an animal's tail, and its flower stalk is short and soft. The flamingo lily has slender leaf stalks and a yellow spadix, can bloom continuously all year round, and its color is usually red, though there are also variant cultivars such as pink and white.

Generally speaking, flamingo lily can be grown as a potted plant or used as a cut flower, or planted outdoors in the ground in a shaded spot in a garden. Its flower language is festivity and prosperity, and during the New Year and other festivals the public loves to keep some. The key points of daily care are fairly simple: the suitable growing temperature is 18-30°C, the highest temperature it can tolerate is 35°C, and the lowest temperature it can tolerate is 14°C.

As for the light requirements of flamingo lily (anthurium), it likes bright but not direct light; as for watering, the soil is required to be moist but not overly wet, so in summer it can be watered once every two to three days, while in winter the watering frequency should be reduced accordingly. Another little secret for growing flamingo lily is that it especially likes rainwater; if conditions allow, you can collect natural rainwater on rainy days to water it.

Finally, regarding fertilizing: because the surface of the flamingo lily's leaves has a waxy layer, it is relatively poor at absorbing fertilizer, so the clever way to fertilize is to apply it at its roots; the fertilizing time can be chosen for the afternoon during the growing period, at 5 o'clock, applying a fertilizer rich in phosphorus and potassium once a month, but in winter or early spring the number of fertilizer applications should be reduced, and you can choose to fertilize between 9 o'clock and 4 in the afternoon.
Overall, anthurium (flamingo flower, flamingo lily) is an ornamental plant that needs careful attention; as long as you pay attention to the care points above, you can let it grow healthily and show off beautiful flowers.