Flaming katy is an attractive, compact little plant from Madagascar. It normally flowers in the late winter and early spring for a period of about three months, but new hybrid varieties mean they can now be bought in flower almost all year.
A perennial, although frequently discarded after the blooms have faded, it has crowded bunches of small, tubular flowers in shades of red, orange, pink, or yellow, surrounded by rounded, glossy green leaves with slightly toothed edges.
Size: Height 15 in. (38 cm).
Light: Direct sunlight.
Temperature: Normal room.
Moisture: Keep barely moist.
Feeding: Use standard liquid fertilizer every two weeks while in flower.
Propagation: Not usually done at home because it can be difficult to bring into flower and is so easy to buy.
Special needs: To keep the plant, allow it six weeks rest after flowering, giving minimum water and no fertilizer, and then resume. The subsequent flowering will be erratic, but the foliage is still attractive.