Share of winter spent in flower: 4 of 4 window months · Care through the dark months: low, medium (mean of range) · Safe on a windowsill cats can reach: toxic
Flaws, not dealbreakers:toxic to cats
Not for cat households
67/ 100tap for the breakdown
Share of winter spent in flower35 / 354 of 4 window months
Care through the dark months24 / 30low, medium (mean of range)
Safe on a windowsill cats can reach3 / 20toxic
Fragrance5 / 15no published rating
Also great
Close behind on points. Neither beats the winner overall, but each is the better answer in a garden the winner would not suit.
Share of winter spent in flower: 4 of 4 window months · Care through the dark months: medium · Safe on a windowsill cats can reach: toxic
Flaws, not dealbreakers:asks for some seasonal upkeep; toxic to cats
Deer: seldom damaged (Rutgers B)Not for cat households
61/ 100tap for the breakdown
Share of winter spent in flower35 / 354 of 4 window months
Care through the dark months17 / 30medium
Safe on a windowsill cats can reach3 / 20toxic
Fragrance6 / 15light
The protocol
How the score is built
4 rules, 100 points, no opinions. Every line reads one field of the table.
Share of winter spent in flower35 pointsin flower all four winter months 35; three 29; two 21; one 12; winter bloom arrives only via the trade 6 Read from: the months it is in bloom.
Care through the dark months30 pointslow upkeep 30; middling 17; demanding 5; sources disagree, we average the range; no rating 15 Read from: how much upkeep extension guides report.
Safe on a windowsill cats can reach20 pointslisted non-toxic 20; never evaluated 10; toxic 3 Read from: the ASPCA toxicity listing.
Fragrance15 pointsroom-filling scent 15; noticeable up close 11; light 6; documented scentless 4; sources silent 5 Read from: how strong the scent is on record.
Not ranked here: not a true year-round houseplant; no documented flowering through the winter months.
The full method ↗
The leaderboard
The top ten
The 10 highest of 12 that qualified. Tap any score to open the lines behind it.
Share of winter spent in flower12 / 351 of 4 window months
Care through the dark months17 / 30medium
Safe on a windowsill cats can reach3 / 20toxic
Fragrance5 / 15no published rating
Considered, not chosen
Not qualifying is a verdict too: the table simply says this question is not theirs.
not a true year-round houseplantRoses, Tulips, Peonies and 66 more
no documented flowering through the winter monthsBegonia, Campanula, Geranium and 1 more
The winner's badge
Generated by the ranking above, and re-scored whenever the table changes.
Christmas Cactus
The badge is generated by this ranking, not awarded by hand. When the
table changes, it re-scores itself.
How we rank
We keep one table of 85 flowers,
with 25 documented facts each, drawn from university and extension sources. Every ranking is
a published formula worth 100 points; tap any score and it unfolds into the lines that made
it. A flower that does not fit the question is not scored lower: it is excluded, and the reason is
shown. When the table changes, every score and stamp updates itself.
The full method ↗
