I realize it's February, but you know what that means, right? Gardening season in much of the gardening world is only a few months away ... and what better way to usher it in than with a pot of primrose. Commonly planted outside, these are also excellent indoor potted plants. Enjoy the blooms while they last, then plant the primrose outside and maybe get a few more seasons out of it. Photo © Nemo's Great Uncle/Flickr

I must be in a strange mood lately, at least based on the plants that have caught my attention. One of them is a cousin of the African violet, the lovely and varied Streptocarpus. These are similar to African violets, but have taller and (if you ask me) more spectacular flowers. The second is a true novelty: the white batflower. These unusual plants look pretty boring, until their exceedingly strange flowers unfurl with bat-like wings and hanging bracts. Both are relatively hard to find, but nevertheless, it's at least fun to read about weird plants. Photo © Scott.Zona/Flickr

I confess that I'm one of those people who have seen Peperomia on the shelves for years, but didn't buy one for inside for a very long time. I thought they were cute and, well, just there. But they really are excellent little desk plants that deserve a second look. They aren't too fussy, and the leaves on the most popular species are more like begonia (although not as showy--Peperomia don't seem to do "showy"). Anyway, if you're making a dish garden, this is your plant.

I must be in a weird mood lately. Yesterday it was bananas and today it's papaya. Clearly, I'm pining for something tropical. I sense a vacation in my future ... Anyway, why not? Why not grow crazy tropical plants in your house? Sure, a papaya won't last very long. It won't grow to maturity. And it won't fruit. But who cares? It's a papaya! And it doesn't hurt that they're basically free--just use the seeds from any grocery store fruit.