It always surprises me how flowers know when to bloom, and the magic of it all is pretty hard to beat.

If it was up to me, I would grow every garden flower on the planet, but then there would be little area for me to survive. Sometimes I imagine being surrounded by flowers, not only during springtime but also all year round. And it is possible to enjoy flowers during the off-season if you know their secrets.

Here are some tips I’ve picked up along the dirt path that work well with outdoor plants coming indoors for a visit during off-season times. We all successfully grow African violets, fuchsias, azaleas, cyclamen, begonias, and so on, for years and years. But the trick is in growing some varieties indoors that we tend to think of as only outdoor plants, such as daisies, day lilies and petunias.

Nothing says spring like bright golden daffodil, so why not make it spring anytime of the year with a few pots of them on your windowsill. Give them lots of bright but indirect or filtered light, and night temperatures between 40 and 45 degrees when you’re getting them to bloom. You can buy plants, already in bud, from any local nursery and grocery market these days.

Daisies are lovely plants, delicate blooms that alert the visual senses. So put a pot of Boston or Paris daisies in your window (they’re actually part of the chrysanthemum family) and their white or yellow flowers will be a happy reminder of spring. They’ll bloom on and off all year long if you give them at least four hours of direct sunlight a day, cool night temperatures and temperatures of 68 degrees or less during the day.

If you like a firm, shiny red petal flower with bright green leaves, you can pretend you’re vacationing in Hawaii. The flamingo flower fits the bill and can be grown in a pot in bright or indirect light, especially if you keep the plant moist and surrounded by humidity.

One of my favorite flowers is hydrangea. I search for the tiny leaves popping up from the ground, while dead sticks can be removed from the previous season. Although their blooms are short-lived (six weeks or so), these snowballs of white, blue, purple or pink are a pretty sight. They’re plump and make a statement like no other flower. They do well in bright but indirect filtered light, and soil that’s kept quite moist.

Hanging impatiens will cause them to trail and vine for a pretty decorating accent. These are perpetual bloomers, easy to grow in almost any kind of light. The blossoms might be red, gold, white, pink, orange or purple, and the plant itself will stay under a foot tall. Give it bright light, filtered light, or shade, and keep it moist and well fertilized, and it will always have flowers.

A plant to watch out for is morning glory. These climbers, if you give them at least four hours of direct sun a day, warm temperatures between 60 and 70 degrees day and night, and dry soil, will take over unless you stake them or give them something to hang onto.

There are so many varieties of petunias that it is difficult to select one special type. If you’re lucky, your petunias will bloom indoors all winter, given the right conditions. Petunias require a minimum of four hours of direct sunlight, night temperatures no higher than 55 degrees, soil that is allowed to dry out between watering, and plenty of plant food.

I’ve always had difficulty with nasturtiums. Once they’ve begun to grow, this plant is delightful in salads and adds lovely color to any landscape. Inside, they’re easy to grow if you put them in a warm, sunny window. They thrive on cool and dry temperature at night and guzzle plenty of water and fertilizer.

Many other garden plants can be grown indoors. Tulips, bougainvillea, hyacinth, jasmine, and gardenia are a few. Basically, the outdoor plants that we focus on during spring thrive on light, cool nights, warm days, and lots of fertilizing. There are no set rules that indoor plants can’t be given a few hours of warm sunlight outside.