Kalanchoe is a small flowering houseplant that is commercially grown to bloom during winter months. Courtesy of Chicago Botanic Garden

Kalanchoes are small bright flowering plants that are commercially propagated so their bloom coincides with the colder months. They have a wide range of flower colors, including yellow, orange, pink, red and white.

They are succulents, like cactuses, and as such, should never be overwatered. Kalanchoes will bloom for a long time, especially if the plant you purchase has lots of buds and fewer open flowers.

Kalanchoes prefer bright light, sparse watering, and no fertilizer while in bloom. Because they are succulents, there is no need to provide extra humidity.

If you want to try to get a kalanchoe to flower again, cut off the flower stalks when all the flowers have dried, and move the plant to a shadier window and reduce watering to force it into a dormant period. When new buds appear, in one to two months, move it back into a location with bright light, resume watering, and fertilize twice a month with a dilute balanced fertilizer.

You can move the plant outside to a partly sunny location in early summer and bring it back inside as night temperatures begin to drop below 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Use a cactus blend mix if the plant needs to be repotted.

• It is best to keep any logs you saved for burning in the fireplace outside until you are ready to burn them, as insects can come in with the firewood. Never treat firewood with an insecticide.

Use properly seasoned (over a year) wood, as it will produce the most heat and the least amount of creosote that will build up in the chimney and create a fire hazard. Dry seasoned wood burns hot and clean.

• Tim Johnson is director of horticulture at Chicago Botanic Garden, chicagobotanic.org.