There are two significant considerations when buying compact fluorescent bulbs for maintaining desktop or tabletop houseplants. They are wattage and color rendition.
Of the two, wattage is more familiar from incandescent lighting days. I would recommend 23 watt CFLs that are equivalent to 150 watt incandescent bulbs. This is a little less than what this 27-watt lamp puts out.
Color is another matter and can be confusing. My preference is what is referred to as "daylight". To my eyes, it is the most natural light to display plants. You may prefer "bright white" or "soft white" which is similar to incandescent light.
Apparently the bulb package color is supposed to guide consumers. Blue signifies "daylight", red is "bright white" and green is "soft white".
I was fooled by this color coding and bought a Sylvania SuperSaver 23 watt CFL in a box with blue printing. It is a "bright white" CFL, not a "daylight" bulb. Caveat emptor!
In some stores, Home Depot for example, you can see the difference in an in-store demo. This is a good idea!
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