http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3...l_strobist.jpg

here is a pic of the type of bulb you want. for my vegging plants, I use mostly cool white with one or two of the soft white (soft has an orangeish tint). The more bulbs the better. cfls' are awesome for young plants; they keep them short and bushy because it's a full light spectrum with less heat output.

you can get them at practically any grocery or drug store, but they will be cheaper and there will be a bigger selection with higher wattage if you go to a lowe's or home depot

these points are a fraction of what you need to know to grow decent flowers. Study up on 4 broad areas: lighting, water, soil, and air. THey are the 4 elements of growing.