As the days shorten and temperatures drop, the green lushness of summer gardens fades away. Yet, this does not mean your home must follow suit and turn drab. Winter is an opportunity to bring the vibrancy of green life indoors. At Ed's Plant Shop, we believe in the power of plants to uplift and transform spaces, particularly during the winter months when we need it most. Here is our guide to the best houseplants to grow in winter, ensuring your home remains a green sanctuary all year round.
The Magic of Indoor Gardening in Winter
Indoor gardening during winter does not just compensate for the lack of greenery outside; it also benefits our mental and physical health. Houseplants can purify the air, boost mood, and even reduce stress levels. With the right selection, you can enjoy these benefits throughout the colder months.
Best Houseplants for Winter Growth
- Snake Plant (Sansevieria)
The Snake Plant, often referred to as Mother-in-Law's Tongue, boasts an impressive resilience, flourishing with minimal attention. This quality renders it a perfect choice for gardening enthusiasts of all levels, from beginners to the more seasoned. Sporting vertical, blade-shaped foliage, the Snake Plant offers a diverse palette of designs and hues, with leaves adorned in shades from solid green to those accented with yellow margins. During winter, when homes are closed up tight, a Snake Plant can help improve indoor air quality significantly. It is adaptable to low light conditions found in many homes during the darker months and requires very infrequent watering, aligning perfectly with the season's demands.
- ZZ Plant (Zamioculcas zamiifolia)
The ZZ Plant stands out for its waxy, emerald green leaves that can add a splash of color to any indoor setting. This plant is a real survivor, capable of withstanding periods of drought, low light, and general neglect. Its rhizomes store water, which helps it survive without frequent watering, a handy feature during winter when indoor heating can dry out the air and soil quickly. The ZZ Plant is also functional as well as a beautiful addition to your winter home environment.
- Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum)
The Peace Lily is a charming plant that features glossy, dark green leaves and stunning white blooms, resembling a flag of peace – hence the name. These plants are particularly effective at improving indoor air quality by filtering out harmful toxins. They thrive in indirect light and can tolerate low-light conditions well, making them suitable for indoor winter environments where natural light is limited. Keeping the soil slightly moist and providing high humidity will keep your Peace Lily happy and blooming, which can be easily achieved with a regular misting routine.
- Pachira Aquatica 'Money Tree'
The Money Tree is not only admired for its aesthetic appeal, with a braided trunk and lush, green leaves, but also for its symbolic meaning of good luck and prosperity. It is a versatile plant that adapts well to a range of indoor conditions, preferring bright, indirect light but capable of tolerating lower light levels as well. Watering it just when the topsoil becomes dry and providing it with a pebble tray for humidity can ensure it remains healthy through the winter. Additionally, the Money Tree can add a humidifying effect to your indoor space, which is beneficial during the dry winter months.
Aloe Vera is renowned not only for its medicinal properties, providing a natural remedy for burns and skin care, but also for its ease of care as an indoor plant. This succulent thrives in bright, indirect sunlight and has a high tolerance for drought, thanks to its ability to store water in its thick, fleshy leaves. During winter, when the air inside homes can become particularly dry, Aloe Vera continues to grow with minimal watering requirements. Its compact size makes it an excellent choice for windowsills or small spaces, bringing a touch of greenery and health benefits to your winter home.
- Epipremnum Aureum 'Golden Pothos'
The Golden Pothos, with its heart-shaped, golden-hued leaves, is a beginner-friendly plant that excels in adaptability. It is forgiving of neglect, thriving in a variety of lighting conditions from low to bright, indirect light. This versatility makes it especially suitable for the darker days of winter. Its trailing vines can grow quite long, making it an ideal plant for hanging baskets or high shelves, where it will create a cascading green waterfall effect. Besides adding a touch of greenery, the Golden Pothos is also celebrated for its air-purifying qualities, capable of removing toxins from the environment.
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Spider Plant (Chlorophytum comosum) Spider Plant
The Spider Plant is a resilient and rewarding companion for any plant enthusiast. Known for its ribbon-like leaves and the baby spider plants, or spiderettes, it produces, this plant is incredibly easy to propagate, offering endless opportunities to expand your indoor garden or share with friends. It is particularly adept at purifying the air from pollutants, making it a healthy addition to your home. The Spider Plant is tolerant of varying light conditions and prefers its soil to be kept evenly moist, making it a fuss-free choice for brightening up your living space during the colder months.
- Jade Plant (Crassula ovata)
Revered in many cultures as a symbol of good luck and prosperity, the Jade Plant is a succulent that embodies resilience and longevity. Its thick, glossy leaves store water, allowing it to withstand periods without moisture—ideal for winter care when indoor heating can dry out the air. The Jade Plant thrives in bright light, such as a south-facing window, where it can soak up the sun's rays. While it prefers cooler temperatures at night, it adapts well to the average warmth of a home, making it a perfect, low-maintenance winter companion that brings a wealth of positive vibes.
- Rubber Plant (Ficus elastica)
The Rubber Plant is a striking addition to any indoor space, with large, leathery leaves that can add a dramatic touch to your winter decor. It is a robust plant that can adapt to the lower light levels typical of winter months but thrives best in bright, indirect light. The Rubber Plant prefers a consistent watering schedule—allow the top inch of soil to dry out between waterings. Additionally, its leaves can gather dust, so wiping them down regularly not only keeps the plant looking its best but also maximizes its air-purifying capabilities.
- Boston Fern (Nephrolepis exaltata)
The Boston Fern is a lush, vibrant plant known for its shaggy fronds that can add a splash of greenery and a hint of the tropics to any room. It thrives in indirect light and high humidity, making it an excellent plant for bathrooms or kitchens where moisture levels are naturally higher. In dryer environments, regular misting can help keep its fronds looking fresh and green. While it enjoys the moisture, be careful not to let it sit in waterlogged soil. The Boston Fern is not only a beautiful decorative piece but also acts as a natural humidifier and air purifier, making it a fantastic addition to your winter indoor garden.
Philodendrons are a diverse and forgiving group of plants, making them exceptionally suited for indoor winter care. Their adaptability to varying light conditions, from moderate to low, means they can flourish away from direct winter sunlight, which is often scarce. These plants adjust well to the dry air brought about by indoor heating, asking for water only when their soil has dried out significantly. With their lush foliage and sometimes dramatic trailing vines or upright growth, philodendrons can transform any indoor space into a green haven, requiring little from you but offering much in return in terms of beauty and air-purifying properties.
- Cast Iron Plant (Aspidistra elatior)
The Cast Iron Plant earns its name through its almost indestructible nature. It is the epitome of low-maintenance, thriving in conditions that would challenge many other plants. Its tolerance for low light makes it perfect for winter's shorter days, especially in spots far from windows where few plants can survive. Watering is infrequent, fitting well with the busy or forgetful gardener's schedule. Its lush, green leaves provide a constant note of color and life, even in the gloomiest months, making it a steadfast companion through winter.
Anthurium plants stand out with their glossy green leaves and vivid red spathes, resembling flowers, which can brighten any indoor setting. These tropical beauties crave bright, indirect light but will forgive the occasional oversight in care. They enjoy a boost in humidity, making them well-suited to areas of your home where the air is moist, such as kitchens or bathrooms, especially during the dry winter months. Their splash of color is a welcome sight against winter's often gray backdrop, bringing a touch of the tropics and a sense of renewal to your indoor garden.
Orchids are renowned for their delicate beauty and exotic blooms, which can indeed make a statement in your winter indoor garden. Preferring bright, indirect light, they shy away from the direct sun, thriving under conditions that winter daylight often provides. Orchids relish high humidity, a contrast to dry winter air, requiring some attention to maintain the right moisture level through misting or a humidity tray. With their preference for well-draining soil, ensuring proper potting conditions can lead to a rewarding bloom even in the coldest months, offering a challenging yet fulfilling endeavor for the indoor gardener.
- African Violet (Saintpaulia)
The compact and colorful African Violet is a joy to grow indoors during winter. Its small stature makes it perfect for windowsills or limited spaces, where it can receive bright, indirect light without the scorch of direct sun. These plants prefer consistently warm conditions, mirroring their native tropical environment, making them ideal for maintaining indoor when outdoor temperatures drop. Their routine blooming, with little vibrant flowers, can add a cheerful pop of color to your winter days. With a bit of attention to their moisture needs—preferring to be watered from the bottom to avoid leaf spots—African Violets can be a delightful and long-blooming addition to your home.
Calatheas are truly the showstoppers of the indoor plant world, with leaves that look as though they have been painted by hand. The intricate patterns and vibrant colors of their foliage make them a favorite among plant enthusiasts. Preferring indirect light, they are perfect for brightening up those parts of your home that do not receive direct sunlight in winter. Calatheas thrive in high-humidity environments, which can be achieved through regular misting or using a humidifier, making them ideal for counteracting the dry indoor air caused by heating systems. Their fascinating leaf movements in response to daily light cycles add an element of dynamism to your indoor garden, creating a living spectacle that evolves from day to night.
- Chinese Evergreen (Aglaonema)
The Chinese Evergreen is an elegant and versatile plant that brings a sophisticated flair to any indoor space. Its leaves, with their varied patterns and colors, can complement any décor style, from modern minimalist to more traditional settings. Aglaonemas are particularly forgiving, thriving in low to medium light conditions and requiring only minimal watering. This makes them exceptionally well-suited for the winter months when homes may have less natural light and when busy holiday schedules might distract from regular plant care routines. Their adaptability and striking appearance make Chinese Evergreens a top choice for enhancing indoor aesthetics with minimal effort.
Haworthia is a charming, low-maintenance succulent that fits perfectly on windowsills, desks, or shelves, making it ideal for plant lovers with limited space. Its rosette form and textured leaves, often adorned with white patterns, offer visual interest and a touch of nature's artistry to small spaces. Thriving in bright, indirect light, Haworthia is well-adapted to the light conditions found in many homes during winter. Its infrequent watering needs align with the slower growth rates during the colder months, making it a fuss-free companion for those seeking greenery without high maintenance.
- Bird's Nest Fern (Asplenium nidus)
The Bird's Nest Fern adds a vibrant splash of green to any indoor setting, mimicking the lushness of a tropical forest. Its unique, crinkly fronds unfurl from a central rosette, creating a visual texture that is both eye-catching and soothing. This fern is a natural fit for bathrooms or kitchens, where the humidity levels are higher, especially in winter when the rest of the house might be battling the drying effects of heating. Keeping its soil consistently moist (but never soggy) will ensure the Bird's Nest Fern remains a thriving, verdant addition to your home throughout the winter months.
- Prayer Plant (Maranta leuconeura)
The Prayer Plant, with its beautifully patterned leaves that rise and fold in the evening, offers an almost meditative quality to the indoor garden. It is a plant that not only beautifies the space but also engages with it, marking the passage of time in a natural, graceful manner. Bright, indirect light and high humidity are key to keeping a Prayer Plant healthy, making it a great candidate for locations near a kitchen sink or bathroom, where it can enjoy the moisture in the air. The Prayer Plant's need for moist soil complements the care requirements of other humidity-loving plants, allowing for a harmonious indoor garden that brings life and color to the winter season.
Winter: A Time for Indoor Greenery
Integrating these plants into your winter indoor garden not only enhances the aesthetic appeal of your home but also contributes to a healthier, more inviting environment. The diverse textures, colors, and growth habits of these plants can transform your space into a verdant retreat, offering solace and a connection to nature during the colder months.
Care Tips for Winter Houseplants
Caring for houseplants during the winter requires some adjustments to your routine to accommodate the unique challenges posed by the season. Here are care tips to help ensure your indoor garden remains vibrant and healthy even as the outside world hibernates.
The reduced daylight hours of winter can significantly impact the health of your indoor plants. To counteract the decrease in natural sunlight, position your plants as close to windows as possible to maximize their light exposure. However, be mindful of cold drafts that can harm them. If natural light is insufficient, especially in rooms without south-facing windows, consider investing in grow lights. LED grow lights are energy-efficient options that can provide the full spectrum of light needed by plants to photosynthesize and continue growing throughout the shorter days.
Winter brings with it the challenge of dry indoor air, thanks to heating systems that remove moisture from the environment. Many houseplants, particularly tropical varieties, suffer from low humidity, exhibiting symptoms like brown leaf tips and wilting. To increase the humidity around your plants, you can use a humidifier, which will benefit both your greenery and your own comfort. Misting your plants with water can also help, although it is more of a temporary solution. Another effective method is to use a pebble tray. Simply fill a tray with pebbles, add water to just below the top of the pebbles, and place your plant pot on top. As the water evaporates, it increases the humidity around the plant.
The watering needs of plants decrease during the winter, as lower light levels and cooler temperatures slow their growth. Overwatering during this time can lead to root rot and other issues, as the plant's roots can become suffocated by excess moisture. Before watering, check the soil moisture with your finger—if the top inch is dry, it is time to water. Ensure any excess water can drain freely from the pot to prevent waterlogging. Remember, it is better to err on the side of underwatering than overwatering, as most plants can recover more easily from a slight drought.
While most houseplants are adaptable to the typical range of indoor temperatures, sudden fluctuations can be detrimental to their health. Keep your plants away from sources of cold drafts, such as leaky windows, as well as away from heating vents, which can dry them out and cause temperature spikes. Strive to maintain a consistent temperature in your home, ideally between 65-75°F (18-24°C) during the day, with a slight drop at night, which mimics the natural temperature decrease plants would experience outdoors. This stability helps prevent stress and keeps your plants comfortable throughout the winter months.
Winter does not have to be a time of barren landscapes and leafless trees. With the right selection of houseplants from Ed's Plant Shop, your home can transform into a lush, green oasis that defies the cold and dark. Not only do these plants bring life to your indoor spaces, but they also offer health benefits that are especially welcome during the winter months. At Ed's Plant Shop, we are committed to helping you find the best houseplants to grow in winter that suit your lifestyle and space. Whether you are drawn to the easy care of the Snake Plant or the vibrant trailing vines of the Golden Pothos, we have the knowledge and selection to help you create your winter indoor garden.
