TOP 5 Best Indoor Plants for Winter 🌳 Indoor Gardening Guide

In most areas, winter brings with it freezing weather, snow, and consequently, warmed up households. While healthy plants can keep an otherwise dull house looking amazing, there are not many plants that thrive under winter’s conditions. This is due to the dry air, high-temperature fluctuations, and fewer daylight hours. Due to the increased uptake of indoor gardening among people, choosing the ideal indoor plant for winter can be more complicated than you think.

Ranging from vines to succulents, there are numerous options to choose from. Selecting the right plant ultimately comes down to numerous factors that we will discuss in this guide. Additionally, we will also describe the five best indoor plants you can get for your household today.

Best Indoor Plants for Winter

Christmas Cactus

Pros

• Can thrive both indoors and outdoors
• Easy to care for
• Flowers have a wide range of colors

Cons

• Needs to be repotted every 2-3 years
• Requires trimming to bloom well

The Christmas cactus is native to the jungles of South America. This cactus species blooms once a year with flowers bearing shades of red, orange, pink, white, salmon, yellow, fuchsia, or a combination of colors. During the bloom, the color fest is a marvel of nature, and a sight one can never forget. Being a tropical plant, the Christmas cactus requires sufficient direct sunlight but will still survive in cold conditions. The plant blooms longer under cooler temperatures.

When planted indoors, it is important to ensure that the plant is not directly exposed to the extreme heat coming from fireplaces, furnace ducts, heaters, and radiators. When indoors, place the cactus in an area that receives sunlight, and when outdoors, place it in an area with shade to prevent burning. The plant should only be watered when the surface on top of the soil is completely dried up. To do this, water the pot until the soil is saturated and then drain off the excess water. This will be sufficient until the soil surface becomes completely dried up.

When planting, you will require well-drained soil, preferably a premade cactus mix. If you cannot find this, prepare one by mixing one-part coarse sand with one part soil. The Christmas Cactus also requires sufficient rest to bloom. This includes up to 14 hours of darkness in every 24-hour cycle. Additionally, the cactus requires trimming to encourage blooming and repotting every two or three years.

 

Amaryllis Flowers

Pros

• Beautiful flowers during periods of bloom
• Easy to find
• Extremely easy to maintain

Cons

• Requires a lot of nutrients
• Easily prone to diseases

The Amaryllis plant is native to South Africa and South America. This magnificent flowering plant is ideal for areas that experience extreme temperature fluctuations throughout the year, winter included. The plant is ideal for warm conditions and blooms during the spring and summer. In winter, the Amaryllis can survive the low humidity and warm conditions in most households. Most plants are severely affected by the dry air in most households during winter, but the Amaryllis still thrives.

During the bloom, the plant develops outstanding flowers with stalks stretching up to two feet in height. This beautiful marvel is further enhanced by the vibrant trumpet-shaped flower colors that can be orange, red, white, or pink. If you are fortunate, you may even come across the rare species that have striped flowers. Keep in mind that the Amaryllis is often sold in different configurations. These include the bare bulb, bulb kit with soil and pot, and a potted plant.

When growing the Amaryllis indoors, you will need a pot measuring at least six inches in diameter. You can also plant up to three bulbs in a pot measuring about 12 inches in diameter. The plant requires excellently drained soil, so ensure that your planting pot has holes at the bottom. Watering the Amaryllis is also relatively easy since it only requires watering when the soil surface becomes dried. As the plant grows bigger, it uses more water and thus requires more frequent watering.

If you are looking to brighten your living room during winter, look no further than the Amaryllis. Its relatively low maintenance and unmistakable bright blooms make it the ideal indoor winter flower.

 

Desert Rose

Pros

• Produces vibrant flowers
• Thrives well under indoor dry air
• Can be easily hybridized

Cons

• Highly poisonous sap
• Requires regular watering

The Desert Rose is an extremely slow-growing plant (often growing less than one foot each year). The plant is native to Madagascar, the Middle East, and parts of Africa. This fascinating plant is easily recognizable from its deep pink flowers and succulent, thick stem. Surprisingly, this plant is the only widely-cultivated Adeniums, even if it has been thoroughly hybridized to develop multicolored flowers.

The Desert Rose is an amazing addition to any household during winter. Besides its gorgeous flowers, it’s also able to survive the harsh artificial conditions present in most households during winter. Naturally, this plant sheds leaves during winter but can be forced to stay in leaf by keeping it in warm conditions. There are two main important aspects to keep in mind when caring for a desert rose plant. First, the plant requires regular watering. Secondly, it requires consistently warm temperatures. During winter, you will have to keep it warm by never taking it outdoors.

Conventionally, Desert Roses only bloom in summers and hibernate in winter. However, you can “trick” the plant to flower in winter by maintaining warm conditions while having it in an indoor garden or pot. Keep in mind that this rose has extremely toxic sap and should be kept out of children’s and pets’ reach.

 

Kalanchoe

Pros

• Requires a relatively small space
• Can survive without watering for up to two weeks
• Has nice looking orange, pink, or peach-colored flowers
• Not prone to diseases

Cons

• Sensitive to overwatering and underwatering
• Extremely sensitive to ethylene

Kalanchoes are thick-leaved succulent plants often seen in garden centers and florist shops. Native to Madagascar, the Kalanchoe plant is naturally wild but can be easily potted and grown indoors. These plants love exposure to bright sunlight but will still thrive in winter under warm household conditions. Keep in mind that the plant immensely struggles in cold conditions, so do not forget to switch on your indoor heater.

While being a succulent, the plant stores sufficient water in its leaves to last it quite a while even when the soil dries up. Like most succulents, waterlogged soil will result in the Kalanchoe’s stem rotting. Only water the plant when the surface of the soil, onto which it’s planted, fully dries up. Under most conditions, this is about two weeks. If you are looking for that dash of pink, peach, or orange flowers during winter, why not consider getting a Kalanchoe?

The one biggest downside with this plant is its extreme sensitivity to a lack of water or an excess supply.

 

African Violet

Pros

• Minimal space requirements
• Adaptable to temperature fluctuations
• Has prolonged bloom periods

Cons

• Difficult to maintain
• Not ideal for beginner gardeners

If you have talked to several flower gardeners, you have probably realized that most of them shy away from the African Violet due to its presumably difficult care and maintenance routine. While this magnificent plant does have its quirks, it can also be one of the best-looking plants in a household, especially during winter. To grow the plant, you will need to have a specially mixed growth medium or make yours by mixing equal parts of vermiculite, peat moss, and perlite.

The African Violet produces breathtaking white, purple, or blue flowers when it blooms. If you are particularly fond of any or all of these colors, you should definitely consider getting yourself one of these plants. The tricky maintenance routine mostly involves the watering routine. African Violets are unbelievably picky when it comes to the frequency of watering and the quality of water too. The flowers should be watered using tepid water while avoiding inadvertent splashes that can easily cause foliar spots. Additionally, the plant should not be left to stand in soggy or completely dried-up soil.

Complicated, huh? Worry not; the results are usually worth every effort.
While most experienced flower gardeners will feel right at home with the African Violet, it can be somewhat intimidating for beginner gardeners. If you get the species with dark green leaves, let it sit in as much direct light (even if it’s artificial) as possible. The ones with pale leaves can easily thrive in poorly-lit conditions.

What to Look for When Buying Indoor Plants for Winter

When searching for the ideal indoor plant for winter, there are several factors you should consider to avoid getting frustrated. Ever bought a plant only to realize that it takes five years to bloom? It might have been okay, but if you had expected it to bloom in six months, the frustration is unintelligible. Since different indoor plants have widely varying requirements, here are some of the factors to look out for before ordering that succulent you saw online.

Light Needed

Most plants rely on photosynthesis to grow and therefore require some exposure to natural or artificial light. When buying a plant for winter, keep in mind that sunlight availability is minimal. You, therefore, need a plant that can thrive under artificial lighting conditions or indirect sunshine. Plants that only grow under direct sunlight will struggle immensely in winter and may even experience impeded growth.

Water Needed

Different plants have varying water requirements in terms of frequency and quality of water. For example, the African Violet requires tepid water to thrive while other plants will do just okay with cold water. Additionally, some indoor plants need to be watered once every few days, while others can survive up to two weeks without water. If you are frequently out of the house and might easily forget to water your plants, buy an indoor plant that can survive long enough without water.

Size

You certainly do not want a plant that will outgrow your living room height after a few months. Also, you wouldn’t want a barely noticeable one either. It is important to consider how big the plant grows when fully matured to determine whether your house has the required space. While considering a plant’s size, research its maximum height and breadth, too, since you might purchase one with immense horizontal growth.

Color

Indoor locations are particularly intimate spaces, and most homeowners like to have a say on the colors, fabrics, arrangements, and virtually anything to do with space. If you feel that the only color that goes with your interior décor is pink, by all means, choose an indoor plant that produces pink flowers. The sheer discomfort of having a plant with unsettling colors can be overwhelming and force you to dispose of the plant.

Time to Maturity/Bloom

Most of us purchase indoor winter plants to brighten up an otherwise bland household. With the relative lack of color outdoors, we try to make our indoor spaces as lively as possible. Imagine then, having a plant that only blooms after winter is gone, not very helpful, is it? It is important to find out how long a plant takes to bloom or get to maturity. This will save you potential disappointments during the winter period.

Price

There are almost countless varieties of indoor plants in the modern-day market. As with any other product with almost infinite supply, the prices vary across different sellers. When purchasing an indoor winter plant, please do not spend too much on plants that cannot handle temperature fluctuations since they might become useless in summer. Additionally, avoid extremely cheap ones since there is almost always an underlying issue.

Availability

Your plant of choice might only be available on a poorly-accessible exotic island off the Japanese coast. This can easily result in steep acquisition, transport, logistic, and purchase costs. Unless you are somewhat of a plant collector, choosing an easily-available plant species saves you numerous costs.

Summary

Current gardening trends have resulted in increased interest in indoor winter plants. By considering factors such as water requirements, light requirements, color, size, and availability, you can easily get the ideal plant to brighten up your indoor spaces during winter. The five plants outlined above are certainly among the best ones you can consider.