If you live in the colder parts of the northern hemisphere, you’re all too familiar with the awkward season between the last hard frost and when it’s time to start your seeds for the spring. Sure, you’re secretly relieved not to have to do so much work in the garden, but your green thumb is getting itchy, and you’re sick of all the snow and cold.
These winter-blooming houseplants provide some much-needed colour when all you see is white snow and spring seems oh-so-far away!
General Care Tips for Winter Blooming Flowers
Most indoor plants require a south-facing window, tons of water, and as much sun as possible, right? Wrong! At least when it comes to winter-blooming plants. You’ll find that most winter-blooming plants prefer indirect sunlight, require a period of darkness, or even like cool temperatures. Whichever plant you get, make sure you read the care instructions carefully because your new plant might not like what you think it does.
Indoor Plants for the Winter Gardening Blues
1. African Violet
I once bought an African violet as a birthday gift for my grandma, and that violet just kept growing, coming back better each year. The only reason it died was because she finally got tired of it and tossed it out when it got too big for her house!
If you’re looking for a low-maintenance plant, I highly recommend getting an African violet—especially if you have a north-facing window! They love bright, indirect light and consistent watering, but be careful not to water the leaves, as this can cause brown spots. Watering from below is the easiest way to avoid that. A little humidity is also appreciated.
2. Amaryllis
Your next amaryllis purchase can provide you with years of beautiful blooms at Christmas time. Just make sure you keep it in a cool spot with diffused light over the winter, and take it outdoors during the summer to grow more leaves!
3. Anthurium
Commonly known as laceleaf, anthurium are very easy to care for and can cope with an occasional lack of watering. I had a lovely anthurium plant that flourished for many years, and I highly recommend it as a good houseplant for beginners!
4. Christmas Cactus
Did you know that most of the “Christmas cacti” sold in stores where I live are actually Thanksgiving cacti (like the one pictured below)? In fact, there are three varieties of holiday cacti!
Holiday cacti, including Christmas cacti, don’t need much attention and prefer cooler temperatures. Moderate to bright light is ideal, and they may not bloom if it’s too warm. Water sparingly, as they thrive on minimal moisture. For more tips on caring for a holiday cactus and how to encourage it to rebloom, head over to this post.
5. Clivia
Clivia plants add a beautiful pop of colour during the cooler winter months and require very little watering. Be sure to wait until the soil is completely dry before watering to keep them happy and healthy!
6. Cyclamen
Cyclamen are one of the easiest plants to beat the winter blahs. They bloom indoors in February–just when you feel like you can’t take winter any more, but it’s still too early to start most of your plants. Here’s a good article on how to care for cyclamen by Sarah Raven.
7. Hibiscus
Hibiscus plants thrive in bright light, with some humidity, lots of warmth, and consistent watering. However, they can be prone to aphids. Some readers have had success boosting nutrients by periodically fertilizing with leftover coffee grounds! This tropical plant isn’t guaranteed to bloom in winter, but if the conditions are just right, you might see a bright blossom or two.
8. Hyacinth
Hyacinths are usually spring bloomers but can be easily forced to bloom indoors during the winter months.
9. Kalanchoe
Kalanchoes are a type of flowering succulent that do best in bright light. If you live much farther north like I do, buy one with as many blooms as possible, put it in a south-facing window, and take it outside for the summer.
10. Lipstick Plant
Lipstick plants are so named because of their resemblance to a tube of lipstick. They’re a good choice for crazy plant ladies who tend to forget about watering and not a good choice for those who love to overwater.
11. Paperwhite Narcissi
These gorgeous white daffodils are easy to care for and can even be grown without soil! Paperwhites also have a delightful sweet fragrance!
12. Peace Lilies
Peace lilies are not only beautiful, low-key flowers, but they are also air-purifying plants! They’re fairly easy to grow and prefer humidity and indirect light. Just make sure to keep them away from drafts!
13. Poinsettia
Nothing says Christmas like a poinsettia. Here’s how to keep yours alive until Christmas and what you can do to dress up a plain one for gift-giving.
14. Succulents
Succulents don’t necessarily bloom in the winter, but hear me out. You can get them in plenty of colours other than green, and they come in so many interesting shapes! Succulents need specific growing conditions to thrive indoors. Light is very important, so using grow lights is beneficial in winter when there are limited hours of sunlight. If they have proper lighting, you can pretty much ignore them!
They may not “bloom,” but I feel like a brightly coloured collection of succulents is almost as good. Here’s how to keep them from dying.
15. Wax Begonia
Don’t throw out your Begonias in the fall! Take a cutting or two indoors, where they can bloom year-round with proper care. (Fellow northern gardeners, they might not bloom for us over the winter, but it will save you lots of money to propagate them instead of buying a whole bunch of new ones in the spring!)
Have any winter-blooming plants you’d add to this list? Tell me about it in the comments!
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