The short and dark days of winter can be challenging for so many people. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is common for those who live in more northern locations, like North Dakota, where we don’t get a ton of bright daylight in the winter.
Winter house plants, in general, can help lift your spirits through winter and lessen the effects of SAD, but so many houseplants fall into a fairly monochrome spectrum of just green. A lack of color can make everything feel pretty dreary when the days are short and the weather is rather unwelcoming. Winter flowering houseplants can really brighten up our homes and our mood with their vibrantly colored flowers. Having some vivid flowering plants will also give you a little bit of indoor winter gardening to help you get through until spring allows us to start gardening outdoors.
Here are a few of the best indoor winter plants that flower to brighten up your home through the winter.
African Violet is a classic winter-blooming plant that’s relatively easy to maintain, without many problems, and they bloom for months on end. African violets will bloom best if they’re fertilized regularly with a specialized African violet fertilizer.
Anthurium is unique and striking. The colorful and architectural spathes come in shades of red, pink, white, and variegated versions, and they can last for several months! The heart-shaped spathes are held on tall narrow stalks, and they can add a very tropical feel to your home.
Begonia is another option for a houseplant that will often bloom in the winter. Begonia leaves are beautiful on their own, often with interesting colors, patterns, and textures. The flowers are even more attractive and come in a wide variety of colors.
Crocuses aren’t just for the garden. You can grow these adorable corms in pots and have them blooming indoors well before the snow starts to melt. Crocuses require 12-15 weeks of cool and dark dormancy, so to have them blooming in January, you’ll need to put them into cold dormancy at the beginning of October or buy pre-chilled corms.
Cyclamen is another beautiful winter bloomer. These uniquely shaped flowers can last for months and months, and they also have beautifully patterned leaves. The flowers come in shades of pink, red, purple, and white.
Hyacinth is another spring bulb that we often think of as an outdoor plant, but that can also be grown indoors in pots. The cones of beautiful flowers last quite a long time and are just so cheerful. They’re available in pinks, purples, blues, and whites.
Winter flowering houseplants can really brighten up our homes and our mood with their vibrantly colored flowers.
Kalanchoe is often sold around Christmas time, but these pretty flowering succulent type plants will bloom for several months after the holidays. Their little flowers come in a variety of vibrant colors and are relatively easy to care for.
Daffodils are another spring bulb that you can force indoors for blooms long before the snow is gone. Paperwhites are the most common type sold for this purpose. They have tiny little daffodils, usually all white, but sometimes with yellow centers, at the top of tall bloom stalks.
Don’t let the dreary days of winter get the best of you this year. Add some of these bright and beautiful flowers to your home to bring some color and vibrance to your life. Stop by the garden center to soak up a little happy plant ambiance, and maybe add some colorful flowering friends to your houseplant collection. While you settle your beautiful new flowering plants into your home, don’t forget to give the rest of your plants a little TLC, checking them all for any signs of common houseplant pests.