Winter can be a dreary season if you are someone who loves plants and gardening. Not only is your summer garden dormant for the cold season, but your indoor plants also sense the shift in the weather and begin to slow down. The winter season often becomes a season of maintaining your plants and trying to keep them from dying. If this is where you find yourself, we are going to introduce you to a few plants that actually grow best during the winter season! This way you can have beautiful plants to watch grow and bloom even on the coldest days of the year.
Amaryllis Bulbs
Amaryllis bulbs are very popular plants to grow during the winter, especially around the holidays! Amaryllis bulbs feature large and showy tropical blooms that come in all sorts of colors and color combinations. They can be grown outdoors in warmer climates, but here in Colorado, they are best grown indoors! Simply plant your bulbs in soil or set them in a vase with water and watch them work their magic. You can find amaryllis bulbs at nearly any local garden center, and we sell them in-store and online here at Bath Garden Center in Fort Collins! Shop online today or learn more about how to grow amaryllis bulbs indoors during the winter.
Christmas Cactus
Christmas cactus is a winter favorite for many! These plants have a unique bushy/trailing growth habit and are quite easy to grow. They produce exquisite red, white, or pink flowers in the fall/winter season when there is less daylight. For these plants, just the perfect amount of darkness triggers bloom formation. It is not uncommon to end up with your plant covered in beautiful blooms right around the Christmas season. Christmas cacti are very closely related to the Thanksgiving Cactus and Easter Cactus, both of which also get their names for the approximate time of year you can expect to see blooms. They also have slightly varying leaf shapes, making them fairly easy to differentiate between even when they aren't in bloom. Shop Christmas cactus in-store or online today to get one of your very own winter-blooming houseplants!
Paperwhite Bulbs
Paperwhites, very similar to amaryllis, are a fantastic bulb to grow during the winter season. Also a very popular holiday flowering plant, paperwhites are inexpensive, easy to grow, and are a beautiful decoration! These bulbs can be grown outdoors in warmer climates, but in Colorado, they will grow best indoors. They can be planted in a pot with soil or grown in a vase with water and decorative rocks. Simply make sure they have adequate water and bright indirect light and you will have a plethora of dainty white flowers in no time. If you are interested in growing paperwhite bulbs this winter, check out our blog on how to grow paperwhites and shop for paperwhite bulbs in-store and online today!
Cyclamen
Cyclamen are another beautiful blooming houseplant that is on a bit of a different growing cycle than many of your other tropical houseplants. These beauties have a small and bushy growth habit with leaves intricately decorated with different shades of green. They actually begin to go dormant when the weather becomes hot and dry, only coming out of their dormancy when temperatures begin to cool down. Due to this, they bloom naturally during the fall, winter, and spring seasons. Their blooms can be shades of red, white, and pink, and their beauty is quite unmatched. If this sounds like one of the perfect winter indoor plants for you, then waste no time! Shop cyclamen houseplants at Bath Garden Center today!
Poinsettias
Poinsettias are probably the most popular plant for winter growing. These plants are known for their bright holiday-themed colors that are perfect for the Christmas season! While more often than not these plants are purchased for the holiday season and then discarded, they can be grown year-round, though getting them to re-bloom in subsequent years is a task that is not for the faint of heart! At Bath Garden Center & Nursery, every poinsettia we sell is grown from seed right here in our very own greenhouses. If you would like to learn more about poinsettias and how to care for them during the winter season, check out our blog. We also have tons of poinsettias for sale, so shop with us in-store and online today!
Best Winter Indoor Plants
While the above-mentioned indoor plants are some of the best winter indoor plants due to the fact that they actually come out of dormancy in the winter and bloom naturally during the cold months, there are still many other houseplants that tolerate cold temperatures well and are great for growing indoors throughout the winter season.
Dracaena marginata
Sometimes also called Dragon Trees, these plants feature woody stems and long, narrow leaves that grow like spikes away from the trunk of the plant. These plants start small but can grow to be very large! They tolerate colder weather better than most houseplants, though they still should be kept in an area that stays above 55 degrees Fahrenheit.
Snake Plant
Snake plants are among some of the hardiest houseplants there are. They require minimal water, can survive in low-light conditions, and can tolerate cooler temperatures. These are very slow-growing plants when they are in less than likely circumstances, though they will add consistent, low-maintenance beauty to any corner of your home.
ZZ Plant
ZZ plants are also a low-maintenance option that is tolerant of cooler temperatures. They have deep emerald-green foliage that grows in an upright habit. These plants are also considered to be slow-growing and really are the perfect plant for anyone who wants a live plant with minimal care needs. They require minimal water, can tolerate low light, and do not need to be repotted often.
Jade Plant
Jade plants, among other succulents, are also great plants if you live in an area that experiences cold winters. Since winter will send this plant into dormancy, it will need very little water, will not grow much, and will maintain its current size and appearance. While these plants are more tolerant of colder temperatures than many other winter indoor plants, be sure to keep them in an area that is no colder than 50 degrees Fahrenheit to avoid damage to the plant.
Cast Iron Plant
Cast Iron plants are another indoor houseplant that is tolerant of cooler temperatures and therefore a great houseplant to have if you live in a place that experiences cold winters. Having more traditional leaf-like foliage than the rest of the plants above, it adds a nice bit of greenery to any room. Different varieties even feature different variegations that add to this plant's beauty. These plants can tolerate low light conditions and are somewhat drought-tolerant as well.
Shop The Best Winter Indoor Plants Today!
Now that you know which plants are best for growing indoors during the winter season, stop by the Garden Center to shop our full selection of indoor houseplants! You can also shop a limited selection of our favorite houseplants online. If you want to learn more about houseplants, check out our blog or give us a call anytime.