Houseplants that Will Last Through the Winter Months
Bookshelf holding plants
If you're anything like me, you absolutely adore the look of having plants taking up almost every corner of your home. The only problem is, you aren't the best at making sure they stay alive. So, for the ones of us that want to grow in our botanist skills, here are a few easy-to-care-for houseplants along with some expert tips to help us out. These beauties should last, even through the chilly winter months!
Heartleaf Philodendron
Sometimes called the heart leaf or even the sweetheart plant, this beauty is known for its distinctive leaf shape. They can grow as falling vines, be trained to climb up trellises or posts, or be trimmed short to keep the plant manageable. Regular trimmings make the plant look more full and bushy, rather than more dangly-looking vines.
They prefer bright indirect sunlight, so a corner in a well-windowed kitchen or living room would do them well. Sweethearts also do well under fluorescent lighting, so they make good office plants. In spring through fall, they prefer their soil to be kept moist. In the winter, their soil should dry out slightly between waterings.
Marble Queen Pothos
I just got a marble queen for my dresser, and I’ve already fallen in love. The gorgeous variegated leaves have the loveliest color contrast, and the plant is so full-formed. One thing to note if you have kiddos or pets who like to eat everything in sight: this plant can be toxic if ingested, so keep it out of their reach!
The pothos prefers infrequent waterings in a drench and dry cycle, meaning that you should allow about 50% of the soil to totally dry out before drenching it in your next watering. They do well in almost any type of indirect light and tolerate most average room temperatures.
Snake Plant
I’ve been told that it’s more difficult to kill these things than keep them alive, which makes them perfect for beginners. Their unique coloring and shape break up the usual plant monotony by adding some reedy vertical height. They only need infrequent watering (once a month in the winter, twice in the summer) and tolerate almost any light level, but prefer steadily bright, indirect light levels. It prefers quick-drying sandy soil to prevent rotting. It can also be toxic to cats and dogs if eaten.
Rubber Plant
Despite the misleading name, these plants aren't literal rubber plants—I'm not telling you to give up on your houseplant dream! They got their name from the tree variant of this houseplant, which creates a sap that is regularly used to produce rubber.
In the summer, these plants like to be kept moist, but through the winter they do well being watered once or twice a month. They love sunny places but prefer their light to be indirect, so close to a thinly curtained window does well for these plants. They will grow as big as their pots allow, so keep it in a slightly smaller pot if you don’t want a ceiling-high bush.
If you want a more detailed guide with more information on the care of each plant, I'll link them down below. Let’s turn our homes into spaces that we love!
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