Winter is a beautiful season, but the cold temperatures can be a little hard on indoor plants. No need to despair, though. There are many varieties of plants for cold rooms that can endure the nippy weather.
Learn about the wonderful kinds of cold-tolerant houseplants that will brighten your home despite the onslaught of harsh weather.
This low-maintenance plant features bright green stems topped by elegant, long-lasting blooms.
The festive-looking plant has long, narrow, dark-green leaves that form a fountain-like cascade down to its base.
Its vines can spread up to eight feet or more, and you can find varieties with variegated (look for ‘Marble Queen’) and bright green and waxy leaves (like ‘Neon’).
The common name of Aspidistra elatior gives away its impossible-to-kill nature.
Falling temperatures and cold climates can cause some plants to suffer in the cold but don’t give up the beauty that plants bring to your home so easily.
Provide sufficient exposure to bright but indirect sunlight and moderate watering.
It’s drought-tolerant, slow-growing, and requires very little care. The festive-looking plant has long, narrow, dark-green leaves that form a fountain-like cascade down to its base.
The Swiss cheese plant grows well in areas with low humidity and low temperature.
With this starter list, you’re sure to find a strong winter plant to fit your indoor location and environment. For more… read on.
Winter always promises to again bring higher heating costs to homes and also growers.
This is due to their fleshy, succulent dark green foliage that is jagged at the edges. It helps to grow your Aloe vera plant in a room that is humid and has a high temperature.
Some greenhouses, I’m sure, will close down due to the high fuel cost, and others start bracing themselves for fuel bill shock.
op options would include fern and fern allies. Either way, make sure they get moderate sunlight and are watered at least once a day.
Some greenhouses and homes as well will be running the inside a little bit cooler during the winter season.
Ideally, you should place the Jade plant in an area where it gets ample sun, although it can always withstand low-light conditions.
When you decide to lower the temperatures in your home to help decrease monthly heating bills, what about the houseplants?
Here Are A few Of The Best Indoor Plants For Cold Rooms
Many people are familiar with the “Corn Plant” – Dracaena Massangeana. During these colder temperatures, the “Corn plant” species can easily have leaf damage – mottled leaves and brown or blackened tips.
Some of the cold-tolerant houseplants you can consider include:
Dracaena Marginata is one Dracaena that will handle, the cooler temperatures. Typically, the Massangeana will begin to show leaf burn in the high 50-degree range. The marginata is easy to grow and can generally handle an additional 10 degrees lower. They have cold hardiness USDA zone of 10-12.
Cast Iron Plant – Aspidistra elatior is not called the cast iron plant for anything. The Aspidistra can handle a wide range of temperatures, the 70-’80s down to the 30° degrees Fahrenheit range.
Jade Plant – makes an excellent houseplant for beginners. It can handle a wide variety of growing conditions but needs protection when temperatures drop below 50° degrees Fahrenheit. The Jade plant needs bright light and can survive for long periods without water. The soil should be almost dry before you water it.
Do not over-water, as this will cause root rot. Prune back old growth once flowers have faded to promote new growth; deadheading is unnecessary as Clivia plants reseed readily.
What makes the plant unique is that it can even survive the dark, which makes the houseplant suitable for the winter months.
Snake Plant – has been cultivated for over 250 years. They can survive the most abuse and neglect along with unsuitable growing conditions (even low light), hardy plants could receive. Temperatures below 40° degrees Fahrenheit may cause damage to the snake plant.
Snake plants do best in bright, indirect light but can tolerate lower light levels as well.
Rhapis excelsa – The “Lady Palm” is very similar to the temperature range of the Aspidistra. A slow grower but very sturdy. I’ve seen these house plants grown outdoors and in a garden where the temperature hits the high 20s.
The plant is a little more expensive because of its slow growth, but worth every penny. They can survive lower light, dry soil, and lack of nutrients well, ideal for forgetful plant parents that don’t want to fuss over their houseplants.
Kentia Palm tree – One of the “secrets” of a good quality Kentia is the cooler nights they receive in California.
The cooler nights produce foliage that is sturdy and strong. Indoors they don’t get this same temperature drop, but they can handle it with no problem.
Planting these cold, hardy, and shade-tolerant plants will definitely save you time and cost. You don’t need to heat up your home just to warm the plants, and they can cope easily.
You may still need to provide indirect light to make these potted plants’ green leaves and flowers look healthy, despite the absence of direct sunlight, moist soil, and heat.
DO NOT USE the Majesty Palm (Majestic Palm or Ravenea rivularis) indoors – Find out WHY!
Remember this…
When you lower the temperature in your home, your plants also receive this lower temperature. For you to get warmed up, it’s possible to jump under a blanket—your plants, on the other hand, just …… s l o w d o w n.
What does this mean?
Your plants will respond slower with growth until things warm up.
Here’s my “Grower Rule of Thumb”
- One night below 65° degrees Fahrenheit equals 3 days of growth time.
- Two nights below 65° degrees Fahrenheit in a row equals 1 week of growth time.
- Five nights below 65° degrees Fahrenheit in a row equals 1 month of growth time.
What do I mean by – grow time? This is how long it will take for the plant to get back to active growing.
People assume that a plant’s activity is based upon the air temperature… that is partly correct.
It is the soil temperature that really drives plant growth.
So you also need to check the potting mix temperature and their roots to make sure that they are not affected by frost.
One way to keep your pot plants growing is by keeping the well-drained soil temperatures up. But that’s a subject for another day…