I Added These 7 Colorful Houseplants to My Home – and Winter Instantly Felt Brighter

There are many benefits of keeping houseplants, from purifying the air to increasing humidity and adding natural beauty to indoor spaces. Houseplants can also be good for your mental health. Being around green plants reduces stress and boosts mood.

The mental health benefits of houseplants are never more important than in winter, when many people experience lower moods. Colorful houseplants can bring life and variety to an otherwise dreary winter and brighten not only your home, but your mood as well.

I used my years of gardening experience to compile a list of the most cheerful and colorful houseplants for winter. These picks are sure to bring an instant sense of warmth and joy into your home. Let's take a look at the colorful houseplants that brighten my home each winter.

1. Amaryllis

Amaryllis is a great choice because it blooms with big, bright, and spectacular flowers in the middle of winter. Amaryllis bulbs sprout strong, tall stalks, on top of which bloom a cluster of large flowers, often in bright red but also in shades of deep red, apricot, pink, and white.

Plant an amaryllis bulb in a pot that is about an inch (2.5 cm) wider than the bulb. The top of the bulb should be above the soil level. Water regularly using high phosphorus fertilizer, like this one from Miracle-Gro, to encourage blooms. Give the bulbs a sunny spot and wait for your winter flowers to unfurl.

Shop stunning amaryllis bulbs from the Home Depot.

2. Anthurium

Anthurium, like amaryllis, produces large, striking blooms. Also known as flamingo flowers, the blooms consist of red or yellow spikes with large, waxy, heart-shaped spathes around them. The spathes can be red, pink, or white.

You’ll enjoy growing anthurium indoors because you can make it bloom several times a year, including in winter. It needs a pot with good drainage and a light potting mix, similar to what you would use for orchids. This orchid potting mix from Amazon will suit an anthurium's needs well.

Place your houseplant in a spot that gets at least six hours of bright, indirect light. Keep the soil lightly moist and feed with a high phosphorus fertilizer to promote flowering.

Get an anthurium in a beautiful terracotta pot at the Home Depot.

3. Christmas Cactus

This is another favorite houseplant for winter cheer. Christmas cactus blooms in winter with a multitude of red, pink, white, or purple flowers on fleshy, arching stems. Cacti are fun to grow indoors in winter because they remind you of warmer climates.

Christmas cactus is easy to grow. Just be sure it only gets indirect light and that the soil never gets soggy. Use a pot with good drainage and a sandy soil or cactus potting mix, like this one from Amazon that's specifically designed for Christmas cacti. Fertilize your Christmas cactus regularly until it starts to flower. Start feeding it again after the flowers fade.

Shop live Christmas cactus plants on Amazon.

4. Bromeliad

Bromeliads are epiphytes, like air plants, and are native to tropical regions primarily. They look tropical, too, with green lance-shaped leaves and dramatic, bright flowers. The flowers grow in rosettes and can be red, yellow, pink, or orange. They typically only bloom once a year, but last a long time.

There is a lot of variety in terms of lighting for bromeliads, so be sure you know the needs of the type you choose. All of them need a light potting mix that drains well. You should only water bromeliads once the soil has totally dried.

Get a gorgeous bromeliad from Costa Farms on Amazon.

5. Philodendron

Philodendrons are some of the easiest and most forgiving houseplants, so they're a great starting plant for newbies. Just be sure they get indirect light and regular watering.

While the this houseplant doesn’t flower spectacularly, there are many philodendron varieties with a range of striking leaves that grow on long vines. They bring a tropical feeling to any home year-round.

‘Lemon Lime’ is a variety with cheerful, bright yellow-green leaves. You can get a Lemon Lime philodendron on Etsy. ‘Pink Princess’ is a unique and colorful variety with pink variegation. It's a highly sought-after cultivar, but you can find Pink Princess plants from Costa Farms. Tree philodendron is another fun variety with large, deeply-lobed green leaves.

6. Snake Plant

Another very easy plant to grow is the snake plant. Like philodendron, it has striking foliage rather than colorful flowers. Snake plant leaves are tall, upright, and lance-shaped. The leaves are variegated with dark and light green and edged in yellow. They are particularly good at filtering indoor air.

Give your snake plant light, well-drained potting mix and a pot large and stable enough to prevent tipping. Only water when the soil has dried completely. Otherwise, snake plant care is hands-off. This houseplant thrives on neglect.

Shop a wide variety of snake plants at the Home Depot.

7. Peace Lily

Peace lily is yet another hard-to-kill houseplant. This tropical plant can grow quite large and does like to be pot-bound, so you won’t need to upgrade its container very often. It has large, glossy, dark green leaves and will reward you with beautiful and striking white flowers from late winter through summer.

Give your peace lily bright, indirect light and rich, loose soil with plenty of organic material. Water peace lilies regularly, but don’t let the soil stay soggy. Keep plants away from cold drafts.

Buy a beautiful peace lily from Costa Farms at Walmart.

It can be difficult to keep your spirits and mood up in winter when temperatures are low and light is minimal. One solution is to add more cheerful, tropical, and bright and bold houseplants. They will lift your mood and help you look forward to another growing season in the garden.