They provide the perfect pop of color.
While shutting out the cold and embracing the coziness of your home is one of the best parts of winter, your house might start feeling stuffy after a while. Opening the windows for a few minutes each day (aka "house burping") can help make your space fresh again, but sometimes it's too cold to even do that. However, there's an easier way to add some freshness and color to your home, and that's with indoor blooming plants.
Indoor blooming plants can brighten your home for years, and a lot of them are relatively easy to care for. The key to their success lies in providing the right lighting. Because most houseplants are tropical plants, they thrive in bright, indirect light, ideally from east-, west-, or south-facing windows. North-facing windows usually don’t provide enough light, especially in winter.
Read on to check out the 23 most beautiful indoor blooming plants, including the best options for homes with pets.
Additional copy by Meghan Shouse.
Chrysanthemums, also known as mums, are blooming perennials that flower in a variety of jewel tones, making them very popular in the fall season. Spring is the best time to plant mums, and if you do so indoors, then they should be placed where they receive bright light throughout the day and good air circulation. It’s rare for them to rebloom when they’re kept indoors, but it is possible!
Pet friendly? No
Named after its vibrant tubular flowers, the lipstick plant (or Aeschynanthus radicans) is a perennial that produces brilliant red blooms. The blooms on this indoor plant can last throughout the year if you care for it correctly. However, it’s during the spring and summer that it's most prolific. The lipstick plant likes well-draining soil and bright filtered light.
Pet friendly? Yes
This fragrant flower is a sun-loving perennial that’ll bring an elegant look to your indoor garden. There are multiple color options for jasmine flowers, but the most well-known is a crisp white that stands out against the waxy dark green leaves. Depending on the species, jasmine will bloom at different times and produce flowers in different seasons.
Pet friendly? Yes
If you want an indoor blooming plant that is sure to be a showstopper, then you should consider adding a gloxinia plant to your home. Its flowers come in a variety of shades, such as pink, red, and white, to name a few, and the leaves are large and velvety. They’re good indoor plants, and you can typically expect to see the blooms from late spring throughout summer.
Pet friendly? Yes
These beautiful blooms are vibrant, large, and perennial, making them a wonderful addition to your indoor garden. Regal geraniums have flowers in a variety of hues with green, serrated foliage to frame the blossoms. They thrive in bright, indirect light and actually enjoy slightly cooler settings.
Pet friendly? No
Ixora plants are best grown in indoor climates that are on the humid side, so they would best thrive in a greenhouse, a sunroom that's been converted into a plant room, or a bathroom. These tropical plants are also known as West Indian jasmine, and they can bloom throughout any season of the year if they're well taken care of. They love sunlight, so they'd do well in a sunny bathroom or laundry room.
Pet friendly? No
The crown of thorns, or Euphorbia milii, is a striking tropical succulent shrub. It has pink, white, yellow, or orange flowers. Give it direct sunlight for a few hours a day to encourage blooming. Because it’s a succulent, which means it retains water, give it a drink only when the top inch or two of soil feels dry.
Pet friendly? No
Related Story: 10 Types of Succulents You Need to Know
There are many different kinds of hoyas, but they all develop lovely star-shaped flowers in clusters. This one has gorgeous white variegation with pink accents, so it’s colorful even when not in bloom. Give it bright indirect light, and water it only when the top few inches of soil are dry.
Pet friendly? Yes
Related Story: 50 Pretty White Flowers to Plant in Your Garden
The heart-shaped leaves and pretty red, pink, or white blooms of this plant make it a must-have. The flowers, which are actually modified leaves, show off for a couple of months. This sturdy plant is almost always in bloom.
Pet friendly? No
Desert rose is a striking succulent with large, trumpet-shaped blooms. It needs at least six hours of direct sunlight, so if you don’t have the right natural lighting, consider a grow light. Because it’s a succulent, water it sparingly—only when the top few inches of soil feel dry.
Pet friendly? No
Delicate-looking moth orchids are not as fragile as they appear. They’ll bloom for months and can live for years with little care. They prefer bright, indirect light (an east- or west-facing window is best). Water once a week until it drains out of the bottom of the pot.
Pet friendly? Yes
Related Story: How to Care for an Orchid So It Keeps Blooming
Bromeliads are fun and funky plants related to pineapples. The striking flower, or bract, blooms for a very long period. It needs lots of bright, indirect light (it won’t tolerate low light) and water every one to two weeks. Just let it dry out between waterings.
Pet friendly? Yes
Related Story: 10 Best Types of Bromeliads to Grow
Purple Oxalis, or shamrock plants, bloom profusely with pretty little star-shaped flowers. The plant’s foliage may be green or burgundy. Give it bright indirect light, and keep it slightly moist. Most species of shamrock, which grow from bulbs, go dormant a few times a year. Stop watering and place the plant in a cool, dark place. When you see new growth, move your shamrock back into bright light and resume watering.
Pet friendly? No
Related Story: How to Take Care of a Shamrock Plant
The heart-shaped leaves and dainty butterfly-like flowers of this charming plant add plenty of color to winter days. Cyclamen need bright, indirect light and prefer to stay slightly moist. Like shamrocks, they go dormant. Put yours in a cool place, don’t water it for two months, and then bring it back into the light and start watering it again. With any luck, it will rebloom. If that sounds like a lot of work, just enjoy it while it’s in bloom and compost it when it fades.
Pet friendly? No
This plant blooms flowers and bears fruit! The calamondin orange is a cross between a kumquat and mandarin. It has pretty, super-fragrant blossoms year-round, which develop into one-inch oranges that are cute, edible, and perfect for cocktails. Give it bright light—preferably from a grow light—and let it dry out a bit between waterings.
Pet friendly? No
Related Story: How to Grow a Lemon Tree from Seed
Holiday cactus plants have been popular for decades—and they can actually live that long. Their exotic-looking blooms come in an array of shades, from pure white to corals, pinks, and reds. Different species bloom at different times of the year, including Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. They like bright indirect light. Water when the soil feels mostly dry.
Pet friendly? Yes
This succulent has glossy green leaves and bright red, yellow, pink, or orange flower clusters that last for weeks. It does best in bright indirect light and prefers to dry out between waterings. Cut off the flower head after it fizzles, then enjoy the foliage all year long—or compost it because these are tough to get to rebloom.
Pet friendly? No
African violets bloom year-round if you put them happy in bright, indirect light. Keep the soil lightly moist, and don’t let water drip on the fuzzy leaves because it will cause brown spots. A self-watering pot is a great idea for these pretty blooms.
Pet friendly? Yes
Shiny green leaves and spoon-shaped white flowers make this low-maintenance houseplant a classic. With the right conditions, these plants can last for many years with very little fussing needed. Peace lilies tolerate low to moderate light but tend to bloom better in bright filtered light. Keep the soil lightly moist.
Pet friendly? No
Related Story: How to Care for Peace Lily Plants
Also called abutilon, this plant has papery red, yellow, pink, or peach blossoms. It likes bright indirect light, preferably near a window with south or west exposure. Water when the top inch of soil feels dry. They typically last a few years before getting leggy and unattractive.
Pet friendly? No
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