Winter blues got you down? Don’t let your indoor jungle suffer too! While the outside world may be hibernating, houseplants can still thrive with a little preparation and low maintenance. I have gathered some experience (partly from success stories, partly from mistakes) in keeping plants healthy and happy throughout the colder months. 

I moved my houseplants indoor as soon as the night temperatures dropped to 50°F (10°C). Because I lost a few plants in the past, mostly succulents and tradescantias, I am determined to keep them all alive this season. 

This is how I noticed that the most important thing over winter is light. In the first winter with a plant collection I had no artificial light and I lost a lot of plants. All my succulents perished, and made me reluctant to getting others. The most resilient plants to low light are, in my experience, tropical ones. Every single one of them survived and thrived in spring. 

Now I have two stripes of LED lights on the ceiling and, although I would like to give into the temptation of interior design again and spread them all over the house, I keep them fashioned in an indoor jungle style next to a window and under the lights. I also use a timer to make sure they get exactly 14 hours of light every day. 

Second most important thing, from my experience, is to keep repotting to a minimum. I only disturb roots in winter if I see signs of root rot. I checked all of them before moving inside to see if they have enough room in their pots. 

I stop pruning them and try to sort any propagation projects before I move them indoor. I have to admit, this is the trickiest part and I still struggle with timing. Although I sorted all my summer projects, I got dragged into new ones with clippings acquired online. I have a few boxes with hoyas developing roots, some tradescantia new plants and a few pots with baby plants that I lost track of their origin and I am waiting for them to grow so I can identify them. 

Watering is the easiest part. I sorted this aspect with a moisture meter. I check every plant before I’m watering, as they dry at different rates. Smaller pots need watering more often then big pots, some soil mixtures have a better water retention, some plants are happy to dry completely before watering. 

Although I stopped fertilizing after I moved them indoor, I spoil some of my plants with rain water. Since it became easy to keep reserves of water free of chlorine, Calatheas had to welcome other plants in this select club. 

Another important aspect is temperature. I am doing my best to keep the fluctuations to a minimum, by using heaters with thermostat and to maintain 68-75°F (20-24°C). 

My plants also enjoy high humidity, and for that I only had to remove the dehumidifier. Like rain water, high humidity is an abundant resource in Britain. 

Creating this cosy and inviting space filled with greenery I get a sense of hibernation myself. I can curl up with a book or a sketchbook, surrounded by my indoor jungle, and enjoy the slower pace of winter.