The days are shorter and the holidays can be stressful. For many, this combination adds up to feeling anxious and down. At Mission Viejo Florist, we have the perfect way to help you cheer up and enjoy winter — plants! We put our heads together and selected some of our favorites for growing in the winter.

1. Poinsettia

Poinsettia is, of course, at the top of our winter flower list because they are stunningly beautiful and a mainstay of the season. They bloom naturally in winter, as they react to receiving less sunlight. The most popular varieties of poinsettia are red and white, but they also come in bright pink, orange, yellow, and salmon, which can make for a quirky, fun, and slightly off-beat take on traditional holiday decor. While most people mistake the poinsettia’s brightly colored bracts (leaf-life structures) for the plant’s flowers, the true flowers are actually the small yellow clusters found at the center of the bracts.

To keep your poinsettia vibrant through the winter, place it in a sunny location and keep its soil moist. Regular watering is a must, but the plant should never be allowed to sit in standing water.

2. Azalea

Pink Azalea

Azaleas are one of the happiest-looking plants that florists cultivate specially to bloom in the winter. When planted outdoors, they normally bloom in late spring or early fall. Azaleas bloom abundantly in a rainbow of flowers, but we especially love all the red and pink varieties. With their dark green foliage and butter-soft blooms, they look like something out of a magic garden.

Azaleas grow best with partial shade or filtered sunlight. They require soil that will drain readily, while also staying moist. If aridity is a problem in your home, you can top your azalea’s pot with a layer of mulch.

3. Paperwhite Narcissus

These beautiful flowers feature delicate, snowy-white blooms and have a great fragrance. Cultivated from bulbs, paperwhites can be enjoyed for years to come, if they’re stored properly while dormant. After your flowers have wilted, put the bulbs in a dry, dark, and cool location to prevent them from rotting. You can then plant them again in the fall to enjoy flowers next winter.

4. Kalanchoe

Celebrate the Season Dishgarden

Kalanchoe plants are the best way to fill your home with pops of vibrant colors that will add a zing to your winter because they begin blooming in the fall and don’t stop until spring. These plants feature clusters of dainty flowers in pink, white, red, yellow, and orange.

Kalanchoes are desert succulents, so they will thrive in our warm, dry climate. They like to rest in a spot where they get lots of sunshine. Put yours in a pot that will drain completely and be careful not to water it too frequently.

5. Bromeliad

Bromeliads are fun, tropical take on traditional holiday colors. With vibrant green stalks topped with bright red blooms, they’re the perfect way to feel like you’re on a tropical vacation while you’re at home in the winter.

They’re also quite easy to care for. They like to receive plenty of indirect sunlight and frequent watering. Be sure to pot yours in a pot that drains easily with a soil similar to a formulation for orchids.

Plants Make People Happy, and That’s a Fact

If the shorter days and stress of the holidays have got you feeling down, plants are actually one of the best remedies. Indoor plants have been shown to impart all sorts of mental and emotional health benefits, such as lower stress, reduced symptoms of depression and seasonal affective disorder, and increased creativity (to name just a few). Cultivating plants indoors and outdoors during the winter will help you feel happier, even if you and the plants are getting fewer hours of daylight.

To learn more about winter plants to grow indoors and outdoors, we welcome you to stop by Mission Viejo Florist. Our helpful florists will help you get inspired to work out your green thumb this winter.