10 Best Indoor Plants for Fall in Toronto

Why choose fall-friendly indoor plants?

The best indoor plants for fall in Toronto are the ones that shrug off short days, dry furnace air and a forgotten watering or two. By late October, a south window gets maybe half the light it did in July, and fussy plants start dropping leaves. Snake plant and ZZ plant cope with low light and very little attention, which makes them good picks for a Toronto condo.

Houseplants won't clean the air in any way you'd notice, whatever the labels say, but they do make a room feel calmer and more alive once the trees outside go bare. If you're thinking about bringing some green indoors this season, hardy plants pay you back for months.

Homes & Gardens: Indoor Plants for Fall

Top 5 easy-care plants for fall in Toronto

If you're out all day, go low-maintenance. Pothos grows fast and handles shade, trailing nicely off a shelf. Peace lily puts up white flowers and droops dramatically when it's thirsty, so it tells you when to water. Aglaonema has pink- or silver-marked leaves and doesn't mind a dim corner. Potted chrysanthemums give you a few weeks of colour in fall, though most people treat them as seasonal. Philodendron is the plant that forgives nearly everything.

Gardeners’ World: Indoor Plant Care

Plants that bring fall colours indoors

If you want the reds and oranges from outside, croton has leaves splashed in red, orange and yellow. It wants bright, indirect light and sulks if it's moved, so pick its spot and leave it there. Calathea has bold patterned leaves that fold up at night. African violets keep flowering in purple and pink on a bright windowsill long after the garden has finished.

Better Homes & Gardens: Fall Houseplants

Additional benefits of indoor plants in fall

Once the furnace kicks in, Toronto homes get dry. Plants release a little moisture as they grow, and grouping several together helps the ones that like humidity, like peace lily and calathea. Don't expect them to replace a humidifier, though.

Looking after plants is also good for you. Some research links houseplants and indoor gardening with lower stress, and a watering routine is a small, steady thing to do when the evenings get dark at five.

Pets: several of these plants, including pothos, peace lily, philodendron, aglaonema, ZZ plant, snake plant and croton, can upset a cat's or dog's mouth and stomach if chewed. Calathea and African violets are generally considered pet-safe.

Healthline: Benefits of Houseplants

Choosing your fall indoor plants

Start with the light you actually have and pick from there. A local garden centre will have most of these through the fall.

We don't sell plants. If you'd like cut flowers for the table as well, we deliver bouquets across the city; see our page on flower delivery in Toronto. Chrysanthemums, sunflowers and hydrangeas are good fall choices.

Quick guide: 10 best fall indoor plants in Toronto

• Snake plant (Sansevieria): hardy, tolerates low light, needs very little water.
• Pothos (Epipremnum aureum): fast-growing vine, happy in shade.
• Peace lily (Spathiphyllum): white flowers, droops when it needs water.
• Aglaonema: colourful leaves, fine in low-light rooms.
• Croton: red, orange and yellow leaves, needs bright indirect light.
• ZZ plant (Zamioculcas zamiifolia): glossy leaves, handles drought.
• Chrysanthemum: fall flowers, usually treated as a seasonal plant.
• Calathea: patterned leaves, likes humidity.
• African violet: compact, flowers in purple and pink.
• Philodendron: easygoing, hardy and good-looking.