🪴 HOW TO & TIPS
Can a houseplant really beat the winter blues?
I came across something this week that I couldn’t stop thinking about, and I had to share it with you.
Now, it’s American (a US company surveyed a thousand people over there), so the specifics are a few thousand miles from a damp October in Sheffield. But the thing it’s poking at is every bit as real here as it is in Minneapolis. So bear with me, because I reckon it’s worth it.
The gist: as the days shorten and the light drains out of the afternoon, a lot of us feel it. And the survey put some numbers to just how many.
📊 What people actually said
The findings, honestly, surprised me with how universal they were:
Two in three people said their mood and energy are noticeably worse in the winter months. Not a grumpy minority, two-thirds. And nearly one in three felt they personally experience seasonal affective disorder (the aptly-abbreviated SAD), the proper winter-depression version of the slump.
Interestingly, a good chunk said the dip gets worse after the holidays, not during. Once the twinkly lights come down and there’s nothing but grey January stretching ahead, that’s when a lot of people reported hitting the floor.
But here’s the part that pricked up my plant-obsessed ears. More than half of the people surveyed (57%) said houseplants help reduce their stress or lift their wellbeing through the colder months. And nearly one in five had bought a plant specifically to boost their mood in winter, with the younger crowd leading the charge.
So people aren’t just decorating. A fair few are genuinely reaching for greenery as a coping tool when the dark closes in.
🤔 My honest take
Now, you know me. I’m not going to sit here and tell you a pothos cures depression. But a survey like this measures what people believe helps, not a lab-proven effect, and it was run by a company that, let’s be honest, sells to plant shops. So I take the exact numbers with a pinch of salt.
But. And it’s a big but. I don’t think it’s nonsense either, and here’s why.
Strip away the hype and there are genuinely good reasons a plant earns its place by your window in winter. For one, caring for a plant gives you a small, living reason to get up and do something on a grey day when motivation’s in short supply, a tiny bit of routine and responsibility, which is exactly the sort of thing that helps when everything feels flat. For another, tending a plant usually means putting it in the brightest spot you’ve got and spending a moment there yourself, and getting near what little daylight winter offers is one of the genuinely effective things for the winter slump. And there’s just something quietly good about having something green and alive and growing in the room when everything outside has gone brown and bare.
None of that is magic. It’s not a substitute for the real stuff, daylight, movement, people, and proper help when you need it. But a plant you tend by the window? That’s a small, cheap, genuinely pleasant thing nudging you in the right direction. I’ll take it.
🌱 So, actually using your plants this winter
If you fancy leaning into this as the clocks change, a few honest pointers:
Put them (and yourself) in the light. Shuffle your plants to the brightest window you’ve got for the dark months, they need it to tick over anyway, and you get a reason to stand in the daylight while you fuss over them. Everyone wins.
Pick something that won’t add stress. The point is comfort, not a new source of guilt. If you’re feeling low, the last thing you need is a fussy diva dropping leaves at you. Go for something forgiving and hard to kill. A plant that thrives on a bit of neglect is a kinder companion in winter than a prima donna.
Make the care the point, not the chore. Five slow minutes checking your plants, wiping a leaf, turning them to the light, is a tiny pocket of calm in a dark day. That’s the bit that actually helps. Don’t rush it.
And one genuine word, because it matters more than any plant tip: if the winter slump is more than a slump, if it’s really pulling you under, a houseplant isn’t the answer and please don’t let anyone (me included) suggest it is. That’s a conversation worth having with your GP. The plant’s a nice little helper, not a cure.
Right. That’s my soft side out for the week. Back to killing it in the comments.
