Trust me, beautiful houseplants are the secret to creating a cosier, healthier, and more magical fall feel in your home

Now that fall is looming large, we are all tentatively tiptoeing back to our central heating switches and preparing for sweater weather to well and truly kick in. This is when our gardens go through a gear shift, as the easy-breezy, barefoot days of summer come to a close and the cold, crisp, bright autumnal days roll in. This is where my attention turns to houseplants – not tacky '70s throwback houseplants often seen in corporate office spaces, but stunning iterations I couldn't be without.

The best indoor plants are those that bridge the seasons with their evergreen or architectural presence. Once the curtain closes on summer and we hurtle into the chillier months, the houseplants you dot around your home really are the secret to the aesthetic cohesiveness of a space, and help to make a home feel layered, characterful, beautiful, and, crucially, reminiscent of the season.

When it comes to houseplants for fall color, I look for those with smoky, inky, earthy hues, and rich, unusual shading on the leaves, as if antiques by their own natural patina, which all look beautiful washed in the bright autumn sunlight. Here are five houseplants to incorporate for a cosy but clean, and decidedly wholesome fall interior, most of which can be kept on a regime of near-total neglect through the dark, cold months.

Five houseplants for fall interiors

1. Oxalis

Oxalis, sometimes referred to as False shamrock, is my favorite houseplant, by a country mile. I have several pots of oxalis around my house, and come October, they take centre stage.

False shamrock’s dark purple, triangular leaves and small, starry flowers are sublime. These deep damson colored leaves open when the light pours in and close up when the light leaves. Such movement makes them feel as though they are little creatures.

Knowing how to grow oxalis couldn't be easier; as long as they are housed in a place with lots of light, they will be happy.

You can purchase oxalis bulbs at Walmart.

2. Polka dot begonia (Begonia maculata)

Polka dot begonia, or Begonia maculata, is one of the most beautiful tropical indoor plants, and despite harking from sunnier climes, is, aesthetically speaking, perfectly judged for adding to your cozy decorating ideas.

Despite its ubiquity, there is still something very special about seeing one. Perhaps it's the long, dark spear leaves with white spots look, which look plucked from a children's storybook. When drenched in the bright, crisp, cool light, they look truly beautiful. Great for an east-facing room with glaring morning light. As the evening draws in, they are particularly special in dimly lit rooms, where the little spots seem to glow.

Unsurprisingly, unlike the best cold-tolerant houseplants, polka dot begonias do not enjoy living in cooler spots very much at all. The ideal temperature range for polka dot begonia is 65-75°F (around 18°C). This is very easy to provide if you house it in a room with heating on, or in a bathroom or kitchen, where the regular steam from ovens, showers, baths, cooker hobs, and hot taps.

You can purchase a Polka Dot Begonia as a potted plant from Walmart.

3. Aeonium

Simply put, certain indoor succulents will never go out of style. Aeoniums, a genus of about 35 succulents, are top of this list. With rosettes of thick, waxy leaves that come in particularly pleasing palletes: earthy, terracotta red, deep, dark burgundy, antiqued bronze, and almost jet-black.

Their main growth period is from fall to late spring, and plants can become semi-dormant in summer, so they are best adored in fall and winter.

Because they are used to harsh conditions, it is best to leave them to their own devices, bar the very occasional watering. A windowsill is the perfect home for them.

4. String of hearts (Ceropegia woodii)

The String of Hearts flourishes in softer sunlight and drier air, which is something our closed windows and fired-up heating systems can easily provide over these quieter, cooler months.

Placed up high, they grow vigorously, easily over 6 feet in length, and look rather magnificent and Halloween-inspired when trailing down bookshelves and winding cascading over ornaments.

These plants are tolerant of far lower light conditions than most succulents, so if you have a particularly moody, north-facing room devoid of light, these will thrive.

5. Fiddle leaf fig (Ficus lyrata)

If it's greenery you're missing when the garden is losing its chlorophyll-rich leaves, then it's a fiddle leaf fig you will want to grow, to bring some greenery indoors.

As well as its lovely, deep, verdant green leaves, the fiddle leaf fig is prized as one of the best air-cleaning indoor plants. This is especially important at this time of year, when fresh air is all but exiled from our homes in favour of heaters, radiators, and fires.

The lack of clean air in our homes in the cooler months and the presence of dust and indoor pollutants increase, plants like this, which purify the air, are indispensable.

They are very easy to grow, just remember that when watering a fiddle leaf fig tree, err on the side of underwatering rather than overwatering, since they hate to be soggy.

Other top houseplant picks for the season ahead

All of these are easy indoor plants that require little maintenance. All of these plants will prefer a free-draining compost, and I recommend this Rosy Soil from Amazon for all of these plants listed.