14 houseplants you can grow in low light

December 11, 2024

Not everyone has the sun drenched corner that plant photos are taken in. Plenty of us are working with rooms where the light gives up by mid afternoon, and the usual advice is to put a plant on the windowsill, which is not much use if the windowsill is the problem. The good news is that a decent number of houseplants genuinely prefer low light, and they are mostly the tough ones.

Why low light plants are worth a look

They are forgiving. Most of them tolerate irregular watering, dry indoor air and being ignored for a fortnight, which is what actually happens to houseplants in a working household. If you have killed a few and concluded you are hopeless, you probably just picked plants that wanted more light than the room had.

Fourteen that handle low light

Snake Plant (Sansevieria). The toughest on this list. Handles neglect, dry air and gloom, and the upright leaves look sharp.
ZZ Plant (Zamioculcas zamiifolia). Thrives on being left alone. Ideal for an office corner or a hallway.
Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum). Shade suits it, and it flowers. It also droops when it is thirsty, which is about as clear as a plant gets.
Pothos (Epipremnum aureum). Very hard to kill, and it will trail or climb depending on what you give it.
Cast Iron Plant (Aspidistra elatior). Named for the reason you would expect. Slow, steady, almost unbothered.
Heartleaf Philodendron. Forgiving, fast enough to feel rewarding, and happy well back from a window.
Parlour Palm (Chamaedorea elegans). Tropical look without the tropical demands. A slow grower with fine fronds.
Maidenhair Fern. The fussiest here. It wants indirect light and consistently damp soil, and it will sulk if it dries out.
Chinese Evergreen (Aglaonema). Some varieties carry silver or red through the leaves, which is unusual for a low light plant.
Spider Plant (Chlorophytum comosum). Good in a hanging basket, and it makes babies you can pot up and give away.
Bromeliad. Looks demanding and is not. Bold colour for a dim spot.
Dieffenbachia. Big leafy presence. Worth knowing the sap irritates, so think about where it goes if you have small kids or pets.
Calathea. The leaves fold up at night, which is why it gets called a prayer plant. Patterned and happy out of direct sun.
Dracaena. A whole family of them, most nearly foolproof in shade.

Keeping them alive

Dust the leaves. In a dim room the plant cannot afford to lose any light to a layer of dust.
Water less than you think. Overwatering kills far more houseplants than neglect does. Put a finger in the soil and only water if it is dry below the surface.
Turn them occasionally. A quarter turn every few weeks keeps them growing evenly instead of leaning at the window.
Expect slow. Less light means less growth. A low light plant that is not growing much in winter is behaving normally.

Shop related products

Brunnings Easy Wetta Potting Mix 70L. For repotting, and the wetting agent helps when indoor mix dries out hard.
Brunnings Horticultural Charcoal 5L. Improves drainage and keeps indoor pots and terrariums sweeter.
Brunnings Cactus and Succulent Potting Mix 5L. Free draining, which suits a snake plant or a ZZ far better than standard mix.
Seasol Seaweed Concentrate 1L. A gentle tonic, and hard to overdo on an indoor plant.

Did you know we also keep indoor plant food, pots and saucers in store, and not all of it makes it onto the website. Give us a ring on (08) 8536 4333 to check what is on the shelf.

The mixes and the plant food are in the garden centre, and if you are not sure how dark your room actually is, take a photo at about three in the afternoon and bring it in.