These houseplants are perfect for homes and offices with little or no natural sunlight.
Plants That Love the Shade
Have you been afraid to try growing houseplants in your home, or a particular room, because you think you don’t have enough light? Fear not! These 21 plants thrive in low-light conditions and are also easy to grow. If you are not sure what kind of light you have, consider this: A south-facing room with lots of windows has high light. Medium-light would be in an east- or west-facing room. North-facing rooms or rooms with no windows are considered low-light rooms. If your room has no windows, you should leave lights on 12 hours a day, or rotate low-light plants into the room for a few weeks at a time before moving them back to a naturally lit room.
Ivy
English and Algerian ivies do well in low to moderate light. They should dry out between waterings.
ZZ Plant
ZZ plant grows well in a dry environment and pushes the low-light limit to its extreme.
Snake Plant
Snake plant performs well in dry spells and handles moderate to low light with ease.
Staghorn Fern
Staghorn fern performs well in high humidity locations, like bathrooms. In nature, it grows in trees and requires no soil and little moisture around its roots. It requires moderate light.
Pothos
Pothos is a low-light lover that makes a good entry point into growing houseplants. It handles a wide range of conditions and still performs well. Ideally, it should have low to moderate light and should dry out between waterings.
Maidenhair Fern
Many ferns, including button, Autumn, rabbit’s foot, maidenhair, and more, are good options for low-light situations. Give them consistently moist soil and low to medium light.
Dieffenbachia
Dieffenbachia prefers a medium- to the low-light area. Allow it to dry between waterings.
Philodendron
Philodendron is a medium- to low-light houseplant that prefers to be kept dry between waterings. Some forms trail, or can easily be trained to a post or “totem.” Others have larger leaves and a bushy habitat.
Calathea
Calathea, including the beloved prayer plant, grows well in medium to low light. They require consistent moisture for the best performance. As a rule, the lower the light, the less frequently they will flower.
Anthurium
Anthurium blooms in red, white, or pink and reblooms well in medium to low light. Keep soil consistently moist.
Rex Begonia
Rex begonias are grown for their colorful foliage. Keep them in medium to low light and allow them to get dry between waterings.
Lucky Bamboo
This popular housewarming gift is often received growing in water only. It can remain that way, only change the water weekly. If you prefer, plant it in the soil and keep it evenly moist. Low to medium light works well.
Chinese Evergreen
Aglaonema, or Chinese evergreen, is an easy-to-grow foliage plant that performs well in low to medium light. Let it dry between waterings.
Peace Lily
Peace lily prefers moderate to low light and consistently moist soil. It reblooms several times a year, even with low-light conditions.
Prayer Plant
This lovely plant tolerates low light but will thrive in bright, indirect light. The prayer plant prefers well-drained soil and requires high humidity.
Spider Plant
Spider plants are adaptable and one of the easiest-to-grow houseplants. They grow in a variety of conditions, making them perfect for any home. Give them well-drained soil and indirect light to flourish.
Monstera
Monstera, as know as the Swiss cheese plant, is a show stopper. This plant is perfect for adding a big, bold, tropical feel to your home. It tolerates all types of lighting conditions and helps purify the air.
Arrowhead Plant
The Syngonium podophyllum is an easy-to-grow plant with minimal needs. To help keep it looking nice, it will need regular pruning to keep its unruly nature in check.
Bird’s Nest Fern
The crooks of tropical trees are the bird’s nest fern’s natural habitat. They love filtered light to light shade and humidity to thrive.
Cast Iron Plant
This tough-as-nails plant grows in full shade and is not picky about regular water either.
