Best Low Light Plant to Lighten Your Dark Room

However beautiful and fulfilling caring for plants can be, it is ten times more frustrating when they do not thrive as well as you would like them to. A low-light plant can help here. If you are a beginner and you haven’t your mind on this plant or the other, even when you are doing everything in your power to make it happy – watering, soil, humidity, fertilizing.

 Sometimes, it is the mere position of your apartment, dorm room, or your office that sets the tone of how well your plants are going to progress. Namely, the position of your home, i.e. northern-facing windows will determine which plants can thrive and which will suffer. The thing is, these homes or spaces will have less natural light during the day and will require low light plants.

Here is a list of the best low light indoor plants:

Best Low Light Plants

Pothos

Despite looking quite delicate, pothos is a very resilient plant which is suggested by its other name i.e. Devil’s Ivy.

Pothos comes in many variegations and all of them are great for moderate to low light areas.

Pothos is even one of those plants that don’t need sunlight at all to be healthy and thrive.

You can keep them in your bathroom and they will still grow.

As an indoor plant, it does not like exposure to direct sunlight as the leaves get pale and sickly and variegations lose their intensity.

Chinese evergreen

Chinese evergreen comes in different variations of shades, colors, and even patterns (i.e. variegations).

It is one of the greatest houseplants for low light, especially if you have a bit of room to spare as it can reach the size of about three feet.

Chinese evergreen does well under fluorescent lights as well.

It is pretty easy-going, so basically, any location in the available space will do.

Just keep it away from the direct sunlight and frost and it will be fine.

It is a great plant for beginners, too, as it does not require much attention and constant care.

Bromeliads

One of the most surprising plants found on the low light indoor plants list is a bromeliad.

Why is that?

First of all, it is a tropical plant, which would make us believe that it requires a lot of sunlight, but it does not.

In nature, it is found on the floor of the tropical rainforests which is pretty low light, yet it is humid.

This is why a bromeliad is one of the low-light houseplants that can thrive in the bathrooms.

And imagine drawing a relaxing bath and looking at a flowering plant. Magical.

Philodendron

For some house plants, low light can cause problems.

Luckily, philodendron is not one of those plants, so if your heart is set on it and you are worried that you can’t create perfect light conditions, do not worry.

Although it will be leafier and will grow faster in indirect light, your philodendron will do just fine in a darker room.

If it becomes leggy, consider moving it closer to the light source, yet never put it under direct light.

In the partial shade, your philodendron will have a rich green color.

Ferns

For many indoor plants, low light can create problems and stunt their growth.

Ferns on the other hand do not like direct sunlight as they can develop brown edges.

They do best in indirect sunlight yet they can adapt to low light.

If you notice that the leaves are losing their color and going pale, consider moving them close to the light source.

Raven ZZ plant

ZZ plant is one of the best plants for little to no light environments.

You can basically place it anywhere you like and it will grow happy and healthy.

It is considered one of the easiest plants to take care of as it does not require frequent watering, it does not need pruning, and it is usually pest-free.

Place it in the darkest area of your house, a cubicle at work, or even a bathroom and you will be happy with the effect.

Its rich deep green leaves with a glossy finish will give any area a luxurious feel.

Calathea

Calathea plants do not like direct light because their leaves get pale and they can even get sunburnt.

This is why it is best to keep your low light plants indoors.

Calathea plants have a lot of different colors and shades – from light silvery green to dark purple ones, almost black.

The general rule is: the darker the shade of the leaves the further from the light source you should keep them.

Dark green and purple varieties thrive in low light or no light at all with minimum care regarding watering and fertilizing.

As for the lighter varieties, as long as you do not let the direct sun scorch them they will be happy.

Peace lily

The Peace lily is one of those low-light house plants that belong to the flowering kind, which is unusual, as sunlight is commonly what is needed to help the flowers grow.

In the case of Peace lily, you do not need to worry. It can grow happy and healthy and produce flowers in low light or artificial light.

This makes it perfect for homes and spaces with no direct sunlight such as offices.

Besides needing little or no light to grow, maintaining it is not that difficult, just make sure that the soil is damp, as the plant will start to wilt when it does not have enough moisture.

Dieffenbachia

Dieffenbachia is one of the favorite decorative plants because it does not require much care.

It does not need to be watered every day and it can adapt to almost any light situation except for direct light.

It comes in different cultivars so some of them may require a bit more light exposure (i.e. filtered bright light) but all of them will do just fine in the low light environment.

The varieties that require more light will grow just as pretty, only slower.

A pro tip for Dieffenbachia lovers is to turn the pot occasionally to avoid the plant growing more on the side where the light comes from.