Most of us have a dimly lit room that we would like to add more plants to liven it up. Indoor plants are an excellent option for home and office decoration.
These help us eliminate the stress of everyday life, giving us some freshness and tranquility. We all know that plants love light. However, even if our space is relatively dark, we can choose shade-tolerant plants that have the ability to hold up well even without a lot of light.
We must emphasize that indoor plants that can live with low lighting grow best in relatively bright places inside the house, as long as they do not receive direct sunlight. Like all plants, although these hardy plants can withstand reduced lighting, they cannot survive in total darkness and no light.
What care do indoor plants need that do not require a lot of light?
A big advantage of houseplants that survive in low light areas is that they have fewer needs when it comes to care, as in low light conditions they show reduced photosynthesis and metabolism.
Since they grow at a slower rate, they also have lower watering and fertilizer needs. So we can water them less frequently, only when the soil in the pot dries up, every 1-2 weeks, while there are plants like the Zamioculcas that need to be watered once a month.
When it comes to fertilizing, we can use liquid fertilizer for green plants (or flowering fertilizer for those with flowers, like bassinet cradles) once a month in spring and fall. It is also good to moisten its foliage in the hot summer season with a spray of distilled water and clean the dust from its leaves once a week with a damp cloth.
Houseplants that tolerate low light
Houseplants that can handle low lighting in the home and office are often so-called “green plants” that have rich, impressive foliage, but there are also options with flowering plants.
1. Zamioculcas
We begin our list of low-light houseplants with Zamioculcas, which are particularly popular plants found in modern home living rooms, commercial spaces, and offices. Although it prefers a bright place inside the house, the Zamioculca also tolerates dark places.
However, you have to make sure that the sun does not hit it directly because it can cause burns on your eyes. This plant, native to the tropical forests of Africa, impresses with its bright, intense green leaves that grow from its rhizomes. It is characterized by a slow growth rate and its height can exceed one meter.
2. Dieffenbachia
The next plants on the list are the dieffenbachia that most of us have admired from time to time in a home or office. With a reed-shaped central stem that reaches a height of one meter, dieffenbachia have impressive round or narrower leaves of bright colour.
The dieffenbachia belongs to the category of indoor plants that need minimal maintenance and care. It needs to be in a relatively bright spot to have a good growth as long as the sun’s rays do not hit directly.
3. Sansevieria or mother-in-law’s tongue
We could not leave the sansiveria out of this little sweetie, one of the most impressive and resistant indoor plants with which we can decorate our living room and office. Although we place it in a bright place inside the house so that it grows faster, it can also adapt to darker places, but it will grow much slower there.
Sansiveria is a fast-growing perennial plant that usually reaches a height of one meter, with long, pointed leaves, fleshy in texture and capable of storing water. Due to the characteristic leaves it has, it is also called “snake plant” or “mother-in-law’s tongue”.
4. Dracena
This is an impressive tree plant of relatively slow growth that can reach a height of 1-2 meters, the dracaena stands out for its trunk and its pointed, lance-shaped leaves that differ depending on the species of dracaena that we choose.
The dracaena is native to the tropical countries of Africa and is particularly popular in salons and professional areas. There are several varieties to choose from, the best known being the dracaena marginata, dracaena fragrans, while the “lemon” variety is also interesting with characteristic greenish-yellow leaves that need a little more light than the other dracaenas.
5. Moses cradle
Our list of houseplants that can tolerate low light also includes the spathiphyllum or bassinet, one of the most popular houseplants with striking white flowers that create a wonderful contrast to the dark green color of its leaves.
We can put the bassinet in a relatively bright place so that it has a better flowering, as long as it is away from the strong rays of the sun. Beyond its exotic beauty, the bassinet has the ability to clean the air in our homes and offices of air pollutants and toxic substances.
6. Bromeliad
For the darkest spots in our home, we can also consider the bromeliad, one of the most beautiful indoor plants there is.
It comes from Brazil and in its natural tropical environment it grows as an epiphyte on tree trunks with narrow, greyish-green leaves that emerge from the center of the plant in the form of a rosette.
The most characteristic element of the spike are the bract leaves that come out of the center of the plant, they are pink in color and give the impression of a majestic flower. These pink leaves remain on the plant for several months.
7. Ivy
Ivy is one of the most popular climbing plants. It is very fast growing and always impresses with its greenish or yellow-green foliage consisting of trilobed or five-lobed leaves.
It can also be planted in indoor vertical gardens or in hanging baskets and give a natural green touch to the space. Ivy grows and climbs using small aerial roots that support the plant on walls. It supports both low and high temperatures.
8. Calathea
The calathea, another impressive plant that with its large shiny leaves gives a different air to the room in the house or office. The calathea fascinates us with the size of the leaves, oblong or round, in various color combinations and beautiful striped patterns.
There are many species of calathea to choose from, such as Calathea makoyana with red-green leaves, Calathea ornata with small pinkish-green leaves, and Calathea crocata with characteristic orange and yellow flowers.
In addition to its great decorative value, the calathea is one of the plants that have a great capacity to clean the air of the space in which they are found. This plant needs an environment with high humidity, protected from drafts.
9. Spider plant
Another interesting plant that can be placed in the darkest parts of the house and survive is the Clorophytum Comosum or spider plant, an impressive houseplant with long, bicolor green and beige leaves 20-40 cm long.
The spider plant loves brighter spots inside the house where it thrives best, while in temperate climates it can also be placed in shady outdoor areas.
Native to South Africa, the spider plant has a fast creeping growth and is ideal for pots and hanging baskets. Although it shows small flowers in front of the foliage of the plant that go almost unnoticed.
10. Guzmania
And last on our list of plants that thrive in dimly lit places, but not least, is the exotic guzmania, one of the most fascinating houseplants. Originally from South America, guzmania is a tropical plant, a cousin of the pineapple, and is characterized by having elongated leaves that form a bright red rosette-shaped stem.
The Gusmania needs a warm and humid environment to grow and thrive. For this reason, it is necessary to choose bright or semi-shaded places, away from direct sunlight, which ensure temperatures of 20-25°C and in any case above 18°C in the winter season.