Decorating your space with plants is an inviting proposition. And you are looking forward to it. But there is a concern here. Does your room have enough light to support the upkeep of these plants?
Light is generous in south-facing rooms. On the contrary, east and west-facing rooms have lesser light and north-facing rooms, even less. Unless your room is in the first category, you would need to opt for low-light plants.
Remember that in several north-facing rooms, the light is next to nil. In such cases, you would need to expose the plants to some artificial light for some time every day. Read more about maintaining low-light plants here.
Having said that, you don’t need to feel disheartened about what plants to keep in your low-light room. You have many choices when it comes to the best indoor plants for dark rooms, and they are quite attractive to look at. Read on to know more about ten such plants.
English Ivy
The English Ivy comes in various colors – entirely green, or green mixed with golden, yellowish, or whitish shades. This is an indoor hanging plant. It can climb around a moss stick or trellis. You would need to ensure that the soil in which it is growing is kept moist all around the year. Also, frequent misting prevents the leaves from drying out fast. You can choose different variants for the same room to create a contrasting look.
Place some pebbles at the bottom of the pot. This will help with the drainage when the plant is watered.
Snake Plant
The tropical snake plant is a native of West Africa but ubiquitous around the world, adorning households and office spaces. Thriving in low-light conditions, the long-leafed snake plant has strong fibers and comes in yellow or silvery stripes. The plant also has health benefits like purifying the room’s air. Moderate watering from time to time will ensure its survival in any kind of lighting.
Spider Plant
They grow easily. They adapt well to the atmosphere of any room. And they can be hung from the ceiling or kept in pots on the ground. These are some reasons why you should go for spider plants in your room. And of course – they can thrive in low light rooms and also in artificial lights. The offshoots of the plant resemble spiders hanging from the web. Hence, the name. And these spiders can make your room noteworthy for all the right reasons.
Chinese Evergreen
Chinese Evergreen, or Aglaonema, have been adorning households in Asia – of which they are native - for centuries. They are available in more than 20 varieties and come in various bright designs and attractive leaf patterns. The Silver Queen is among the most well-known Chinese Evergreen. Chinese Evergreen is also known as a good luck charm. Keep the soil moist and place these plants in low light corners of the room. You don’t need to do much else for the Chinese Evergreen to survive.
Philodendron
Forget low light. The much-adored Philodendron can thrive in almost total darkness. It’s a tropical plant and sports very colorful foliage. The Brasil variant, for example, comes in bright golden and green shades. Another variant comes in attractive purple colors. They need to be watered once or twice a week. Keep them in low-light areas. In fact, these plants may not survive in bright sunlight.
Devil’s Ivy
Another popular low-light plant, the Devil’s Ivy (also known as Pothos) is available in multiple hues like yellow and green, silver, and dark green, to name a few. And let the plant’s name not make you worried, for the Devil’s Ivy is quite attractive and can brighten up a less-lighted room. You can rest easy as far as its maintenance is concerned. All they need is regular watering. They can grow quite tall (upwards of ten feet). And these plants are also air purifiers.
Staghorn Fern
This South American native plant, also known as Platycerium, is available in almost 20 varieties. You can keep them in entryways with lesser sunlight, restrooms, or enclosed porches, among other places. They grow well in pots and can also be hung from the ceiling. Either way, they make for excellent decorative plants. Watering once a week keeps these plants healthy, even without direct sunlight.
Dumb Cane
Dumb Cane, or Dieffenbachia, grows in parts of South America and the Caribbean Islands. The straight-stemmed plant sports white flecks and certain variants are also spotted. Dumb Cane is available in almost 50 varieties and makes for wonderful ornamental plants. Surviving perfectly in low-light conditions, all they need is moderately moist soil.
However, there is a caveat if you have Dumb Canes in the room. Be sure that kids or your pet/s don’t consume this plant because if consumed, Dumb Canes can severely hamper speech.
Palm Chamaedorea Elegans
The Parlor Palm can make you feel as if you are relaxing on a tropical beach. This Mexican-origin plant, true to its name, brings an elegant look and feel to wherever they are placed. They need very little sunlight and other maintenance formalities to thrive. You can go for smaller variants and place them in room corners or even in the central portions of the room.
Friendship Plant
Available in South and Central America, the Friendship Plant (Pilea involucrata) sports oval leaves that are quite velvety to touch. They are quite bushy in appearance. They usually don’t grow beyond 30 cm. This makes them the perfect adornments for small enclosed spaces, where there is less natural light and also not much draught.
So, not to worry if your workspace is not well-lit but you still want shades of natural greenery around. You have multiple options of plants that thrive perfectly well in low-light conditions and still brighten up the room where they are.
