Low-light houseplants: 18 plants for dark rooms
A north-facing window, a ground-floor flat, a corner far from the glass: no plant lives in the dark, but some make do with very little. These often come from the floor of tropical forests, where sunlight arrives filtered by tall trees.
Chinese evergreen
Aglaonema commutatum7 dShadeEasyAlso called aglaonema
Cast iron plant
Aspidistra elatior10 dShadeEasySafe for cats and dogsAlso called aspidistra
Rattlesnake plant
Goeppertia insignis5 dShadeMediumSafe for cats and dogsAlso called calathea lancifolia
Calathea medallion
Goeppertia roseopicta5 dShadeMediumSafe for cats and dogsAlso called calathea roseopicta
Calathea orbifolia
Goeppertia orbifolia4 dShadeExpertSafe for cats and dogsAlso called calathea
Peacock plant
Goeppertia makoyana5 dShadeMediumSafe for cats and dogsAlso called calathea makoyana
Zebra plant
Goeppertia zebrina4 dShadeExpertSafe for cats and dogsAlso called calathea zebrina
Maidenhair fern
Adiantum raddianum3 dShadeExpertAlso called adiantum
Ctenanthe
Ctenanthe burle-marxii5 dShadeMediumAlso called fishbone prayer plant
Japanese aralia
Fatsia japonica6 dShadeEasySafe for cats and dogsAlso called fatsia
Nerve plant
Fittonia albivenis4 dShadeMediumSafe for cats and dogsAlso called fittonia
Peace lily
Spathiphyllum wallisii5 dShadeEasyAlso called spathiphyllum
Bird's nest fern
Asplenium nidus5 dShadeEasySafe for cats and dogsAlso called asplenium
Prayer plant
Maranta leuconeura4 dShadeMediumSafe for cats and dogsAlso called maranta
Lady palm
Rhapis excelsa7 dShadeEasySafe for cats and dogsAlso called rhapis
Parlour palm
Chamaedorea elegans7 dShadeEasySafe for cats and dogsAlso called chamaedorea
Cretan brake fern
Pteris cretica4 dShadeMediumSafe for cats and dogsAlso called pteris
ZZ plant
Zamioculcas zamiifolia14 dShadeEasyAlso called zamioculcasOur tips
Low light means less water: the soil dries more slowly, and the plant grows more slowly. Water less often than you would next to a sunny window.
To know if a room is bright enough, look around midday: if you can read a book without switching the light on, a shade-tolerant plant will be happy there. And dust the leaves now and then: in a dark room, every ray counts.