What plants are great in low-light homes? That’s one of the most common plant questions that I get asked a lot. It’s popular because a lot of us don’t have those floor-to-ceiling windows that we often see on Pinterest and Instagram. The majority of us just have normal, low-light homes. Even my new house in Florida is actually extremely low-light! But of course, we all want our indoor garden to grow well, no matter what our lighting circumstances are. So here’s another Proven Winners episode to teach you how to choose the right low-light plants for your space and all the tips you need to know to make sure you’re taking good care of them.

In this episode, we learn:

[02:34] What is a low light (tolerant) plant?
[03:30] Why low-light plants are popular
[04:07] Why you should check out snake & ZZ plants!
[05:25] How we overestimate the amount of light in our homes
[08:13] Take my Plant Parent Personality test
[08:35] Importance of rotating pots for low-light plants
[10:01] Keep your plant's leaves clean
[11:02] #1 Ferns
[14:54] #2 Prayer plants
[17:00] #3 Monstera
[17:33] #4 Photos
[19:13] #5 Dracaena
[19:52] #6 Philodendron
[21:20] Check out Proven Winner’s H2O Line!
[22:41] Tips for “no light” situations

Order my book!

Growing Joy: The Plant Lover's Guide to Cultivating Happiness (and Plants) by Maria Failla, Illustrated by Samantha Leung

Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast,

so you don't miss the amazing episodes we have coming up!

What is a Low-Light Plant?

Is a low-light plant even real? Low light ≠ a plant that grows in no light. That’s a misconception that most people have. Every plant needs just a little bit of light because how would photosynthesis happen if they don’t get the energy they need to create their food? This is simple middle school biology if you remember.

So if light = food for plants, no light = no food for plants (aka very unhappy or probably dead plants). So low-light really means a low-light tolerant plant—a plant that can grow with just a little bit of light to make their food.

Why Low-Light Plants Are Amazing

Low-light plants are some of the best houseplants on the market because they are so versatile. When you buy a low-light tolerant plant, it means that it tolerates low light, but many actually love high light.

It’s a great gift to someone if you have zero knowledge about their indoor environment. It’s also a plus if you just want to redecorate your home and move things around (and be able to move your plants).

Take the snake plant, for example. They’re quite infamous as the plant that’s hard to kill. While it's famous for surviving in dark corners, I have seen them used as hedges in full sun in California, and they’re even blooming—something rarely seen indoors. So it turns out that they actually love bright light. So they’re low light tolerant (hardy), but they grow so much in bright light.

Top Low Light Plant Recommendations:

For Mindful Plant Parents (people who often like to take care of plants):

Ferns (like Blue Star Fern and Bird's Nest Fern)
Prayer plants (like Ctenanthe lubbersiana)

For Low-Maintenance Plant Parents:

Monstera (including the Swiss cheese variety)
Pothos (like Off to Oz Pothos)
Dracaena
Philodendron (with over 400 species!)

And if you want more information, you can check out Proven Winners leafjoy® H2O® Collection

Tips for Caring for Low-Light Plants

There are two things I want you to keep your eyes out for when you bring your low-light plant home.

Rotate your pots: Every couple of weeks, every month, rotate your pot a quarter of a circle around (aka phototropism). This prevents plants from leaning too far toward light sources and will help the plant stay upright.
Keep your plants’ leaves clean: It’s important for those leaves to be clean because if dust covers a leaf—often we’re putting low-light plants in corners or in darker areas that we’re not spending as much time in—they can get really dirty.

Tips if You Don’t Have Light

If you're dealing with a truly dark space like a windowless bathroom, I suggest two things:

Use grow lights: Corners really tend to be the low-light areas of homes because the window light basically surpasses them, so you can check out the grow lights that I use.
Try the swapping method: Rotate plants between light and dark areas every two weeks. For example, put one pothos in the bathroom with no windows, and put the other one on a windowsill where it can get light. Every two weeks, swap the two plants.

Take My Plant Personality Test

Just because you have low light doesn’t mean that you can’t take care of plants! Remember that no matter what your home condition is, even if you're living in a basement and you got very little light, there are plants that will grow in your home.

If you’re not sure which plants are best for you, I invite you to take my Plant Parent Personality Test. It’s fun, quick, and will give you a curated list of plants perfect for your personality and home environment.