Indoor gardens make homes look beautiful and keep the air inside fresh. However, maintaining them isn’t as easy as one may think because they need a lot of sunlight to grow and bloom. Luckily, a few low-light plant options are suitable for growing inside the house in areas mostly covered in shade. People planning to begin their indoor gardening journey can learn more about these plants and their maintenance requirements.
Low-light Plant Options
One can choose from several plant options when gardening without direct sun.
Bromeliad Guzmania
This plant can elevate the aesthetics of any room with its long, shiny green leaves. During the summer, it blooms flowers in vivid hues of red, yellow, orange, purple, or white. Despite its beautiful palette of dazzling hues, Bromeliad Guzmania can thrive in low sunlight. In fact, it prefers low sunlight and cannot take direct sunlight.
Guzmania is the most common houseplant variety of Bromeliad. This plant is one of the many types of Bromeliads, many of which also thrive in low-light conditions. While buying a Bromeliad sapling, one should check the label or tag to ensure it is the correct variety.
Cast Iron Plant
Unlike the vibrant and multi-color Guzmania, cast iron plants are monochromatic. The fresh leaves of these plants emerge in vibrant green shades, creating a striking contrast against the more mature, deeper green of their foliage. The different hues of green give this plant aesthetic depth.
Cast iron plants are perfect indoor plants as they thrive in low natural sunlight. They are similar in color to the ZZ plant—another solid and resilient low-light plant—and even have the same care requirements.
Snake Plant
The stiff, upright leaves of the snake plant are its gorgeous highlight. Many homeowners prefer to include this plant in their homes as it is compact and does not take up too much space in an apartment garden. Hilariously nicknamed the “Mother-in-law’s Tongue” because of the design of its leaves, this plant is a champion of low-light environments.
The snake plant is one of the most resilient plants, known to survive for many days without watering. Unlike many other plants, infrequent watering does not affect its leaves and roots. Essentially, it makes gardening without direct sun a breeze.
On top of all these positive attributes, this plant is an excellent air purifier. It keeps the room fresh and improves one’s mood.
Peace Lily
Another gorgeous alternative to adorn one’s apartment garden is the peace lily. This potted plant is known for its dark green leaves and delicate yet elegant white flowers. It not only survives but also blooms in low light. Apartments covered in shade or those not receiving a lot of natural light throughout the year can make the peace lily a beautiful centerpiece of their apartment garden.
The peace lily must be kept slightly moist to encourage growth. Unlike the snake plant, it needs water to thrive. When water-deprived, its leaves droop and sag, indicating the plant’s degree of thirst.
Begonia Rex
This is one of the top low-light plant options out there. The Begonia Rex loves bright, indirect sunlight (direct sunlight can scald its leaves). It thrives in room temperature conditions (around 70 degrees being perfect for its growth).
The Begonia Rex also has very low water requirements. Owners can water it about once a week when its soil gets dry, and this plant will continue to survive. It tends to prefer humid environments, especially during the cooler months. What’s more, this plant, with its scarlet-violet leaves, adds beautiful dimensions to one’s apartment garden.
Apart from these low-light plant options, other alternatives include the Sill Red Anthurium, Calatheas, ZZ Plant, Ponytail Palm, and Pothos.
Low-light Plant Care Tips
A few apartment gardening hacks can help one take better care of their indoor plants.
Don’t Overwater
Shade-tolerant plants usually require less water. For many indoor plants, overwatering is the main cause of damage. For this reason, one must water these plants just enough. As a general rule of thumb, watering low-light plants once every one to two weeks in the growing season keeps them hydrated and prevents them from getting overwatered. Common signs of overwatering include soft, mushy stems, mold growth on soil, yellow, droopy leaves, and a foul odor emanating from the grow pot.
Use Mirrors to Guide Light
Hanging a mirror on the ceiling allows homeowners to divert natural light to the darker parts of their room. Low-light plants cannot grow in complete darkness; they must be exposed to some form of light every day. Light reflected by a mirror is enough for such plants to grow and develop organically.
Create Artificial Warmth
Placing an energy-efficient incandescent bulb in a room helps create artificial warmth. Plants can thrive and grow with the help of artificial light and warmth. The natural functions of the plant can be restored through the presence of the bulb in a room.
