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Best Houseplants and Care for Low Light Areas
Written by Sarah R.
When you bring gardening indoors you can enjoy all of the beautiful benefits your plants have to offer year-round. Although houseplants can be a wonderful addition to your home décor, and in some cases can even improve the health of your home, most of us are limited in the amount of sunlight we have streaming into our houses. Unless you live in a glass house, chances are there are more shady spots inside your home than there are sunny. So where can your houseplants live so that they can thrive? Well, luckily there are many varieties of houseplants that can thrive very well in low light. By carefully selecting your varieties you can expect a lovely collection of indoor plants. So here are our top picks for low light houseplants.
Maiden Hair Fern
The Maiden Hair Fern is commonly considered a “picky” plant, however, with careful attention this delicate lady can survive just fine inside a low light home. When selecting a spot for a houseplant, our initial instinct is usually to find the sunniest spot available. You can save that sunny spot for another plant, because the Maiden Hair Fern will not want to be in direct sunlight. The lacey fronds can quickly scorch with too much sun. An ideal location would be a north facing window where the plant can enjoy indirect morning or afternoon sun.
It is also important that the soil stay moist. A good rule of thumb is simply touching the soil often to check the moisture. If the soil is not moist to the touch, then she needs a drink. Although you do not want to drown your plant, the important thing to remember is that The Maiden Hair Fern just likes moisture. Moist soil and good humidity.
Moth Orchid
Despite its exotic appearance, The Moth Orchid is actually an easy, low maintenance plant. These flowers are perfect for new gardeners who want to boost their confidence as they are easy to grow and a breeze to keep up. The Moth Orchid is also a perfect indoor addition for winter months. While your other flowering plants may be taking a break for the winter, The Moth Orchid will continue to put on a show for your through out this season.
The Moth Orchid will dislike direct sunlight. It thrives best in a mix of pine bark or peat moss. Generally potting soil will not be your best choice for this plant. Watering once every seven days should be sufficient. If you are unsure if you should water or not, then simply stick your finger in the plant’s soil. If the soil is dry to a depth of about one inch, then you should give your orchid a drink. Orchids also love humidity. Simply moving the orchid into the bathroom during showers is a great way to keep them happy.
Prayer Plants
These favorite shareable plants are really fun to grow. Under the right conditions you can watch a very small Prayer Plant become a huge leafy friend in a few years. Another cool aspect of this plant is how easy they are to propagate. Many plant enthusiasts enjoy “sharing” Prayer Plants. If you become proficient at propagating, then after a while your Prayer Plant might have many plant babies living at your friend’s homes as well.
The prayer plant does best in bright, indirect sunlight. Soil should be well drained, but the plant does enjoy humidity. When being kept indoors, Prayer Plants should be kept moist, but avoid getting your plant soggy. You can increase humidity by placing the plant atop a shallow dish of water and pebbles, or by misty daily with warm water.
Waffle Fern
The Waffle Fern or The Purple Waffle Plant is a great little houseplant that can thrive in just about any area of your home or office. The distinctive purple lined foliage makes this plant just a bit exotic, while its easy growing needs make it a great low maintenance house plant.
Waffle Ferns will do best in medium light. However, you can determine if your plant is getting enough light or not by paying close attention to the purple coloring of its foliage. If the plant begins to lose some of the vibrant purple coloring, then it is probably not getting enough light. However, if the leaves begin to bleach or show signs of sunburn then it might be getting too much. Try a few different spots to see where your plant will thrive best.
Water your Waffle Fern when the surface of the soil feels dry, but don’t let it stay dry for too long. This plant will prefer well drained soil.
Angel Vine
If you are looking for a hardy indoor plant with some creative possibilities, Angel Vine is a great choice. This vine grows really quickly, is easy to care for and its tough, creeping qualities make it great for shaping onto wire frames or screens. Shaping your Angel Vine for topiary affects can be a lot of fun.
To get your Angel Vine growing strong it will need to avoid direct sunlight. For best results fertilize the plant monthly. Before watering allow the soil to dry out. Like many houseplants, Angel Vine likes humid conditions, but not soggy.
Mother-in-Law’s Tongue
Mother-in-Law’s Tongue gets its laughable name from the long, tongue shaped foliage. This plant carries another name as well, “the plant you cannot kill.” That’s enough to make it attractive to many beginning gardeners. The Mother-In-Law’s Tongue is a very hardy native to Africa. Being such, it does not require vigorous watering or humid conditions. This plant does well in both sunny or shady spots in your home. Water only when the soil seems dried out. Too much watering will rot the roots. Some say this plant thrives on neglect.
In addition to its low maintenance, this plant is also known to remove toxins from the air such as nitrogen oxide. Another great reason to add this plant to your indoor collection. Note that the Mother-in- Law’s Tongue is toxic if eaten, so it should be kept far from small children or pets.
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