Do you have that one room in your home where all of your houseplants wind up because all the others are too dark? Or have you been avoiding houseplants altogether due to poor natural light? For those dark rooms and homes, we’ve rounded up a list of our favorite low-light houseplants that’ll thrive even if conditions are less than sunny.

 

Monstera

Also known as the Swiss cheese plant, Monstera plants feature beautiful heart-shaped foliage with dramatic openings in the leaves (known as leaf fenestration).

 

Bromeliad

These beautiful plants feature unique, waxy leaves and vibrant bracts in a wide range of colors.

 

Calathea

There are so many different varieties of Calathea, or Prayer plant, to choose from, all with striking patterns and colors which are sure to make a statement in any home.

 

Chinese Evergreen

Perfect for beginners, Chinese Evergreens (Aglaonema) produce large showy leaves, and are extremely easy to care for.

 

Peace Lily

Featuring delicate white bracts atop deep green foliage, Peace lilies are excellent choices for even low-light offices and are known for purifying the air.

 

Snake Plant

Talk about an easy plant to care for! Snake plants have tough, sword-like foliage which ranges in color from deep greens to dusty sage and even stripes of yellow.

 

Dracaena

Also known as the dragon plant, Dracaena features dramatic striped foliage.

 

Pothos

Arguably one of the easiest houseplants to take care of, Pothos, or Devil’s Ivy, thrives on neglect. Place your plant up high, and enjoy the continuously trailing foliage as part of your own indoor jungle!

 

Bird’s Nest Fern

Beautiful wavy fronds in a bright, lime green color make this fern a must-have in any low-light space!

 

Bella Palms

Create your own personal indoor rainforest with these dramatic, far-reaching leaves. Adding one of these to your space adds instant impact!

 

ZZ Plant

Another excellent choice for experts and novices alike, ZZ plants feature thick, shiny green leaves that start out lime green before turning a beautiful deep hue. It’s just the thing to brighten up any dark space!

As we head into the fall, and as temperatures start to drop, it means closing up those beautiful outdoor spaces we’ve spent all spring and summer creating. (Raise your hand if you’ve had your own staycation in your personal patio paradise.) One silver lining to this situation is that any houseplants which had been relocated outdoors (to perfect those tropical getaway vibes) will soon need to come back in. If you tend to collect houseplants like a lot of us here do, that means the inside of your home is about to get a LOT cozier with houseplants. You still have a little time, but once the temperature starts to drop into the 50’s you’re going to want to start transitioning your leafy friends indoors. To keep your plants happy, we’ve compiled a few easy tips you can follow when bringing them inside.

 

Insect Control

Before you bring any plants in, spray them down from top to bottom with horticultural oil or Neem oil to suffocate stowaway insects (and their eggs) including mealybug, scale, and aphids.

You’ll also want to treat the soil for fungus gnats which won’t harm the plant but can be a huge nuisance to people. Punch holes in the soil with a pencil and sprinkle Mosquito Bits on top of the soil to stop them in their tracks! You can also use Sticky Stakes to catch some of the adults and stop them from mating. If Mosquito Bits don’t work, you can apply Diatomaceous Earth in the same way to get rid of other soil-dwelling critters from mealybugs to ants to sow bugs.

 

Fertilize

Give all your plants an appropriate fertilizer as a last hoorah for the season. Just remember most houseplants can take a little break from fertilizer through the coldest winter months, so you won’t need to fertilize again until the spring.

 

Acclimate Slowly

If possible, bring plants in slowly over a week’s time. If the pot isn’t too heavy for you to move around, bring your houseplants in during the cold nights and back out during the day. Once daytime temperatures reach 50 degrees, bring them in full time. If one of your houseplants is used to the full sun, slowly get them used to a little shade before bringing them right inside. The light inside is quite different from the sun outside. In other words, don’t shock your houseplants!

 

Wash Your Windows

Do a little fall cleaning and clean up the dirt and dust on your windows. In this case, a little dirt can hurt. For those houseplants that need a brightly lit space, like succulents, you would be surprised how dusty windows can really reduce sunlight inside.

 

Humidify

There are some plants that are really fond of lots of moisture and sometimes they need a little extra care. For plants such as Easter lily and Gardenia, place a saucer filled with pebbles and water underneath the pot so they can soak up the evaporating water.

 

Don’t Overwater

Too much water is a common cause of the demise of houseplants, so water on the side of caution. For most plants, allow the soil to dry out a little bit before watering it all the way through again. ZZ, Ponytail Palms, and Begonias would greatly benefit from this practice.