The best plants for low-light apartments
Low light isn’t no light. If you can read a book there without switching a lamp on, some plants will live happily in that spot — as long as you don’t water them like plants in the sun.
The toughest are the ZZ plant, the snake plant, the cast-iron plant and pothos. With a little more attention: the peace lily, the parlour palm, calathea and the prayer plant. And one rule for all of them: in low light, soil takes longer to dry — water less often.
What “low light” actually means
Verdejar has two spots for this, and it’s worth knowing which one you’re in:
- Hallway or corner with no window. Weak light all day. If you can’t comfortably read a book there, this is the one.
- North-facing window. Steady brightness, but no sun hitting it. Also right for a room two or three metres away from any window.
No plant lives in the dark. A windowless bathroom with the light off most of the day isn’t enough for any of these — there, only a grow light will do.
The ones that put up with almost anything
ZZ plant Zamioculcas zamiifolia
Hallway or corner with no window: every 18 days in July, every 34 in January.
Under the soil it has thick rhizomes that store water for weeks. Glossy leaves, slow growth and almost no demands. The only real danger is overwatering.
Flagged as toxic if chewed: keep an eye on cats and dogs.
Snake plant Dracaena trifasciata
Hallway or corner with no window: every 27 days in July, every 54 in January.
Its upright leaves are water tanks. It copes with low light like few plants do — and with forgetfulness, too. How long to wait between waterings.
Flagged as toxic if chewed: keep an eye on cats and dogs.
Cast iron plant Aspidistra elatior
Hallway or corner with no window: every 10 days in July, every 21 in January.
They call it the cast-iron plant for a reason: shade, draughts and weeks of neglect barely touch it. Broad, dark, glossy leaves that grow slowly. One of the few that genuinely does better in a corner than pressed against a window.
Pothos Epipremnum aureum
Hallway or corner with no window: every 10 days in July, every 17 in January.
It climbs or trails, grows fast and tells you clearly when it’s thirsty: the leaves droop, then perk up within hours of watering. In low light, the variegated kinds lose their yellow and turn greener.
Flagged as toxic if chewed: keep an eye on cats and dogs.
The ones that need a little more attention
Peace lily Spathiphyllum wallisii
North-facing window: every 3 days in July, every 7 in January.
It flowers even in low light — less, but it flowers. And it’s one of the few plants that asks for water loudly: when it’s thirsty, all its leaves flop at once, and it’s upright again the same day you water it.
Flagged as toxic if chewed: keep an eye on cats and dogs.
Parlour palm Chamaedorea elegans
North-facing window: every 6 days in July, every 12 in January.
A small, slow-growing palm that has been brightening dim interiors for well over a century. It likes humid air: with the heating on, the leaf tips go brown.
Calathea Goeppertia orbifolia
North-facing window: every 5 days in July, every 10 in January.
Patterned leaves that fold up at the end of the day. It likes humidity and soil that’s always slightly moist, and it shows hard tap water in its leaf tips. Beautiful, and demanding.
Prayer plant Maranta leuconeura
North-facing window: every 3 days in July, every 7 in January.
A cousin of the calathea, a little less fussy. Its leaves lift at the end of the day and lower in the morning — few plants show so clearly that they’re alive.
The care that changes everything: water less
In low light, a plant photosynthesises less, transpires less and uses far less water. The soil takes longer to dry and, if you water it at the pace of a plant in the sun, the roots sit soaked for days. It’s the number one killer of shade plants.
The difference is big. The same pothos, in a 16 cm plastic pot, needs water every 7 days at a north-facing window and every 10 in a hallway with no window, in July. In January, in the hallway, every 17. Bigger plants work the same way: a Monstera in a corner with no window needs water far less often than one by a south-facing window.
Small tricks to give them more light
- Dust the leaves with a damp cloth. A layer of dust is a curtain.
- Turn the pot now and then, so they grow straight and not just towards the window.
- In winter, move them closer to the window. December light is far weaker than June light.
- Pale walls and mirrors bounce light back into the room.
- If there’s really no light, a full-spectrum LED grow light, on for a few hours a day, works wonders.
If you have pets
The ZZ plant, the snake plant, pothos and the peace lily are flagged as toxic if chewed. If you have a curious cat or a dog that chews everything, keep them out of reach — or pick from the others.