GARDENER'S READING ROOM
Indoor Plants

How Low Can You Go?
(Light, that is)

Finding an indoor plant that will be reasonably happy in an area of your home that does not get very much light is not as difficult a task as you might think. First, we have to define “low” light as opposed to “no” light. No light means just that…the area is dark, such as a bathroom with no windows. There isn’t a plant I know of that will survive very long without ANY light. Low light, on the other hand, is an area that is poorly lit, more than eight feet from a window, or a corner that does not have windows facing it. This light is about what you would need to read by. On a bright day, if you put down a sheet of paper and hold your hand above it about one foot and you see a faint shadow, you have low light. If you don’t see a shadow, look for another spot to put that plant or use grow lights - but that’s another article.

So, let’s look at some of the plants that inhabit the “darker” side of the indoor plant world:

Anthurium

Aglaonema commutatum and related cultivars (Chinese Evergreens) are the real workhorses of the low-light plant world. Their leaves range from silver flecked with green to dark green flecked with silver.

Anthuriums grown for foliage rather than flowers produce beautiful leaves in fairly low light.

Aspidistra elatior (Cast Iron Plant) can take perhaps the lowest amount of light of all indoor plants. It also tolerates a lot of cold, so it’s a great plant for a low-light entry way. It is, admittedly, not the most beautiful of plants when young….but get a lush, mature specimen and WOW!

Chamaedorea Palms are for those who like the look of the tropics but don’t have the kind of light required by many palms. Some of the more popular are Bamboo Palm, Parlor Palm, and Dwarf Parlor Palm (or ‘Bella’).

Howea fosteriana, the Kentia Palm, is perhaps one of the most elegant palms available. It is very slow growing and makes an ideal potted palm.

Most of the plants in the fragrans and deremensis species of Dracaena will be quite happy in lower light. This family also includes Lucky Bamboo – Dracaena sanderiana - so you can have feng shui on the dark side! However, variegated dracaena such as D. deremensis ‘Warneckii’ and D. fragrans ‘ Massangeana’ (Corn Plant) will lose most of their variegation in low light.

Philodendron

Most Philodendrons, Epipremnums (pothos) and Monsteras do fine in low light - giving you a choice of wonderful plants that hang, climb, or are shrub like, with small leaves, huge leaves, leaves with variegation or leaves with holes!

Sansevierias will adapt to most light conditions and there are new and interesting species and cultivars available beyond the Snake Plant to which we are all so accustomed.

Spathiphyllums are the other workhorses of the low light plant world, plus you get a really cool white flower at little more light. The variegated cultivar ‘Domino’ also needs more light to maintain its variegation.

Prayer Plant

Marantas (Prayer Plants – both red and green) are last, but not least on our list, making interesting hanging basket or ground cover plants, providing touches of color and patterns.

The trick with plants in low light is NOT TO OVERWATER OR OVERFEED them. Depending on the plant, let it get nearly or completely dry before watering. Don’t go plantless because you have low light. We’ll be happy to talk with you about choices and care.

By Mary Ann Greco
Skylights Spring 2006, Vol 20, No. 1

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