Low Light Plants

The ZZ Plant likes really low light, for real. He’s not fussy about sunshine—artificial light or even shade works. The Cast Iron Plant is another great option. Like cast iron pans, Casty is hard to ruin. Shade is fine.

(And no soap for either, please.)

Depends on the plant! If you put a Bromeliad in a shady corner, it will wilt and cry and die. But a ZZ Plant or a Cast Iron Plant or even a Peace Lily would thrive. They like it shady.

The Peace Lily is fine in a dark room with little natural light—and she’ll light up the office! Or, to make things easier, try our Office Plants service: Show us your office, and we’ll pick and ship your plants.

Three tall plants are happy in low light: The Kentia Palm reaches 10 feet tall indoors, and the Balfour Aralia reaches 7 feet. And Jade Pothos, if you train it onto a pole or trellis, can basically climb upwards forever.

The Lisa Cane is happy with super low light, including shade. She’s also tall and beautiful. Another good choice is the Balfour Arali, also tall and beautiful and happy in shady areas. They’re pretty easy to keep alive.

First, pick plants that tolerate dark areas. We suggest a Jade Pothos—it’s perfectly happy to live in a dark room. Second, just water it properly. For Jade Pothos, that’s when the top three inches of soil are dry.

A Philodendron Hederaceum would be perfect for a low-light bedroom. His heart-shaped leaves are beautiful, and he’s a-ok in the shade. He can snooze all day in a nice dark room and keep you company all night.

Yes, Ponytail Palm is happy in shady areas, away from a window. Note: She’s a low-light plant, not a no-light plant. There should still be a decent window in the room, she just doesn’t need to be near it.

The ZZ plant tolerates, craves, and thrives in medium-low light. That’s its jam. In fact, if you push him into the sun, he will not only hate you but also burn his leaves. (But don’t put him in complete darkness.)

In general, Pothos do all right in low light—but some varieties tolerate it better. Jade Pothos wins first place because it actually loves low light. Neon Pothos and Satin Pothos tolerate low light, they just grow a bit slower.

Most Succulents want 4+ hours a day of bright indirect light. They’re not happy campers in the dark. Exceptions: Desert Rose, Aloe Vera, and String of Hearts. Surprising factoid: Ponytail Palm and ZZ Plant are succulents (that like low lighting)!

Spider Plants can tolerate lowish light, but they won’t thrive. They’ll grow faster and look healthier in moderate-to-bright indirect light. So shady corners are an “ok!” but windowless rooms are a big “no thank you.”

The Peace Lily adores low light! It can easily brighten up a shady corner or even a dark room. It’s very flexible—it can also tolerate bright indirect light. This is probably your best bet for a low-light flower.

Easy answer: Pothos, a vine, barely needs light. Many plants that tolerate low light will grow slowly, but Pothos will climb anything you give him to climb—and fast. He can grow a foot taller in just a month!

A Money Tree needs to stay out of the sun, but anything else goes. He can tolerate low light, full shade, or bright indirect light. He can thrive just about anywhere indoors (plus he’ll bring you good luck).

If you have no windows, pick a Cast Iron Plant or Snake Plant. They can survive in shockingly low light. A Money Tree would also do the trick. Stay away from the Kentia Palm and Begonias, which like partial shade.

Or check out our article on Best Bathroom Plants that can tolerate heat, and humidity, and low light.

Honestly, most cacti like and need a lot of sunlight. They’re not the best choice for low lighting. That’s because most cactuses originate from the desert, where there are no trees to shield them from the hot, blazing sun.

Most houseplants—even low-light plants—need a little sun. But a few can actually survive without exposure to the sun, including in a room with no windows. Try the Snake Plant, the Cast Iron Plant, or the ZZ Plant.

In partial shade, a plant gets zero direct sunlight, but some medium-or-bright indirect sunlight (in a room with windows). If it’s almost bright enough to read by, but the sun’s rays aren’t directly beating down on you, that counts.

Full shade means no sunlight—not even indirectly. These few-and-far-between plants can live in a dark room (but won’t thrive or grow quickly). Some full-shade plants include the Snake Plant, the ZZ Plant, and the Cast Iron plant. 

Yes, fake light helps plants! Some plants, like the ZZ Plant, thrive just fine under artificial lighting. The best lighting is an LED grow light. If you have one of these, remember to turn it off at night!