Top 5 low light houseplants

Not every home can look like it’s jumped right out of a Pinterest board. We don’t all have large windows which let in hours of lovely sunshine into our space, so sometimes we need to find plants that love low-light environments to bring a little life into the darker areas of our home. There are plenty of houseplants that don’t need much light but it is important that you pick the right ones, otherwise, they can die on you pretty quickly!

We have done the research and our top 5 low light plants are: snake plants, spider plants, arrowhead plants, ZZ plants and devil’s ivy.

Snake plants

Sansevieria trifasciata

The bold and striking leaves of the snake plant make it a centrepiece for every room. They are not demanding for space as they grow upwards, so fit nicely into any corner or on any shelf. Also known as a mother-in-laws-tongue because of the sturdy nature of its leaves, snake plants are low-light loving. They are fairly slow growers so don’t need a lot of sunlight to survive. They are also very low maintenance plants, they prefer slightly dry soil and don’t need much attention in the form of misting or regular repotting. So not only are they great for low-light but you don’t need to be a green thumb to keep this one alive.

Spider plants

Chlorophytum comosum

Spider plants are one of our favourite houseplants at Fiddle and Thorn because they are the gift that keeps on giving (they propagate like crazy!) They are basically unkillable and survive in most conditions. Although they might not grow as quickly in low light areas, spider plants will still flourish in darker corners. Just adjust your watering schedule slightly as when they are receiving less light they won’t require as much water. Low light shouldn’t stop your spider plant from growing little offshoots when it is mature enough, so soon you’ll have more spider plants than you know what to do with!

Arrowhead plants

Syngonium podophyllum

Given its name because of its arrow-shaped leaves, these are great plants for low-light areas of your home. Arrowhead plants come in all sorts of variegated forms, with unique green and white patterns. Just note that the all-green ones tend to be the best suited for low-light. Arrowhead plants will reward you with vine-like growth which you can easily snip off if the plant is getting too big. They are perfect to bring life into any slightly darker bedroom, bathroom or office space.

ZZ plant

Zamioculcas zamiifolia

Not only are these great for low-light areas, but they are also great for those who don’t have a fantastic track record for looking after their houseplants. They handle low light very well and require minimal watering as they are a fairly slow-growing plant. They are also favoured in office spaces as they cope well with fluorescent light, so they are perfect for all kinds of low-light spaces.

Devil’s ivy

Epipremnum aureum

These are pretty unique houseplants because they actually prefer low-light conditions over anything else! If you have a variegated type, they will actually start to lose their pattern if placed in too much sunlight. So you don’t need to feel guilty about putting a devil’s ivy in a dark spot because it will actually love you for it. They are also pretty hardy plants in terms of their other care requirements. They don’t need complicated watering schedules or specific pruning so are perfect for any new plant parents. You can’t really go wrong with these at all!

So those are our top picks for low-light houseplants. You will often find that the ones who deal well with low light, are also pretty easy to take care of overall. They require less water and don’t mind being left alone for a little bit. Make sure that you do keep an eye on your plants if you are moving them into a darker spot as it may take them a little bit of time to re-adjust and start growing again.