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Low-light plants are an absolute necessity for most plant collectors. The majority of plant parents do not have the ability to have a lot of natural light. They just do not have a lot of windows. If they have windows they are not very large or they are sharing windows with others. Another factor is there might be other plants that need these windows. Sometimes you just have a little bit of space and it just happens to not have very much light but you would love to put a plant there Today we just want to talk about those low-light plants that are going to be popping up throughout your home in those little cracks and crevices that just do not have a lot of light.
Philodendron Burle Marx
This is a very beautiful plant. It has got some lobs and spear-shaped leaves. They are bright green and very glossy when they first come in. Then they get darker and more matte as they mature.
The foliage can be rather large and take up a lot of space depending on how much light you give them. Being in low light, most of their leaves are going to stay small but they are going to create a very bushy formation.
They are very easy to care for and can handle drought. They have a lot of crazy growth going on. You end up having 1 little leaf over here and then it pops out another leaf over there and then you will have 3 or 4 more coming from the base. Eventually, it is just a very wild and crazy and beautiful-looking plant.
Philodendron Hederaceum
In the same family as the Burle Marx, this plant is also known as the Heartleaf Philodendron. This is a plant with bright green, heart-shaped, foliage. They are usually vining or trailing, unlike the Burle Marx which is actually bushy.
You could have the Heartleaf climb or trail over a pot. You could also have it go along your walls. It just depends on the aesthetic that you’re going for.
These plants could survive just about anything though. They are pretty darn fabulous as far as light goes. They will still grow even if they hardly get any light at all. They certainly stay alive even if they’re not getting very much light which is actually really awesome. You can shove them in a corner and even if you forget about them for a while, they are still going to grow.
Snake Plants
Also known as Sansaveria and recently reallocated to Draceana. They are really amazing plants and do not need a lot of water or light. They have a bulbous root system so they can actually rot if they get too much water. Definitely let these guys dry out.
If they have hardly any light at all then they will not grow very fast. They will still stay alive but they just kind of sit there and chill and be that shape they were when you got it. So you want to make sure when you are putting them in your corners or the specific places that you are getting them the size that you want. Unlike the Philodendron this plant is not really going to grow noticeably in low light. This is great because if you do not have a lot of room but you still want that living greenery. A snake plant checks all the boxes for that.
Lucky Bamboo
Is also a Draceana like Snake Plants. It looks very similar to bamboo(toxic so do not eat it) and can actually get very huge. Even though it does not get a lot of light it can still grow very very quickly. You can see ones that are about 2 or 3 years old just living in some rocks and some water. They almost look like Mini trees in the way that they’re growing that can be up to 3 or four feet high.
They do not get bushy so much as they get tall. So often you find them tiny clumps together in grocery stores. You can just leave them in their little pots. Set it up somewhere and water it every once in a while. Just watch them continue to grow. They actually grow fairly quickly surprisingly with very little light.
So if you want something that is going to get very big, very quickly and kind of take up a whole corner after a couple of years definitely get a lucky bamboo.
Syngonium
This is another plant that grows super quickly even though it doesn’t get very much light. Especially if you can get a Syngonium without much variegation and it’s a greener like an allusion Syngonium. They are going to grow Prolifically over a couple of years.
They just get big and bushy over time. You can also put them on a pole and have them climb upright. They are happy to climb but they can also kind of creep out and create a very bushy hanging plant as well. So the variety of fit two separate special needs depending on where you want to put the.
They are just so cool to watch grow because sometimes if you have them with variegation and they get a little bit more sunlight peaking in or they get closer to a light you can see them get a bit more color.
You do not need a lot of light for that green-on-green variegation either. It is just a really fun plant. Very drought tolerant and very quick growers. Definitely give them a chance if you’re looking for a more versatile low-light plant.
Low-light plants are amazing because they are usually easy to care for and have very few needs in general with a lot of rewards.
