Indoor Plants That Need Little Sun

Just because you don't have a sunny window doesn't mean you can't grow indoor plants. There are indoor plants that want and need to be grown in shade or diffused light. When growing plants indoors, you need to replicate their native environment as closely as possible. There are many plants that grow happily without a lot of sun.


Aspidistra is also known as the iron plant, barroom plant and cast-iron plant. It is a member of the Liliaceae family of plants, along with aloe, smilax, onion, day lily, tulip and others. Aspidistra is low maintenance and can take shade and low light. The lance-shaped leaves are evergreen, stand upright and can grow from 12 to 20 inches long. The leaves can be all green or variegated with cream-colored streaks or dots. It does produce flowers, but they are so close to the soil, they are not easy to see.


Impatiens do well in medium shade and low light; too much sun can damage them. Morning sun is best; afternoon sun will make your plants wilt. Impatiens are an outdoor garden favorite, but can be grown indoors in pots or as a hanging plant. Do not let the soil dry out. Use moss as mulch to hold in the moisture. Impatiens bloom white, pink, salmon, orange, red and bi-colors.

Spider Plant

Spider plants are easy to grow. It is They are rapid growers with leaves that spring from the center of the plant. The leaves are long, shaped like a strap and variegated. The spider plant is another good choice for a hanging basket. In its native environment of South Africa, it is grows in tight spaces between rocks, so keep it in a tight-fitting pot. The spider plant grows best in a window that does not receive hot afternoon sun.

Snake Plants

Snake Plants, with their long, swordlike leaves, are also known as Mother-in-Law Tongue. They grow practically straight up, very rarely spreading over the side of the pot. Snake plants can take any kind of sun condition except complete shade. Full sun, however, can bleach them out, causing them to lose color. Allow the soil to go dry between waterings.

Keywords: house plants, indoor gardening, low light plants

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