Many people dream of planting a garden in their apartment, but not everyone has the opportunity to provide houseplants with suitable conditions. Often, the size of the housing does not allow for the identification of a “green zone” where only flowers are located. Not everyone is lucky with south-facing windows.
When the desire to set up a greenhouse in your home is great, but there is no opportunity to grow finicky flowers, there is only one way out to select shade loving house plants for low light or dark rooms.
9 Blooming shade loving house plants
This is the smallest group of shade-tolerant and shade loving indoor plants, because, for flowering, you still need not deep twilight, but a light penumbra zone.
Saintpaulia
Known as the Usambara violet. A compact plant with a life cycle of 3-4 years is able to bloom almost continuously. Minus: quickly loses its decorative qualities.
To rejuvenate the plant, the method of rooting the cut top is used. The homeland of the violet is East Africa, its selection as an ornamental species began in the 19th century.
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Begonia
More than 1000 varieties of begonias are known. For indoor breeding, root and tuberous varieties are used. The most famous varieties of begonia differing in large inflorescences were bred by Belgian breeders.
This flower is distinguished by its tolerance to environmental conditions, easily tolerates shade and does not require specific care.
Spathiphyllum
A handsome representative of the Aroid family. A very unpretentious flower with high decorative qualities.
It is distinguished by lanceolate dark green leaves without a stem (the leaf blade opens from the root), against which large white flowers look bright and unusual.
He loves high humidity, so try not to let the soil dry out in the pot and regularly spray the spathiphyllum, but do not wet the flower stalks.
Check also growing two plants together in one pot.
Vriezia
A bright and unusual plant belonging to the genus Bromeliads. A distinctive feature of the flower is its colorful peduncle, similar to the feather of a fabulous bird, and a large rosette formed by dark green elongated leaves.
Vriezia is capable of blooming in partial shade, but it requres a fairly high humidity and a temperature of about 22 ° C.
Attention! Most often, the flowering period occurs in the summer, but under favorable conditions, Vriezia can bloom earlier.
Clivia
Belongs to the Amaryllis family. Under natural conditions, it is found in the humid subtropics of South Africa. A characteristic feature is a large developed rosette formed by powerful dark leaf plates and a strong peduncle, on which bright flowers like an umbrella open.
Usually the plant blooms in late February and March, but under favorable conditions, it can produce buds 2 times a year. Clivia does not require special care: diffused light and regular watering are quite enough.
Streptocarpus
The Gesnerievye family includes more than 130 species, and streptocarpus is its prominent representative. As an ornamental plant, streptocarpus began to be bred in the 19th century.
The flower is a rosette formed by long lanceolate leaves. The leaf plates themselves are rather wide and heavily pubescent. The stem is short, and the peduncle grows out of the leaf sinuses.
It can bloom as single flowers or in bunches. In winter, the plant has a short dormant period, and flowering begins from spring to autumn.
Miltonia
This orchid got its name in honor of the famous English orchid collector Milton. A very beautiful variety, on the basis of which several hybrids were bred.
It blooms regularly, easily tolerates life on the windowsill of the northern window. Needs high humidity and regular watering. It is good to put a container of water next to Miltonia and periodically spray the orchid leaves.
Cyclamen
Differs in an unusual shape of the corollas – they seem to droop, dropping their heads. From a large tuberous root, large leaf plates grow on long petioles. The leaves are distinguished by a spotted color in a dark green frame. Check also leafy indoor plants with and without flowers.
The flower is perennial, capable of blooming for several years without losing its beauty. But for good health, the plant needs a cool atmosphere: in a hot room, the cyclamen will begin to shed foliage, and there will be no talk of flowering.
Fuchsia
This popular flower received its name in honor of the German doctor and enthusiastic botanist Leonard Fuchs.
An evergreen perennial shrub of the Cyprian family has the popular name “gypsy earrings”. There are many varieties of fuchsia, the color of the flowers differs from variety to variety.
But the shape of the leaf plate and its color do not change dark green leaves of an elongated oval shape with reddish petioles. Flowers can be non-double, double, semi-double, and dense double, and their color ranges from creamy white to deep purple.
For growing in an apartment, ampel (falling) varieties of fuchsia are most often used, and for growing in a garden or greenhouse, bush or semi-ampel varieties are chosen.
7 Decorative deciduous shade loving houseplants
This group is more diverse than the previous one, it is it that includes the most shade-tolerant indoor plants. After all, it is much easier to form a dense deciduous crown than a bud.
Chlorophytum crested
A hardy and unpretentious plant suitable for both the bedroom and the kitchen. Chlorophytum is able to survive even in an office back room without access to natural sunlight, the main thing is to grow a plant in this place from the very beginning.
Undemanding, tolerates periods of drought, if they forget to water it.
Take a look at Best Indoor Plants For Cold Weather.
There are many varieties of flower, differing in the color of the leaf plates.
Attention! The plant releases air outlets and reproduces vegetatively.
Sansevieria
Belongs to the Asparagus family, is characterized by the absence of a stem: long (can grow up to a meter in height) lanceolate leaves open immediately from the root.
In terms of the number of patterns on the leaves, it is the undisputed champion among shade-tolerant plants. Tolerant to growing conditions, even deep shade can be tolerated the “pike tail” is also suitable for the hallway.
Attention! Without access to natural light, the color of the leaves will be noticeably paler than that of plants located in the diffused light zone.
Japanese aucuba
In their natural habitat (Japan, China, Himalayas), the aucuba can reach impressive sizes up to 3 meters in height. But at home it usually does not grow larger than 1 meter (and such and such a size is a rarity).
Aucuba is a beautiful bushy evergreen with conspicuous golden specks on the leaves. It grows intensively, has a long life cycle (House Plants With Long Lifespan), one bush can easily exist for 10 years. Easily tolerates shade and partial shade, undemanding in care.
Arrowroot
Very easy to care for: regular watering is the only prerequisite for successful flower cultivation. It easily tolerates life in the shade away from the window and does not lose the intense color of the foliage.
The leaves are the main decoration of the arrowroot; they can be either oval or elongated with an original pattern of stripes.
Attention! Under the conditions of room selection, arrowroot practically does not bloom.
Aspidistra
The leaf plates of aspidistra resemble lilies of the valley, often they seem to be sprinkled with silvery pollen, but when the flower is located in deep shade, the pattern gradually disappears.
The plant has no stems, the leaves open immediately from the aerial part of the flower. It has a developed root system, but it grows very slowly and does not bloom under home growing conditions.
Crescent-shaped
The representative of the Fernnikov family perfectly tolerates life in the shade. It is widely believed that absolutely all ferns tolerate shade well, but in fact this is not the case.
The main difficulty in breeding a multi-rower at home is to create a suitable cool atmosphere for him. In summer, the temperature should not rise above +20 ° С, and in winter it is optimal to maintain + 10 ° С.
Aglaonema is changeable
Aglaonema belongs to the Aroid family and is a perennial evergreen with erect stems on which elongated lanceolate leaves grow.
Under the conditions of an apartment, it does not grow more than 1 meter. Differs in high decorative qualities.
4 Ampel plants Shade Loving House Plants
These are plants with climbing or creeping shoots, many of them are shade-loving and unpretentious, suitable for growing in shaded areas of an apartment or at some distance from a window.
Scindapsus
Its name can be translated from Greek as “ivy-like tree.” Belongs to the Aroid family, it is often confused with another representative of this species – the Epipremnum. Scindapsus is a liana with beautiful unfolded, not very large leaves.
Often, leaf plates have a pattern of light stripes and dots. Does not require high humidity or special temperature conditions. Recommended for you Best silver leaf indoor plants.
Indoor ivy (hedera)
Possessing high aesthetic characteristics, ivy is not too demanding to care for. A standard room temperature of 22 ° C is suitable for it, high humidity and high illumination are not required – on the contrary, direct sunlight is undesirable.
Its medium-sized carved leaves growing on long stems are very beautiful. There are several color options for sheet plates. You can create decorative living compositions from ivy and let it whip right along the walls.
Tradescantia
All it takes to grow Tradescantia is regular watering. The beautiful variegated plant has several options for the color of the leaf plate from light green to purple.
Tradescantia belongs to the Kommelinov family, popularly it was awarded the interesting name “saxifrage”.
Tetrastigma
It is part of the Vinogradov family and is a rather large liana. In its natural habitat, it can grow up to 50 meters, and when grown in an apartment, it is recommended to regularly cut it to 3 meters in length.
It is undemanding to care for, but needs bright diffused lighting, so it needs to be grown near the window.
7 Palm and large-sized shade loving house plants
Such plants thrive in spacious rooms and are ideal for decorating offices and winter gardens. But at home, palm trees take root well .
Ficus rubber
It is part of the Mulberry family, got its name due to its juice, which contains a lot of rubber. A popular plant for growing in apartments.
It has an unpretentious disposition, it can grow well even with a lack of sunlight. It has beautiful large leafy plates with a glossy shine, can grow up to 1.5–2 meters, branches well, but looks very good when grown in one stem.
Ficus Benjamin
Unlike his relative, the rubber-bearing ficus , he is capricious. Loves well-lit places, but does not tolerate direct sunlight. Prefers good air circulation, but is afraid of drafts.
He needs an average air temperature, about 20 ° C, and high humidity. Ficus is regularly sprayed and watered at least 2 times a week.
Differs in a developed branched crown, covered with small pointed leaves. The color of the leaf blades varies from light green to dark emerald.
Dracaena
A popular plant in the Asparagus family. For indoor cultivation, flower lovers can choose several varieties: bush dracaena, semi-shrub or tree.
All varieties prefer well-lit places without direct sunlight, moderate temperature, and humidity. Looks great both in the office and at home.
Monstera
It is part of the Aroid family, in natural conditions it reaches impressive sizes, which is why it got its name (from the Latin monstrum – “miracle, incredible thing”).
Monstera has large leathery leaves with rounded cuts. This liana willingly releases aerial roots, is not limited in growth, even in an apartment it can grow into a giant plant.
Easily endures life in a shady room, does not impose special requirements on temperature and humidity. It needs regular watering, but in winter the amount of moisture should be reduced.
Fatshedera
This artificially bred liana does not occur in wildlife. The authors of this “botanical miracle” were the Lisi brothers, who in 1912 bred a new plant, based on the Japanese fatsia and chedera.
The large leaves of Fatshedera combine the characteristics of the mother plants (shape and color). Liana prefers well-lit places, but without direct sunlight, this should be taken into account when choosing a place to install a pot.
Hamedorea
Otherwise, a bamboo palm. Differs in a large number of trunks that resemble bamboo stems. Cannot stand direct sunlight, preferring partial shade.
Hamedorea does not like warm rooms too much, in summer a temperature of about 20 ° C will become the limit of its endurance, and in winter it is optimal to maintain + 15 ° C. Prefers high humidity and abundant watering.
Rhapis
For growing in an apartment, low rape is most often chosen. An unpretentious plant will not be damaged by a small amount of direct sunlight. It is worth paying close attention to watering: Rhapis does not tolerate both a lack of moisture and its stagnation in a pot.
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Indoor Ferns for shady room
Indoor ferns are beautiful and unpretentious, so they are often found in apartments and houses. For the successful cultivation of most types of decorative ferns, several conditions must be observed :
- buy the right pot;
- choose a soil;
- observe the watering regime.
Conifers shade loving house plants
In most cases, the climate of the apartment is not suitable for conifers, since the houses are too warm. Only a few varieties are suitable for growing indoors:
- Norfolk pine;
- cypress;
- Japanese and Himalayan cedars;
- juniper.
But you can still grow them. They prefer bright, diffused light, moist air, and regular watering.
Arrangement of flowerpots in shade
Most shade-loving indoor plants do not tolerate direct sunlight, so they should be placed at some distance from the window, but not sliding into a very dark corner. This is especially true for flowering houseplants.
Care for shade loving house plants
The following procedures are assumed:
- Choosing a place where direct sunlight will not fall on the crown.
- In summer and spring, it is important to additionally shade the plants.
- Compliance with the watering regime, because without direct sunlight, the moisture from the pot evaporates more slowly. It is important not to flood the flower.
- Carefully select the soil: it must provide the plant with all the necessary nutrients and trace elements.
- Carry out top dressing on time.
Apartment design options using shade-loving plants
Designers offer various design options for living space, taking into account the characteristics of shade-loving plants. On sites dedicated to design, there are names and photos with options for the arrangement of flowerpots.
Most often, flower pots are placed in the window area, but you can play with space by creating hedges of flowers and thus zoning rooms.
Conclusion
Shade loving house plants for low light are ideal for non-south facing apartments. Choose the best and most suitable option from the above rating of 27 houseplants.
