At times we are reluctant to bring home new plants because the ones we already have seem to be doing just fine and we’re afraid that the only free spots there are indoors aren’t bright enough to foster the healthy growth of most species.
However, there are some exceptions that show how not all plants are needy of shiny locations. Here’s a list of the seven best indoor plants you could find if your need is to fill in the darkest corners of your room.
Silver Vine (Scindapsus pictus)
The first thing you need to know about silver vines in regard to full shade is that they’ll mostly lose their variegation, being left with leaves that look a bit less peculiar. Just be sure to keep this plant moist during summertime by regularly spraying its creeping body that can grow as tall as you allow it, may there only be a moss pole for it to grip the roots on.
People will be right in saying this one is a little harder to tend to than the next plants on this list, but still, its place here is rightly earned because the beauty and vigor of this vine are notorious. Choose to put it on a well-illuminated area, free from direct sun, but again, even if you have to leave it to itself on the shadiest of corners, that will make the spotting fade away but its gracious looks are granted to still prevail.
Nerve Plant (Fittonia spp.)
The leaves of this plant are quite exquisite too, mostly because of their color, texture and also shape, with unusual bends and rounded out aspect. It demands to be placed in half-shade, remembering that you must always avoid exposing it to direct sunlight or its foliage will not wait to droop.
Other than that, it’s one of the easiest good-looking plants you can grow in any room. Give it the usual warmth that most indoor plants require and be positive that the pot is sitting somewhere humid enough, although the soil needs not to be soggy at all between waterings.
Chinese Evergreen (Aglaonema spp.)
The speary foliage of these specimens tends to be dark-green as if they’re telling us that their hunger for light is also quite shallow. Shade feeds them perfectly and to grow these evergreens can be challenging but nothing that isn’t manageable so long as you follow the rules. Almost like the tropical plants, it requires warmth and moisture that has to be inputted by us because homes usually lack on either one or the two factors.
There are many species of this kind and their differences come down to the size of the plant and its leaves, with the variegation also being of many different sorts and hues of green, glaucous and silver.
Mind-Your-Own-Business (Soleirolia soleirolii)
Being this one a groundcover sort of species, growing it should be equally non-demanding. It’s an ornamental often seen coming in tiny vases with a very turfy soil also filled with vermiculite, exactly because it cannot stand lack of water around its webby root system.
Being low maintenance, the only other aspect you need to keep in check is the temperature, never allowing it to rise much above 77 degrees F/25 C, or there will be some slowing to the growth and urgency of its minuscule leaves.
In terms of light requirements, this plant is rather flexible though it prefers a lot of indirect sunlight and shuns the direct exposure to any rays.
Heartleaf Philodendron (Philodendron scandens)
This plant is not only famous for its heart-shaped leaves but also the roots that like to fly off and feel around as if they’re looking forward to rooting on the walls of your dwelling. What the plants of this family ask for is a regular dose of heat and moisture accompanied by full shade — an environment similar to that of the tropical forest, from where they’re native.
Overall, it’s a tough breed that bears some negligence without showing major signs of illness, but try to at least maintain the minimum temperatures above 50 F/10 C for better luck. Regarding the lighting, always remember to shelter them from direct sun, for it will embrace the inkier spots and thrive there.
Snake Plant (Sansevieria spp.)
Sansevierias are the strongest plants you’ll come across, literally and metaphorically. With such thick blades, it endures drought and dampness during the warmest periods, as well as sunbaths or full shade. Because it resists so well to the latter, that’s why this list counts it in, meaning that yes, you can afford to put this little friend in places where you probably wouldn’t dare lay most species.
This houseplant was simply born to live on. If it doesn’t, then it’s because you really suck at gardening and should read a few more books on the subject.
Cast Iron Plant (Aspidistra spp.)
Belonging to the elite panel that includes some of those plants widely appreciated by the royalty during Victorian times, it’s very innocent looking with long and elegant, rich green leaves.
Since it’s slow-growing in nature, it’ll accept its age without a problem and the foliage will maintain a good appearance throughout the seasons. However, there should be some care about the chance of waterlogging and hard exposition to direct sunlight which can ruin the plant’s waxy glow, turning it yellowish.
Also, when transplanting is done too often without allowing the plant to rest, root, feed and grow strong as it should (a tip that applies to pretty much every plant there is, indoors or out), there might be trouble. So, keep these clues in mind and your eyes wide open, because if once there were but monsters hiding in the dingiest rooms of your house, now who knows what you’ll find out has sunk its roots in there…
