A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The House Plant Forum Houseplant suggestions for low light?

Hi folks, I may wear out my welcome here! LOL Finally finding a group that has all this plant knowledge.
I have few house plants, We have a small log home, and other than the Diningroom slider that gets direct sun, in the morning, there are not alot of options.
My room gets sun in the afternoon, and one window is facing north so its just light.
My bathroom gets little light, All I have is a VERY old giant jade, at least 17 years old, it sits on the floor in front of the slider, ITs crazy big.
I have a few Pothos, one in the Living room, one in my bedroom,
One OLD spindly Christmas cactus, it has been through the mill, Broken, Revived, Most folks would throw it away. Not me. LOL
And an OLD Africian Violet, IT was the last of ones I had from my old landlord who had the greenest thumb.
It has been knocked over, Broken, Repotted, And well it still blooms in the winter, sometimes.
So I have old pathetic plants, I want new plants, I need green to get me through this Michigan winter.
MY husband could care less about plants, My kittys like Spider plants, so the one I have is hanging, and its not very big.
Any suggestions would be so much appreciated!

How about Ivy? They can tolerate low light.

peace lily
aspidistra (cast iron plant)
pothos
spider plant
dracaena (lots of varieties)
ficus (lots of varieties)
pilea (lots of varieties)
arrow head vine
ivy
philodendren (several varieties)
lots more... i'll think about it and post more tomorrow.

I actually brought in a few hen & chicks and potted them up and put them in a west window---they seem to be doing well so far----

Wow Thats quite a list Jiffy, thanks.
I used to have a ton of plants in our old house, but the light was very different.
Now I have all my plants outside, LOL But in the winter I really suffer!
Thanks for the suggestions. I will have to go out this week and start looking.

and, to add to that, you can put fluorescent strip lights to boost the lights for your plants to get more "mileage" out of them.

ZZ plant is good, slow as heck but good.

Hi Tom, Whats a ZZ plant??

check here kim this is what wikipedia has to say on the zamioculcas zamiifolia i've heard they are great plants, but i've never grown one.

Here's a few more that I'm growing...I don't really have any direct sunlight in my house, so if they don't grow in pretty low light - or indirect, fairly bright light, they have to go somewhere else.

sanseveria (snake plant)
bird of paradise
aglaonema (chinese evergreen)
rhapis excelsa (lady palm)
norfolk island pine (araucana heterophylla)
alocasia - many types (elephant ears)
ferns - many types - they need about the same light/humid. as African violets

Oh thanks Albany, I just now saw this. I FORGOT about Norfolks, I adore them. I havent had one in years, I used to have a big one, and When we moved it died.
I have a chinese evergreen thats nuts. And I ignore it except when it gets droopy!
Lady palm Hmm what is that. sounds interesting. Thanks for the suggestions! :wink:

Hi Ditchy,

Here's a picture of lady palms

http://www.rhapisgardens.com/rhapis-excelsa/

They are easy to grow, I find they need a bit more water than a philo (for instance)... I think that other types of palms (such as parlor palms) will do OK in low-medium/indirect light but I've never had any luck with the others I've tried because I think it's too dry in my house. The lady palms seem tougher as long as they get enough water.

Another one I forgot to mention that is defying expectations at my house is the fiddle leaf fig tree - it's a relative of the rubber tree plant. Mine has been growing for about 5 years in a north window and sometimes I move it into a hallway where it only gets artificial light.

http://www.evergrowing.com/tips/fiddleleaffig.htm

One suggestion, just in general I try to start out with a small plant and then it grows up in the conditions at my house - as opposed to taking a big plant home that was in a greenhouse its whole life. But I was also known as the "plant person" at my office, and people would give me "rescues" and I'd try to save them - which is where I got the bird of paradise and norfolk pine - which I would not really have thought would survive in low light.

have a great day