The best plants for dark rooms, seven species that hold up

A dark room is rarely pitch black. It is usually low, indirect light, sometimes with no direct window at all. Good news, several houseplants thrive in exactly these conditions, because that is what they meet in the wild, under the canopy of tropical forests.

The seven champions of dim rooms

• ZZ Plant (Zamioculcas zamiifolia): the most tolerant of all.
• Snake plant (Dracaena trifasciata): just as solid in low light as in bright.
• Golden Pothos (Epipremnum aureum): grows anywhere.
• Cast iron plant (Aspidistra elatior): nearly indestructible.
• Peace lily (Spathiphyllum): blooms even without direct sun.
• Calathea: spectacular foliage in faint indirect light.
• Aglaonema: green or silver varieties that handle low light (reds and pinks need more light).

ZZ Plant, dim-room champion

The ZZ stores reserves in underground rhizomes, which lets it survive weeks without light. A plant in a hallway with no window, lit only by evening lamps, holds up perfectly.

Very spaced waterings (every 3 to 4 weeks), free-draining substrate, and that is all.

Snake plant, the no-brainer

The snake plant works in any room. Windowless bathroom, north bedroom, hallway, this is the one. Its CAM metabolism also makes it very frugal with water. Ideal for a bedroom.

Pothos, the all-purpose

Golden Pothos is probably the most tolerant houseplant on the market. It grows even when you forget about it. In a dark room it grows slower with smaller leaves, but stays green and beautiful.

Place it as a hanging plant or trailing from a shelf to enjoy the cascading vines.

Aspidistra, the Victorian survivor

The cast iron plant survived 19th-century waiting rooms. Wide deep-green leaves, elegant posture, completely indifferent to light.

Downside: it grows very slowly. A medium-sized plant costs a lot at the garden center because it is already 5 to 10 years old.

Peace lily, blooms in shade

Almost the only houseplant that flowers in faint indirect light. Elegant white spathes, several times a year if it is happy.

Likes a substrate that stays slightly moist. Tells you it is thirsty by drooping its leaves, which perk up the moment you water. Toxic to cats.

Calathea, foliage beauty

Calatheas need very little direct light and even prefer to avoid it. Their leaves draw spectacular patterns, white, pink, or purple depending on the species.

Fussier than the others: it wants high ambient humidity and regular watering with filtered water. But in a humid dark room (a bathroom for instance), it is in its element.

Aglaonema, foliage that accepts shade

Aglaonemas come in green, silver, pink, or red foliage. The green and silver varieties keep their shine in dim light. The pinks and reds need fairly bright indirect light: too far into shade, they fade and turn green.

Tolerates missed waterings, indifferent to ambient humidity. Excellent office plant.

Specific rules for dark rooms

Water less. A plant that gets less light transpires less, so consumes less water. Classic trap: keeping the same watering pace you had in a bright room and drowning the plant.

Skip fertilizer in winter. Photosynthesis slows down, fertilizer burns the roots instead of being absorbed.

Rotate plants a quarter turn each week, otherwise phototropism tilts them all the same way.

Wipe leaves once a month. Dust on leaves blocks the already weak light.

When grow lights become necessary

If the room receives no natural light at all (finished basement, windowless bath), an LED grow light becomes necessary. A 20-30 W lamp aimed at the plant, on for 8 to 12 hours a day, is enough for most species.

Once the plant is in place, Plenova tells you whether its spot gives it enough light, and adjusts its reminders accordingly.

A dark room is not a dead room. It is just space for different plants.