# Recommend good low-light plants **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 9, 2011, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-good-low-light-plants/574092 "2011-03-09T21:16:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![taxi78cab](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47c2d/32.png) [@taxi78cab](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/taxi78cab)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2011, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-good-low-light-plants/574092/1 "2011-03-09T21:16:59Z")
I have a north/northwest facing window that I haven’t ever gotten around to putting curtains on. I just can’t find a style I like. So I decided instead that I’d like to put brackets up and a rod across it and hand 3-4 plants. I love plants and have quite a few in the house, but I don’t know what would work well for this low-light situation. During the summer, it gets a couple hours of direct sunlight, but in the winter it gets no direct sunlight at all. I have two Christmas cactus on a table in front of the window, and they love it, but they’re too big to hang. What would you recommend as good hanging plants for a low-light window? I really don’t like philodendron. Other than that, I’m open to anything. One other note though - we keep our house pretty cold in the winter and warm in the summer so it needs to be able to withstand ~55 overnight in the winter and then up to ~78 in the summer. (Orchids don’t like the conditions I provide so I know I can’t handle really finicky plants.) ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2011, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-good-low-light-plants/574092/2 "2011-03-09T23:49:23Z")
Pothos ivy and spider plants are uber-common office plants for exactly this reason. Also because you don’t have to buy one - just find someone who has one and root some cuttings. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![duffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duffer/32/1026_2.png) [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-good-low-light-plants/574092/3 "2011-03-10T00:24:12Z")
Second the spider plant. Short of lighting it on fire they can take a lot of abuse. Plus after awhile when they get big enough they’ll provide an almost veil effect to dress up the window a bit. ---
**Author:** ![thelabdude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dc4da7/32.png) [@thelabdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelabdude)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-good-low-light-plants/574092/4 "2011-03-10T02:23:22Z")
Impatiens do well. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-good-low-light-plants/574092/5 "2011-03-11T17:50:57Z")
Ficus are tolerant of a lot of abuse, though they’re trees vs hanging plants. Once it gets large enough it can do some screening of the window as well (or you could buy a large one to start). Ours is one I bought at about 18 inches high back in 1989. Right now it’s taller than I am; it’s in our entry foyer. ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-good-low-light-plants/574092/6 "2011-03-11T18:47:57Z")
> **[Pelargonium graveolens](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pelargonium_graveolens)** > > Pelargonium graveolens is a Pelargonium species native to the Cape Provinces and the Northern Provinces of South Africa, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. > Pelargonium comes from the Greek πελαργός pelargos which means stork. Another name for pelargoniums is stork's-bills due to the shape of their fruit. The specific epithet graveolens refers to the strong-smelling leaves. > Pelargonium graveolens is an erect, multi-branched shrub, that grows up to 1.5 m and has a spread of 1 m. The leaves are deeply inc... ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-good-low-light-plants/574092/7 "2011-03-11T19:33:55Z")
[Sansevieria trifasciata](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sansevieria) is good for low-light, although it is, like **Mama Zappa** ’s ficus suggestion, a “grown on the sill and let it grow up to screen the window out” plant. Another possible negative is that it’s pretty slow-growing, too. But it practically thrives on neglect. ---
**Author:** ![flano1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f14d63/32.png) [@flano1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flano1)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-good-low-light-plants/574092/8 "2011-03-11T19:38:16Z")
Aspidistra. George Orwell reckons ya can’t kill 'em, and from experience he’s right ( or left ). ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-good-low-light-plants/574092/9 "2011-03-11T20:39:09Z")
Don’t know what the [real name of these](http://www.amazon.com/9GreenBox-Plants-Braided-Pachira-Ceramic/dp/tech-data/B002RNSCZS)are but I’ve had great success with them indoors in low light conditions. They grow pretty fast and are attractive. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-good-low-light-plants/574092/10 "2011-03-11T20:51:36Z")
> [@PlainJain](#): > > Don’t know what the [real name of these](http://www.amazon.com/9GreenBox-Plants-Braided-Pachira-Ceramic/dp/tech-data/B002RNSCZS)are but I’ve had great success with them indoors in low light conditions. They grow pretty fast and are attractive. [Pachira](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pachira_aquatica), apparently.