Do you have a room in your house that could use a little bit of life? Maybe it’s always dark, or the windows are too small and the light never quite reaches the corners. If you’re looking for the best indoor plants for dark rooms, read on for our recommendations.
Best Indoor Plants for Dark Rooms
Lucky Bamboo (Dracaena sanderiana)
Lucky Bamboo (Buy Online) is perfect if you want an attractive-looking plant that doesn’t require much maintenance. This compact indoor plant is a great choice for those who live in apartments or have little natural light coming into their homes. Plus, you’ll love how easy it is to care for this beautiful houseplant and enjoy its good luck energy all year round.
Spider Plant (Chlorophytum comosum)
Spider Plants (Buy Online) are hardy indoor plants and they are easy to maintain and propagate. These low-maintenance houseplants can survive on artificial lighting alone so they’re a great option if you have a dark room that needs a touch of greenery. Plus, these little guys are so easy to take care of since all you need to do is water them once a week.
Staghorn Fern (Platycerium bifurcatum)
Staghorn Ferns (Buy Online) are perfect for dark rooms since they don’t need direct sunlight. They’re also easy to care for, requiring just an occasional watering, and if you love the look of tropical plants but don’t want them taking over a large area, staghorn ferns are a great option if you’re working with tight space constraints.
English Ivy (Hedera helix)
English Ivy (Buy Online) is a type of true ivy vine with dark green leaves that can be grown indoors year-round without much sunlight. And it makes an excellent houseplant for beginners because it’s extremely hardy and requires minimal maintenance.
Cast Iron Plant (Aspidistra elatior)
The Cast Iron Plant (Buy Online) thrives on neglect and grows well indoors even if you don’t have a lot of natural light. And this green beauty makes an excellent addition to any space from offices to north-facing rooms. Plus, they’re super easy to grow – just water them every couple of weeks.
Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum)
The Peace Lily (Buy Online) is one of the easiest houseplants you can grow. It’s super low maintenance and doesn’t need much light or water. They have beautiful white flowers that last for several weeks and a lush green color year-round. It’s also one of the easiest plants to grow indoors, so it’s perfect if you’re new to gardening or don’t have much time to care for houseplants.
Maidenhair Fern (Adiantum raddianum)
Maidenhair Ferns (Buy Online) are the best indoor plants to grow if you live in an apartment or somewhere with little natural light. They’re also great for those who tend to neglect their plants and forget about them. This perennial evergreen has soft lacy leaves that will never grow more than 6 inches tall so it’ll fit into any corner or nook with ease. Plus, its delicate fronds are perfect for creating lush hanging gardens when paired with other potted plants like Boston Ferns or Staghorn Ferns.
ZZ Plant (Zamioculcas zamiifolia)
The ZZ Plant (Buy Online) is one of the best indoor houseplants for low-light spaces like offices or bedrooms. This gorgeous little succulent doesn’t require much attention at all, so if you forget to water it every now and again, don’t worry—it’ll be fine (and it will still look amazing). Plus, it’s super easy to propagate new cuttings from a ZZ plant by simply cutting off a stem and placing it into soil or water until it starts to sprout roots.
Anthurium (Anthurnium spp.)
Anthurium (Buy Online) is a gorgeous houseplant with glossy dark green heart-shaped leaves and long-lasting red blooms. It’s perfect for any room in your home or office and it grows best when placed near an east or west-facing window.
Swiss Cheese Plant (Monstera Deliciosa)
The Swiss Cheese Plant (Buy Online) is an exotic-looking indoor plant with a unique shape and coloration, which makes it ideal for decorating your home or office. And its small size and low light requirements make it perfect for those who have little experience caring for houseplants or are limited on space in their homes or offices.
Money Tree
The Money Tree (Buy Online) is a beautiful and easy to care for indoor plant that can help you bring good fortune into your home or office. It’s also said to bring prosperity and good luck to its owners. The money tree grows best in indirect light near a window, not in direct sunlight, and it thrives with regular watering.
Chinese evergreen
The Chinese Evergreen (Buy Online) is an easy-to-grow houseplant that requires little maintenance and thrives under medium light conditions in offices, living rooms, or bedrooms. And it adds color and texture to any space making it a perfect choice if you’re looking to bring some life to a dark room.
Prayer Plant (Maranta leuconeura)
Prayer Plants (Buy Online) are one of the easiest houseplants to grow. They’re also one of the most dramatic, with their large, oval leaves that fold upward at night and lower during the day. Some types require direct sun in order to thrive; others do best under LED lights or fluorescent bulbs. And with so many varieties to choose from you’re sure to find one that’s perfect for a dark room.
Dragon Tree (Dracaena marginata)
If you’re looking for the best indoor plant for dark rooms, look no further than the Dragon Tree (Buy Online). These hardy plants require little maintenance and will grow just about anywhere. Plus their leaves are pretty too, and it’s a win-win situation all around when it comes to growing these nearly foolproof beauties.
Corn Plant (Dracaena fragrans)
Dracaena Fragrans (Buy Online) is the perfect plant for anyone who wants to make a bold statement without having to worry about watering, sunlight, or soil quality. These gorgeous indoor houseplants are easy-to-care-for and can grow in just about any environment. They’re also great air purifiers, and everyone who sees them will be amazed by these beautiful tropical plants that thrive indoors in low light year-round.
Polka Dot Plant (Hypoestes phyllostachya)
The Polka Dot Plant (Buy Online) is an excellent indoor plant because it’s very resilient and forgiving of poor lighting conditions. And it has variegated pink leaves that really make it stand out against other plants in your home or office. Plus, this is one of the best indoor plants for small dark rooms since it stays compact even at maturity.
Parlor Palm (Chamaedorea elegans)
The Parlor Palm (Buy Online) has thick green fronds that are easy to see against your wall or in corners of rooms where light may not reach as easily. And they look especially nice when placed near an east or west-facing window that only gets some sun in the morning or afternoon.
Bromeliad
Bromeliads (Buy Online) are the best indoor plants for dark rooms because they require only moderate light and water, but still give you plenty of color, texture, and tropical flair anywhere in your home or office.
Aloe vera
Aloe (Buy Online) is one of the best indoor plants because it’s so easy to grow and maintain. All you need are bright indirect sunlight and water every 2-3 weeks. It will keep your home looking fresh, clean, and healthy while purifying the air around it.
Snake plant
Snake Plant (Buy Online) is a popular indoor houseplant that makes a great addition to any room of the house. It does well with little light so it’s perfect if you don’t get a lot of natural daylight where you live. Also, it doesn’t require much watering and can go for quite a long time without needing any attention.
Sago palm – Best Indoor Plants for Dark Rooms
The Sago Palm (Buy Online) is one of the few houseplants that will thrive in low light conditions or even direct sunlight from a window. It’s easy to care for – just water when dry and feed every couple of months with slow-release fertilizer pellets and Epsom salts.
Oyster plant – Best Indoor Plants for Dark Rooms
The Oyster Plant (Buy Online) is one of the most popular houseplants because it’s so easy to care for and it requires very little attention to stay healthy. In fact, this plant will even thrive under fluorescent lights. And you’ll find that its small size makes it perfect for desks or tabletops as well as hanging baskets outside on patios or decks.
Dieffenbachia – Best Indoor Plants for Dark Rooms
Dieffenbachia (Buy Online) is one of the easiest houseplants to care for because it’s nearly impossible to kill. In fact, they’re so easy that even people with brown thumbs can keep them alive. This plant is great for newbies because it requires very little maintenance and thrives under low light conditions. And it makes an excellent addition to any room in your home or office and will help purify the air while adding some nice texture.
Heartleaf philodendron – Best Indoor Plants for Dark Rooms
The Heartleaf philodendron (Buy Online) is one of the best house plants for beginners, and this plant is great for people who live in apartments with little natural light and want beautiful greenery. It’s also perfect for those who travel often and are looking for a low-maintenance indoor plant that will look good almost anywhere.
Dracaena limelight – Best Indoor Plants for Dark Rooms
Dracaena Limelight (Buy Online) is one of the best indoor plants for low-light living spaces because it has beautiful green leaves that really pop when they aren’t exposed to lots of sunlight. And this beautiful houseplant is easy to grow and maintain, making this a perfect choice for those who don’t have a lot of time or patience for gardening.
Orchid – Best Indoor Plants for Dark Rooms
The Phalaenopsis Orchid (Buy Online) is the perfect indoor plant if you want something pretty without having to spend too much time on maintenance. It’s also one of the easiest houseplants to take care of – just add water every week or so and keep it out of direct sunlight.
Ponytail palm – Best Indoor Plants for Dark Rooms
The Ponytail Palm (Buy Online) requires very little water and it prefers indirect light and will never outgrow its pot because it can be trained to grow in small containers. It’s also a fun gift idea for anyone who loves unique plants.
Ming Aralia
The Ming Aralia (Buy Online) grows slowly to about 6 feet tall, so it makes an excellent houseplant if you’re looking for something exotic and unique to fill a large space. These plants prefer bright indirect light but will tolerate some shade during the winter months when there is less sunlight available.
Kentia palm
Kentia Palms (Buy Online) will help breathe new life into the interior of your home or office with their lush fronds that look great wherever they are displayed. This palm species is quite forgiving and tolerant of low light conditions, but they do prefer an area that receives indirect light. And with proper care, these beautiful indoor palm trees can grow up to 12 feet tall making them the best large indoor plant for a dark room.
How To Keep Plants Alive in a Dark Room
Keeping plants alive can be a challenge, but keeping them alive in a dark room can be even harder. If you’re looking for tips on how to keep your plants thriving, read on. We’ll share some easy tips that will help you keep your plants alive and healthy no matter what space they’re living in.
Artificial Light
If you want to solve the problem of plants dying in a dark room, it’s worth investing in an LED Grow Light (Buy Online). An LED grow light is perfect for those who don’t have sunlight or live in places that get very little natural lighting year-round.
These lights are designed specifically for indoor gardening and they emit significantly less heat than traditional bulbs which means they’re safer around children and pets.
And it may seem like a big investment at first but when you think about how much money you’ll save on your electric bill by not using fluorescent lighting, it will quickly become clear just how beneficial LED grow lights can be.
Window
The best way to grow plants in a dark room is by placing them as close as possible to a window. This will allow them to get more natural light and make it easier on your budget since you won’t need to keep running artificial lights all day.
Rotate Your Plants
Rotating your plants every few days helps to even out sun exposure so they have a better chance of surviving in a dark indoor environment. To learn more about how you can keep your green friends healthy, read our blog post on how to rotate houseplants here.
Indoor Plant Light Requirements
Below you’ll find some quick facts and figures about different indoor plant light requirements
Low light
- PAR: 50 to 150 umol
- Foot Candles: 50 to 200 foot-candles
- Watts: 10 to 15 watts
Medium-light
- PAR: 150 to 250 umol
- Foot Candles: 250 to 1000 foot-candles
- Watts:15 to 20 watts
High Light
- PAR: 250-450 umol
- Foot Candles: 1,000+ foot-candles
- Watts: 20+ watts
