10 Low Light House Plants | Indoor Plants That Grow Without Sunlight

Learn about the best low light house plants for your home or office.

House plants can bring so much joy to our lives. They provide us with oxygen, beauty, something to care for and feed our souls!

The trouble is, how can you grow an indoor plant if you have low light or no sunlight? After all, your 3rd-grade teacher told you that plants need sunlight to grow!

A sunny window sill is often a great place to grow a rare or unique houseplant, but what if that’s not practical for you? What if you have a devious little cat, that likes to knock over your plants?

Or maybe you’d love a plant on your desk at work, but Marge from Human Resources is the only person with the coveted window office!

Have no fear! You can still grow a house plant, even with low light or no natural light! You just have to pick the right type of plants. Low light house plants for the win!

House Plant Serial Killer

How many plants for you bought and killed? Come on, be honest? How many times have you begged and pleaded with your house plant not to die, but it does anyway?

Yeah, it happens! But that’s OK! We’re about to change your houseplant serial killer status to one of green-fingered marvel!

Below is a list of my favorite low light house plants that are also easy to take care of! Winning combination!

The Best Low Light House Plants

So let’s get started with our list of low light houseplants that will grow, even in the darkest of cubical office spaces!

At the end of this post there are links to where you can purchase these plants.

Maidenhair Fern

Maidenhair Fern - Low Light House Plant

This fern has pretty soft, filly leaves (that look a bit like flowing hair… hence the name!) and looks wonderful at home or in the office. This tactile plant is also great at relieving stress. It’s also very easy to grow!

  • Light: Low light or indirect sunlight.
  • Watering: Water frequently but do not overwater (soil should stay moist, but not soggy).
  • Other Considerations: Older fronds will die back and be replaced with newer ones.

Bromeliads

Bromeliads - Best Low Light Indoor Plants

Bromeliads are little tropical wonders that are perfect for growing in an office with only artificial light. They come in a variety of different colors to brighten up your office space or living room.

  • Light: Grows well under artificial light, such as a windowless office.
  • Watering: Water thoroughly every 2-3 weeks and allow to dry out completely.
  • Other Considerations: Bromeliads are grown in moss or bark, not soil. They do not like sitting in water, so make sure that any excess water drains out easily.
Find Your Perfect Plant. Take the Houseplant Quiz!

Not sure what houseplant is ight for you?

Take my Houseplant Quiz to find your PERFECT plant!

Snake Plant

This is my top pick for beginners or reformed ‘House Plant Serial Killers‘!

Snake Plant (or Mother-in-Law's Tongue)

Snake Plants (also known as “Mother-in-Law’s Tongue!) is a very low maintenance and durable houseplant that can tolerate very low light.

  • Light: Will tolerate very low light conditions.
  • Watering: Needs very little water (overwatering will kill it).
  • Other Considerations: Snake Plants are actually a type of succulent and it is one of NASA’s top 10 plants for filtering air!

Spider Plant

Spider Plant - No sunlight indoor plant

Spider plants are one of my favorite low light indoor plants. They are so easy to grow, they grow fast and produce cute little baby plants! Like the Snake Plant, this one is also great at filtering the air.

  • Light: Low light or artificial light.
  • Watering: Water only when the top of the soil is dry to the touch (overwatering can be a problem). Water less in colder months.
  • Other Considerations: A great plant for filtering the air and it is also kid and pet safe! This is a great ‘first plant’ for a child to care for (just make sure they don’t overwater it).

Peace Lily

Peace Lily - Low Light Plant

Peace Lilies are such a low maintenance plant and exceptionally durable! If you forget to water them, the leaves will start to droop and remind you. Once you’ve given them a bit of water, the leaves spring back into shape again!

  • Light: Low light, although they will flower more with some natural light
  • Watering: Water weekly or when leaves start to droop.
  • Other Considerations: This is yet ANOTHER great air filtering plant, so it’s perfect for an office or desk. Peace Lilies are toxic to cats and dogs.

Begonia

Begonias are stunning little plants that come several colors and shapes. They have fancy flowers AND foliage that make them real centerpieces. They are a great addition to any house decor.

  • Light: Tolerants low light or artificial lights.
  • Watering: Easy to overwater, so allow to fully dry out between waterings.
  • Other Considerations: These are also a great choice for hanging baskets.

ZZ Plant

ZZ Plant

The ZZ Plant (or Zamioculcas Zamiifolia… but that’s a bit of a mouthful!) is a great low light and low maintenance house plant. The gorgeous green, shiny leaves brighten up any space.

  • Light: Low light. Will grow quicker with indirect sunlight.
  • Watering: Water at most once every 2-3 weeks. Easy to overwater, so allow to fully dry out between waterings.
  • Other Considerations: This plant does well in dry air, so it’s perfect for offices that have ait conditioning that dries out the air!

Red Prayer Plant

Red Prayer Plant

Red Prayer Plants have a very unique appearance with bright red veins on their shiny dark green leaves. The underside of the leaves are also a beautiful red color, so they add a wonderful pop of color to any room.

  • Light: Low light or indirect sunlight.
  • Watering: Keep the soil moist, but not soggy. Try not to get water on the leaves as this can cause leaf spot bacteria.
  • Other Considerations: At night this plant folds it’s leaves and looks like prayer hands, hence the name!

Dracaena

I love Dracaenas as they are so easy to grow and are very durable! In fact, I had a beautiful Dracaena in college and that stood up to a lot of abuse and still grew well!

  • Light: Low light or indirect sunlight.
  • Watering: Easy to overwater, so allow to fully dry out between waterings. Drooping or yellow leaves indicate overwatering.
  • Other Considerations: This plant can be toxic to cats or dogs if eaten, so much sure you keep it away from Rover and Fluffy!

There you have it! The 10 best low light house plants for your home or office.

The hardest part is deciding which one to get…?

Yeah, all of them!

Find Your Perfect Plant. Take the Houseplant Quiz!

Not sure what houseplant is ight for you?

Take my Houseplant Quiz to find your PERFECT plant!