The 7 Best Houseplants for Low Light Conditions

Lucky bamboo (Dracaena sanderiana) is native to Cameroon in West Africa and has many common names associated with it: Lucky Bamboo, Ribbon Dracaena, Ribbon Plant, Belgian Evergreen, Chinese Water Bamboo, Friendship Bamboo, Water Bamboo, though it is not actually a member of the bamboo family.

These plants pop up in offices, on desks, in businesses, and in homes pretty much everywhere. An important part of feng shui, lucky bamboo plants are said to bring good luck and fortune, especially if the plants were given as gifts. It also helps that they have a well-earned reputation as nearly indestructible.  

We talked to one grower recently who said he wanted to see what would happen in he grew a pot of lucky bamboo in his dark bedroom. Two years later, the plant was still thriving. So here it is the world's best indoor shade plant.

The spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum) is considered one of the most adaptable of houseplants and the easiest to grow. The spider plant is so named because of its spider-like plants, or spiderettes, which dangle down from the mother plant like spiders on the web. Available in green or variegated varieties, these spiderettes often start out as small white flowers.

Spider plants can be grown as hanging or trailing plants, in baskets or pots. They will survive for a long time in less-than-ideal light conditions, including even artificial light.

The conditions that these plants can thrive in are incredible. Dark. Dry. Just totally un-plantlike. If you're looking for a sure-thing in shady conditions, try a pot of Golden Pothos.

Golden Pothos are one most popular of all house plants. They are attractive, durable and easy to grow vines that have smooth, leathery, heart-shaped leaves with distinctive marbling alternating along rope-like green stems. Pothos vines are among the top ten air purifying plants for indoor use.

Not all ferns will thrive in shady corners, but it's safe to say that many of the finest are easily suited to low-light conditions.

Ferns are some of the oldest plants in the world—they've been thriving for 300 million years and grow in an astonishing array of environments. As houseplants, they've been in cultivation for centuries. Worldwide, the American Fern Society estimates there are about 12,000 species of ferns, ranging from cold hardy to tropical, and ranging in size from miniature to the monstrous tree ferns of New Zealand and Australia. 

The sansevieria species are some of the best low-light plants. They're striking in appearance and strikingly easy to grow.

The Snake Plant, or Mother-in-Law's Tongue, is one of the most recommended plants for improving air quality. The optimal place to keep this relatively inexpensive and low-maintenance plant is the bedroom because it converts CO2 into oxygen at night.

Among a huge variety of plants that are used for home, office, apartments, malls and landscape decoration, dracaena family is the one you can meet practically everywhere. This group of plants consists of nearly 40 species that vary in sizes and forms.

This group includes the Ti Plants, D. Draco, and other dracaena species. They're great plants for low-light conditions.

Surprised to see a tropical bromeliad on the list? Then try these out. Aechmea is commonly sold in flower, and a flowering aechmea will often hold its bloom and shape for months and months in poor light or artificial light conditions.