Houseplants That Thrive Without Much Sunlight

Moving in with someone is a big step for anyone — including the houseplant that's made its way from the lush nursery where it grew up to your bedroom. Like humans, plants need time to acclimate. According to Florida-based garden store Planterina, plants don't do very well with drastic environmental changes. So, it's best to hold off on repotting, watering, or fertilizing your new plant. Instead, let it scope the sunlight, the air, and the care it will receive in its new home.

However, the seemingly simple ingredients for a happy plant aren't always easy to manifest. Many of us live in spaces with low-light or less than ideal weather conditions that may leave our plants wilting. Now, unless you want to move, the easiest way to fix that is research. Fortunately, we've curated a list of plants that will survive and even thrive in low-light spaces, so you don't have to. 

Keep reading to find out which houseplants can survive without much sunlight.

Some plants, like the Instagrammable Monstera, thrive in indirect light (via Plantophiles), while some like succulents can be placed on sunny windowsills (via The Spruce). But there are many of us who have Seasonal Depression levels of light coming into our homes. "'Do you have any low-light houseplants?' is the No. 1 question we get from our customers," plant expert Annette Gutierrez of garden store Potted tells the Los Angeles Times.

The Snake plant answers the question. According to The Sill, the plant can "tolerate low light and drought," making it easy on new plant parents. You could also pick up a ZZ plant, a tropical plant native to East Africa that can survive up to four months without watering (via the Los Angeles Times). Lisa Eldred Steinkopf, founder of The Houseplant Guru, suggests the Chinese Evergreen to Reader's Digest, telling the outlet, "Other than a thorough watering now and then, you can pretty much ignore it and it will still grow." For varying degrees of light (and care), the Philodendron is an easy option — it's also The Sill's "most popular plant year after year."

However, if your home is a one-bedroom, no-window situation, you could also check out artificial grow lights ($22). Still not sure why your plant's not living her best life? Check out our guide on the biggest mistakes you could be making with indoor plants.