Houseplants bring so much to a space: a splash of colour, interesting shapes and growth patterns, and a warm, homey vibe. They also work wonders when it comes to removing impurities and boosting clean air in your space. Give them the best chance to thrive by assessing the levels of light in your home before you buy one. Here we outline the houseplants to get for every type of light in your home.
Bright Light (Full Sun)
You’ll know that your condominium is blessed with bright light or full sun if any of your rooms receive direct, unfiltered light. You might have a few hours a day where you receive direct sun; you’ll know this because of how light, bright and hot it can get; you likely have one or more south-facing windows. Houseplants that do well in full sun tend to be of the tropical variety: think citrus, fiddle leaf or weeping fig, hibiscus, kalanchoe, and succulents. These plants can take the heat and they like it hot.
Bright But Indirect Light
You have bright but indirect light if you have south-, west- or east-facing windows in your home. That light may also be considered to be “diffused” or “filtered”, in gardening speak, if any of those windows happen to be covered with sheer curtains or blinds. It’s not hard to find houseplants that thrive in bright light; you’ll have lots of options to choose from, including the perennial Instagram favourite, monstera, dieffenbachia, Christmas cactus, spider plant, and money tree.
Medium Light
Don’t worry if you’re new to gardening, as many indoor plants are easy to care for, pretty low maintenance, and are quite forgiving. You can start experimenting one plant at a time to build up some confidence before expanding your collection. If your space has a medium amount of light, just try to steer away from plants that have specific light requirements. The following will do well with medium light: calathea, dragon tree, fern, peace lily, even spider plant, which was listed above.
Low Light
If your condominium has north-facing windows, you’ll want to be careful when selecting houseplants. You don’t want to invest in anything that won’t have a real shot at surviving. Fortunately there are still many choices available for those with low light, including the ZZ plant, lucky bamboo, Chinese evergreen, heart leaf philodendron, and dwarf umbrella plant.
Determine the amount of light your rooms receive and shop accordingly: look for greenery, brightly coloured flowers, or hardy plants that will need little if any maintenance. Before you know it, you’ll be an expert indoor gardener! Thanks for reading and don’t forget to follow along with the Gemterra blog for more great tips on decorating your home with plants.