Low-Light Houseplants That Actually Grow in North-Facing Rooms

A north-facing room never gets a direct beam of sun, and that one fact decides which plants will keep putting out new leaves there and which will only decline slowly. The words "low light" on a nursery tag do not settle much, because they describe what a plant tolerates, not how bright your room is. The useful approach is to put a number on the room first, then choose from the short list of plants that university extension services place in the low-light class.

What "low light" means in numbers

Light for plants is commonly measured in foot-candles. One foot-candle is approximately the brightness of one candle, one foot away, according to UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions. Outdoor sunlight runs 10,000 to 12,000 foot-candles on the scale used by University of Illinois Extension, which is why indoor plants live on a small fraction of what they would get outside.

The extension services do not agree on a single cutoff, and that is worth knowing before you trust any one chart:

• University of Illinois Extension pegs low light at 75 foot-candles, medium at 150 and high or bright light at 300.
• Clemson Cooperative Extension gives its low class a minimum of 100 foot-candles, with 75 to 200 preferred for good growth.
• UF/IFAS puts low light at 25 to 100 foot-candles at midday and medium at 100 to 500.
• Penn State Extension calls 100 foot-candles a common baseline for low light and notes that much lower figures are sometimes claimed for particular plants.

Read together, low light means somewhere from a few dozen to roughly 200 foot-candles. It does not mean darkness. Clemson's fact sheet adds a sobering reference point: the interior of a well-lighted home is often less than 100 foot-candles, and about 100 foot-candles for 12 hours per day is needed simply to maintain plant quality for a year.

What a north-facing room actually delivers

A north window gives steady, indirect light, and how much of it reaches a plant depends mostly on distance from the glass. Illinois Extension's placement guide makes the point clearly:

Two things follow. First, the sill of a north window is the best position in the room, and by this scale it qualifies as medium light. UF/IFAS likewise groups unshaded north-facing windows with medium light, while cautioning that a north-facing window may never reach even 400 foot-candles, at a time of year when the light outside at noon can top 4,000. Second, a shelf across the room is a different environment from the sill, even though both are "in the north room."

Obstructions lower these figures further. An Illinois Extension article on low-light plants lists large trees, porches, overhangs, window coverings and nearby buildings as common causes of dim interiors. Clemson adds season, curtains and wall color, since pale walls reflect light back onto foliage, and points out that inexpensive light meters are available. If you are choosing between two spots, a midday reading at each one is more reliable than a guess.

Low-light houseplants the extension sources recommend

The plants below appear on Clemson's low-light list, in the Illinois Extension article, or both. The pet column reflects only entries checked in the ASPCA's plant database or stated by the extension source.

Clemson also names peace lily and heart-leaf philodendron as low-light plants suited to a northern exposure, and the Illinois article mentions bamboo palm as an exception among palms, which usually need bright light.

Two caveats keep expectations realistic. Penn State's author notes that most pothos prefer bright to medium indirect light, so a pothos in a dim corner is being asked to tolerate the spot, not to flourish in it. She also reports that her 'Red Emerald' Chinese evergreen did not transition well to lower light and had to be moved back. Among plants with several cultivars, she observes that darker green leaves are better suited to low-light conditions.

What to leave at the garden center

Some popular plants are a poor match for a north room no matter how carefully they are watered. Penn State's article says cacti and succulents need at least four hours of direct or bright indirect light every day; its author rehomed an aloe and a jade plant for that reason. Clemson places weeping fig, English ivy and schefflera in its high-light group, best near western or southern windows, and notes that hibiscus, wax begonia and geranium need more light than most homes can supply outside a sunroom or greenhouse.

Caring for plants in dim rooms

Low light changes the whole pace of care. Plants in these spots grow more slowly and need less water, the Illinois article explains, so a routine copied from a sunny room will usually overshoot. Check the soil before each watering; the method is covered in how to tell when a houseplant needs water.

Fertilizer is not a substitute for light. Clemson states that at least 200 foot-candles for 12 hours per day are necessary for foliage plants to show any benefit from fertilization, a level many low-light positions do not reach.

Watch for the signs that a spot is too dim. Illinois Extension lists legginess, a pale greenish-yellow color and leaf drop, and warns that slow growth makes the problem harder to confirm quickly. If you see them, move the plant closer to the window before changing anything else.

Rooms with no window at all

Plants use light as their energy source for making food, so a windowless room has to supply that light electrically. Ordinary room lighting is rarely enough: UF/IFAS notes that in an office lit only by fluorescent bulbs, light levels are often 40 foot-candles or fewer, well under Clemson's maintenance figure.

A dedicated light close to the plant changes the picture. Clemson says fluorescent lamps can support many indoor plants and that longer exposure can compensate for lower intensity; it describes sixteen hours of light and eight hours of darkness as satisfactory for most plants and recommends an electric timer. Illinois Extension gives 14 to 16 hours as sufficient and advises against going beyond 16, because plants need a rest period. It adds that cool white fluorescent bulbs work well for foliage plants. Clemson does not recommend ordinary incandescent lamps, since plants under them tend to stretch and become leggy. UF/IFAS notes that LEDs use less electricity for the same amount of light, though they cost more to buy, and that plants grow better under a broad spectrum.

Frequently asked questions

What counts as low light for a houseplant?

Extension sources place it between roughly 25 and 200 foot-candles, with 75 to 100 used most often as the reference point. In practical terms, that is a spot a few feet from a north window or 3 to 10 feet from an east or west window, according to University of Illinois Extension.

Can a houseplant live in a room with no window?

Only with a plant light. Typical office lighting measures 40 foot-candles or fewer according to UF/IFAS, which is below the level Clemson cites for maintaining a plant. A fluorescent or LED light on a timer for 14 to 16 hours a day is the standard approach.

Is the sill of a north window low light or medium light?

By Illinois Extension's scale it is medium light, about 150 foot-candles, and low light begins a few feet back. Trees, overhangs, curtains and neighboring buildings can lower that, so measure if the plant seems to be struggling.

Sources

• Lighting (Houseplants) — University of Illinois Extension
• Brighten up dim interiors with low-light houseplants — University of Illinois Extension
• Indoor Plants – Cleaning, Fertilizing, Containers & Light Requirements (HGIC 1450) — Clemson Cooperative Extension
• Low Light Houseplants — Penn State Extension
• Light for Houseplants — UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions
• Snake Plant — ASPCA Animal Poison Control
• Golden Pothos — ASPCA Animal Poison Control
• Cast Iron Plant — ASPCA Animal Poison Control
• Parlor Palm — ASPCA Animal Poison Control