There are many attractive flowering and foliage plants that are happy to grow indoors, even in low light. It is an opportunity to continue gardening in December and onwards, albeit on the smaller scale.

Some of the plants you might want to consider during the winter months ahead are listed below.  For an excellent resource for care instructions for all of these plants, check out this University of Minnesota site. 

Possibly the most famous of the easy-to-care-for, low-light plants is Snake Plant (Dracaena trifasciata - formerly Sansevieria).  A foliage plant with variegated leaves that can grow from 4 inches to 4 feet tall, snake plant is also drought tolerant.  Its flowers resemble small lilies and are very fragrant.  None of mine ever bloomed in my lifetime or theirs, but even without flowers the snake plant can make a dramatic statement in your house.  

Another easy-to-care-for low light plant is the ZZ  (Zamioculcas zamiifolia).  So beloved by commercial nurserymen that they named it ‘Plant of the Year’ in 2002, the ZZ is a slow-growing plant with solid green foliage that reaches between 1 to 3 feet tall.  It has natural glossy leaves that are so shiny some have remarked that they “appear polished”.

ZZ is also drought tolerant.  In fact, it can go 3 to 4 months without watering! 

It will grow in any well drained or bark based potting soil.  People who like to tell you how bad they are at raising plants may say they killed one, but unless they overwatered it, that is almost impossible. The ZZ thrives on neglect - after planting it, NEGLECT IT!

Would you like an indoor palm for a gloomy corner of your home?  Well, you can have one.  In fact, you can have two!  Neanthe Bella Palm or Parlor Palm (Chamaedorea elegans), is a slow-growing palm that can reach several feet in height.  It likes to be slightly dry, so be careful not to overwater it.  Lady Palm or Rhapis Excelsa requires a bit of bright but indirect light and is an extremely slow-growing palm although it can grow to 15 feet tall and wide over the course of several years.  

And there are more!  Chinese Evergreen (Aglaonema) is a striking plant with green foliage edged in red or pink. Some cultivars can reach 2 to 3 feet in height. They perform admirably in conditions too dark for most other tropical plants.  Chinese Evergreen tolerates moist to slightly dry soil in-between watering. 

Unsurpassable for dependable, dark green foliage in very lowlight conditions, Cast Iron plant (Aspidistra elatior) has glossy, coarse-textured leaves and grows in large, leafy clumps.  It flowers periodically throughout the year.  Although Cast Iron plant is susceptible to leaf-spotting diseases it is very resistant to insect pests.

And let us not forget flowering plants.

If you are a fan of tulips, daffodils, crocus and hyacinths, you can create a spring garden for winter viewing because these spring bulbs can be grown indoors.  Called “forcing”, spring bulbs will grow indoors if you give them 12-13 weeks of cold. (Click here for an article on growing bulbs indoors).

African violets (Saintpaulia ionantha) are low maintenance, flowering house plants that are easy to grow, even in low light. With proper care they will flower reliably several times a year. 

The elegant Peace Lily is another flowering plant that is easy to grow.  It thrives in low to medium light and requires minimal watering.  It also improves indoor air quality by removing common toxins and pollutants like formaldehyde, benzene, and carbon monoxide from the air.  

NOTE:  Peace Lily leaves, if eaten in large quantities, are poisonous to humans, cats and dogs.

The exotic flowering hibiscus is also easy to grow and makes a beautiful houseplant as long as you meet its requirements.  

Native to Mexico, poinsettias are a flowering plant available around the holidays. Their colorful bracts, which look like petals, come in a variety of colors - red, white, cream, and pink - and the bracts can be single or double. Although usually used for decorating during the Christmas holidays, poinsettias are also attractive as green plants throughout the year. Click here for information on growing poinsettias indoors.

PLANT SOURCES:  Nurseries and big box stores are sources for houseplants but there are others.  If you are looking to make an impact on a budget, consider some non-traditional sources for plants.  

Grocery stores are often overlooked as plant sources.  Although noted for selling poinsettias during the holiday season, grocery stores also periodically sell large foliage plants at reasonable prices.

In addition, that purveyor of all, Amazon, also sells reasonably potted plants.  Other sources are plant society sales, which you can Google, and county chapters of MN Extension (Dakota County’s plant sale is in the spring).

One of my favorite sources for plants is IKEA, where I purchased a 2 foot snake plant for $20 less than a year ago (it is now almost as tall as I am!).  IKEA also sells other large houseplants very reasonably.

PLANT CARE:  Now that you have purchased your houseplants, you need to keep them ALIVE!

The most common killer of indoor plants is overwatering or TMC (too much care).  Know your plants’ requirements and follow them.  Drought tolerant plants, such as snake plant and ZZ, can go a month or more without watering.  Watering them more frequently will kill them.  If you can’t keep track of when to water drought-tolerant plants, water them on a schedule - the first or last of every month, for example - or you can test the soil for dryness or moisture.

Other houseplant killers are drafts from heating systems or air conditioners.  Place your plants away from these.  And don’t forget that fireplaces and appliances are heat sources too.  Placing you plant next to a fireplace may look attractive but probably not for long.

Too much or too little light can also kill houseplants or make them look “leggy”.  If a plant requires bright sun and you have none, don’t try to grow it.  Match your indoor lighting to your plant.  There are multiple low and medium light plants, some of which we have listed in this article.  

As dismal as December and winter in general can be, houseplants can bring color and greenery indoors and keep your hand in.  If you fit their requirements to the light you have available and provide good care, houseplants will reward you.  They will allow you to wait out the winter cheerfully until you can get back into your outdoor garden.

REFERENCES

“Lighting for Indoor plants and starting seeds”, https://extension.umn.edu/planting-and-growing-guides/lighting-indoor-plants#low-light-plants-1622110

Bradly, Nicole and McAlpine, Lynn, “31 Best Low-Light Indoor Plants to Brighten Up Your Home”, Better Homes and Gardens, https://www.bhg.com/gardening/houseplants/projects/indoor-plants-for-low-light/

Brown, Deborah L.  “Growing Citrus Plants Indoors”, https://extension.umn.edu/houseplants/growing-citrus-indoors

Weisenhorn,Julie, “Growing Bulbs Indoors”: https://extension.umn.edu/planting-and-growing-guides/growing-bulbs-indoors).

Weisenhorn, Julie, “African Violets”:  https://extension.umn.edu/houseplants/african-violets

“ASPIDISTRA ELATIOR CAST IRON PLANT”, https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/FP053

“AGLAONEMA MODESTUM: CHINESE EVERGREEN”, https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/FP025

“Hibiscus”, https://extension.umn.edu/houseplants/hibiscus

Neanthe Bella Palm, Parlor Palm (Chamaedorea elegans),  http.gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/mastergardener/outreach/plant_id/flowers_indoor/neanthe_bella_palm.html

Rhapis Excelsa or Lady Palm, https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/FP501

Weisenhorn, Julie, “Growing and caring for poinsettia”, https://extension.umn.edu/houseplants/poinsettia

“Spathipyllum”, https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/spathiphyllum/

Weisenhorn, Julie, “Watering houseplants”, https://extension.umn.edu/yard-and-garden-news/watering-houseplantsSpathiphyllum”, https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/spathiphyllum/

“CULTURAL GUIDELINES FOR COMMERCIAL PRODUCTION OF INTERIORSCAPE ZZ (ZAMIOCULCAS ZAMIIFOLIA), https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/EP252

“ZZ Plant”, https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/houseplants/zz-plant.html

Photo Credit: North Carolina Extension (1), Flickr (2), Susan Ball (3), Wikipedia (4)