5 indoor plants that love the dark

5 indoor plants that love the dark

It was a long search that took me more than ten years. But I finally found it: the indoor plant of the house that will illuminate the end of a hallway 5 meters from my front door. The Aspidistra, commonly known as the cast iron plant, has graced the living rooms of many otherwise drab English Victorian mansions, and now graces my suburban Sydney brick home.

Many gardening experts describe Aspidistra as one of the hardiest and most adaptable indoor plants. Its long leaves of thin dark green or dark green variegated and white leaves sprout directly from the ground but in groups and up to 75 cm high and 15 cm wide.

It is a low-maintenance plant that closely resembles a calm-tempered woman who does not need any trouble, but still maintains her sweet nature. It needs very little light, average temperature and humidity and only occasional waterings.

Other plants that don't need a lot of light

Low light plants are generally defined as those that can survive in 25 to 75 foot candles, that is, a place that is 4 to 5 meters from a bright window, with enough light to read comfortably, but where artificial lighting lit by day would give a glow effect.

You can easily find Aspidistra at your local garden center's nursery. In addition, five other plants that will adapt to very low light situations are as follows:

Aglonema

Aglonema

Aglonema (Chinese perennial), which are among the few plants that prefer only moderate light and adapt well to low light. It has large dark green oval leaves that later taper and develop a caney base.

Drachaena deremensis

Drachaena deremensis

Varieties of Drachaena deremensis (also known as happy or fortune plants) that are thin-leaved and generally variegated white in color. The Drachaena family are caney plants topped with decorative rosettes of strip-shaped foliage.

The holly fern

The holly fern

The holly fern that adapts to low light and the Boston fern is a type of herringbone fern that will remain in low light conditions for many months, but needs a brighter light spell to rejuvenate.

Neanthe Bella

Neanthe Bella

Neanthe Bella or Parlor Palm, which is better suited for low-light situations than most palms.

Sanseviera 

Sanseviera

Sanseviera (also known as mother-in-law's tongue), which has a low to very bright light, has waxy, upright, strip-shaped leaves, usually with cream-colored margins and an unusual greenish-gray center band.

    If you have a hard time finding a plant that brightens up that dark corner, why not try one of these tough and charming favorites of mine.