One of the trickiest parts of being a houseplant lover is figuring out where to place all of my favorite plants. Naturally, I want to put a houseplant in every corner, and sometimes the light levels don’t really allow for that. Fortunately, I spent all of last year finding the prettiest plants that do well in levels of low light. These zero sunlight houseplants don’t need much sun at all to thrive. Now, you can have gorgeous plants in even your darkest rooms.
Bromeliad
Showy and unique, Bromeliads are a must for any home. They like moist soil conditions, and just a BIT of indirect light every day. Mine is in the darkest corner of my bedroom (we have one Eastern facing window) and it’s positively thriving. Bromeliads will also do great in bathrooms because they thrive off of fluorescent light and humidity.
Chinese Evergreen
The Chinese Evergreen is one of my favorite plants thanks to the intricate pattern work on the leaves. Pick a plant with dark green leaves (the darker the leaves, the lower light it needs) and place it in a corner of your room that only gets a bit of light every day. NEVER place these in direct sun or it could scorch the leaves. This is one of my favorite zero sunlight plants.
ZZ Plant
I’ve had a ZZ Plant on my bedside table for YEARS and it has grown into quite the plant! Though it sits near a window, the cut-outs in our drywall block off almost all of the light. But fortunately, this plant doesn’t seem to mind at all. The ZZ Plant also thrives on neglect and doesn’t need frequent watering or anything else really.
Calathea
Calathea plants are in the same family as the prayer plant but they look VASTLY different. They are known for growing on forest floors, so dark conditions are their absolute favorite. In fact, direct sunlight of any kind scorches these leaves, so it’s best to keep this beauty bedside or in another dark room of your house. This is one of the best plants for dark rooms if you ask me!
Maidenhair Fern
Maidenhair Ferns don’t need much sunlight (only a few hours of indirect light every day) but it’s a tough one to keep alive. The soil should be kept consistently moist, but not soggy. Additionally, ferns LOVE high humidity. If you notice the leaves drying out, it is probably a humidity issue. Mine sits in my windowless kitchen, it loves the humidity and the fluorescent lights.
Prayer Plant
Another personal favorite of mine, the Prayer Plant lives on the forest floor and LOVES low lighting. Seriously loves it. Great for hanging baskets opposite windows or dark corners in a living room, the Prayer Plant is low maintenance. This is the perfect plant for beginner gardeners! Additionally, you should keep the soil consistently moist (but not soggy) and only water with spring water that is room temperature. It is sensitive to cold shocks and the chemicals in tap water. One of the most beautiful zero sunlight houseplants.
Monstera
OK, so this isn’t a zero sunlight plant by any means, but it really doesn’t need much sun at all to thrive. Monstera plants should get an hour or two of direct sunlight every day, but that is about all that they need. However, if your plant looks leggy and stemmy, it might need to be moved to a brighter area. Learn more about the easiest houseplant ever here.
Zero Sunlight Houseplants (ALMOST) For Any Room was originally published in September 2019 and updated in September 2021.
