What is the best low light plant?

For most people, snake plant, ZZ plant and golden pothos are the most forgiving. Cast iron plant and parlor palm are good choices if you need options listed as non-toxic to cats and dogs.

Can plants grow in a room with no windows?

Not without help. Plants need light to make energy. In a windowless room you need a grow light, or bright artificial light on for many hours a day, or you need to rotate plants into a brighter room regularly.

How do I know if my room is low light?

Use a phone light meter at midday. On the common houseplant scale, about 50 to 250 foot-candles (roughly 540 to 2,700 lux) is low light. Below about 50 foot-candles is too dark for most houseplants.

Do low light plants need less water?

Yes, generally. Plants in low light grow slowly and use water slowly, so the soil stays damp longer. Check the soil before watering, and expect longer gaps than in a bright spot.

Which low light plants are safe for cats?

In our plant list, cast iron plant, parlor palm and bird's nest fern tolerate low light and are listed as non-toxic to cats and dogs by the ASPCA.

Best Low Light Plants for Dim Rooms (and How to Grow Them)

The best low light plants are snake plant, ZZ plant, golden pothos, heartleaf philodendron, cast iron plant, parlor palm, Chinese evergreen and peace lily. All of them tolerate dim spots far better than most houseplants. If you have cats or dogs, cast iron plant, parlor palm and bird's nest fern are listed as non-toxic by the ASPCA.

One thing to know up front: "low light" plants tolerate low light. They don't need darkness. They grow slowly in dim rooms, and almost all of them would grow faster with a bit more light. This guide helps you pick the right plant for your room and care for it so it survives the dim months.

What counts as low light?

Low light means a spot that gets no direct sun and only modest daylight, like a north-facing room, a few metres back from a window, or a room shaded by buildings or trees. It doesn't mean a windowless bathroom or a dark hallway.

The easiest way to know is to measure. A free phone light meter app, used at midday, gives you a rough reading. Turn it into a category with the light meter converter.

Category	Foot-candles	Lux (approx.)	Typical spot
Too dark	under 50	under 540	Interior hallway, windowless room
Low light	50–250	540–2,700	North window, several metres from other windows
Medium light	250–1,000	2,700–10,760	Near an east or west window
Bright indirect	1,000–5,000	10,760–53,800	Close to a bright window, out of direct sun

These ranges are common rules of thumb, and phone sensors are approximate. Use them to compare spots rather than as precise numbers.

The best low light plants compared

Pet toxicity is from the ASPCA Toxic and Non-Toxic Plants list (cats and dogs).

Plant	Care level	Water	Pets	Best for
Snake plant (Dracaena trifasciata)	Easy	Let dry fully	Toxic	Beginners, bedrooms, neglect
ZZ plant (Zamioculcas zamiifolia)	Easy	Let dry fully	Toxic	Offices, forgetful waterers
Golden pothos (Epipremnum aureum)	Easy	Dry top few cm	Toxic	Shelves, hanging baskets
Heartleaf philodendron	Easy	Dry top few cm	Toxic	Trailing on shelves
Cast iron plant (Aspidistra elatior)	Easy	Dry top few cm	Non-toxic	Very dim corners, pet homes
Parlor palm (Chamaedorea elegans)	Easy	Dry top few cm	Non-toxic	Floor or table, pet homes
Chinese evergreen (Aglaonema)	Easy	Dry top few cm	Toxic	Colourful foliage in low light
Peace lily (Spathiphyllum)	Easy	Keep lightly moist	Toxic	Shows thirst clearly by drooping
Bird's nest fern (Asplenium nidus)	Moderate	Keep lightly moist	Non-toxic	Bathrooms with a window

You can filter this list by light, care level and pet safety in the low-light plant finder.

Snake plant

Snake plants are the classic low light plant for good reason. They tolerate dim rooms, dry air and missed waterings. Their main enemy is too much water. Let the soil dry completely between waterings. In a dim room in winter that might mean checking only every three to four weeks. Our watering schedule builder suggests 29 days for a snake plant in low light in a 15 cm pot in winter.

ZZ plant

ZZ plants store water in thick underground rhizomes, which makes them extremely drought-tolerant. They grow slowly in low light but keep their glossy leaves. Water only when the soil is fully dry. Yellowing stems usually mean overwatering.

Golden pothos and heartleaf philodendron

Both are trailing plants that cope with low light better than most. In dim rooms they grow more slowly, the gaps between leaves get longer, and pothos may lose some variegation. Prune long vines and replant the cuttings to keep them full. See the pothos care guide for details.

Cast iron plant

As the name suggests, it's very tough. Cast iron plant is one of the most shade-tolerant houseplants and is listed as non-toxic to pets. It grows slowly, so buy one at the size you want.

Parlor palm

A compact palm that handles lower light well and is listed as non-toxic to pets. Keep the soil lightly moist but never soggy, and keep it away from heaters.

Chinese evergreen

Aglaonemas come in many patterns. Darker green varieties tolerate low light best. Pink- and red-leaved types usually want more light to keep their colour.

Peace lily

Peace lilies tolerate low light, though they flower more in brighter spots. They droop dramatically when thirsty and perk up within hours of watering, which makes them easy to read. Don't let them sit droopy often, because repeated wilting stresses the plant.

How to care for plants in low light

Low light changes almost everything about care. The key adjustments:

1. Water less

Plants in low light photosynthesise less, grow less and use less water, so the soil stays wet longer. Overwatering is the most common way low light plants die. Always check the soil before watering, and expect longer intervals.

2. Use a free-draining mix and a pot with drainage

Soil that drains quickly helps prevent soggy roots. Add perlite to standard potting mix, as in the general mix in the soil mix calculator.

3. Don't overpot

A big pot holds extra wet soil that roots can't use, and in low light it dries even more slowly. Move up only 2 to 5 cm at repotting. The pot size calculator helps.

4. Feed lightly

Slow growth needs little fertilizer. Feed occasionally in spring and summer at reduced strength, or skip it entirely for very slow growers.

5. Keep leaves clean

Dust blocks light, and in a dim room every bit counts. Wipe leaves every few weeks.

6. Rotate

Plants lean towards the light. Turn the pot a quarter-turn every couple of weeks for even growth.

7. Maximise what you have

Clean windows, open curtains during the day, light-coloured walls and mirrors all help. Moving a plant from three metres to one metre from a window can make a big difference.

Low light plants by room

Room	Good choices	Notes
North-facing living room	Pothos, philodendron, Chinese evergreen, parlor palm	Place within a metre or two of the window
Bedroom	Snake plant, ZZ plant	Tolerant of neglect
Bathroom with small window	Bird's nest fern, pothos	Humidity is a bonus
Office with fluorescent lights	ZZ plant, pothos, snake plant	Lights on for long hours help
Room with no windows	Any of the above with a grow light	10–12 hours a day on a timer

Using a grow light

If your reading is under about 50 foot-candles, a plant will slowly decline without extra light. A simple LED grow light on a timer can turn a dark corner into usable light. To compare lights, use their PPFD figure and work out the daily light integral (DLI) with the light meter converter. For example, 150 µmol/m²/s for 12 hours gives a DLI of about 6.5 mol/m²/day.

Signs a plant needs more light

New leaves smaller than older ones
Long, bare stems between leaves (legginess)
Strong leaning towards the window
Variegated leaves turning plain green
Soil staying wet for a long time after watering
No new growth during spring and summer

If you see several of these, move the plant somewhere brighter or add a grow light.

Low light plant checklist

Measured the light at midday
Picked a plant that tolerates that level
Pot with drainage and free-draining mix
Water only when the soil is ready, and expect long gaps
Wipe leaves, rotate the pot
Checked pet toxicity if you have pets

Sources: pet toxicity from the ASPCA Toxic and Non-Toxic Plants list (aspca.org). Light conversion uses 1 foot-candle = 10.764 lux, and DLI = PPFD × hours × 0.0036. Light categories are common houseplant rules of thumb.

More low light guides

For pet owners, see low light plants safe for cats. For the darkest corners, read very low light plants. For specific rooms, see plants for an office with no windows and bathroom plants, and if daylight just isn't enough, our guide to grow lights for houseplants. Plant-by-plant care for the toughest picks: snake plant, ZZ plant and peace lily. New to plants? Start with how to care for houseplants.