General Question

JmacOroni's avatar

What are some shade loving houseplants?

Asked by JmacOroni (3293points) March 8th, 2011

We actually have a ton of windows in our home, which is nice in theory – but the majority of them are on the north side of the house, in a room that isn’t heated or cooled, so it is rarely used. Also not really a good place for plants, since no one would ever see them, and the temperatures can get pretty extreme throughout the year. The areas that get a reasonable amount of sunlight are spots where my cats could easily get into a houseplant and munch on it or dig in the pot, which they like to do.
However, I really love plants in the home, and until now I’ve been relying on artificial plants.. which I do not love. I don’t have large windowsills, so putting something on the sill isn’t an option. What are some attractive houseplants that don’t require much light and aren’t too sensitive? I tend to kill container plants.

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13 Answers

lucillelucillelucille's avatar

Mold?
I’m sorry.I just had to :)

I like to sprout hyacinths inside,then tranplant.

janbb's avatar

Philodendron are incredibly resilient and love the shade.

JmacOroni's avatar

@lucillelucillelucille Haha! I am probably growing that, and I don’t even know it.
@janbb that’s pretty! I had to look it up, wasn’t sure what it was. Lovely, thank you. :)

Seelix's avatar

I’ve had a Swedish Ivy for years that has never been in direct sun, and it seems to do fine. My mom has a million Christmas Cactus, some in sun, some not, and they do pretty well also.

Cruiser's avatar

Corn plants are almost indestructible I have one that grew to the ceiling in a darkened room. I think I would need an AK to kill it. Over watering and not aerating the soil is usually what triggers problems for plants.

marinelife's avatar

African violets are shade loving.

KatawaGrey's avatar

There are a lot of absolutely beautiful cacti you can get. They come in dozens of shapes and colors and they look pretty cool or so I’ve always thought.

LostInParadise's avatar

Snake plants are a bit odd looking but nearly indestructible. I read that they are poisonous if eaten by people or pets, so that might be a consideration with regards to your cats.

tranquilsea's avatar

I second African Violets. They are great plants for shady windows. So is the Christmas Cactus.

JmacOroni's avatar

I thought African Violets were moody, though? Am I mistaken?
I’ve never found them attractive, so I hadn’t really thought about it.

Thanks for the ideas, jellies! :)

BarnacleBill's avatar

I have a dieffenbachia that’s 13 years old. I’ve divided it several times over the years. In the summer it goes outside on the front porch with no direct sun. In the winter it’s in a room with no direct light. It likes to be watered once every two weeks. Right now, it’s about 3 feet high and fills a 14” diameter pot. In order to kill it, I’d have to put it in direct sunshine and overwater.

rowenaz's avatar

Purple Wandering Jew.

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