Question
I just built a lovely new house that gets lots of indirect light but almost no direct light.  I am looking for some plants (mid to large) that might stand a low light or extremely indirect light that might be easy to care for (I am a career woman after all!)  Specifically I have a shelf above my cabinets I would like to line up with plants but because of the low light I have trouble with keeping them alive.  I would also like a few more big plants (I have 10 foot ceilings and would like something that looks paportionate in my house.)If you have any ideas please let me know.  I am about to give UP!

Answer
Hi Kit,

Don't give up!

First let's make sure that your low light is not too low for any plants to survive. Even the lowest light plants require enough natural light to create bright reading light adequate to read newsprint and they must have that much light for at least 8 hours per day. If you don't have that much light, then keeping plants is a slow, but losing proposition.

Assuming you have enough light on your shelf, then I recommend Pothos or Chinese evergreen or ZZ plant. All will survive well in low light. The Pothos is a hanging or trailing plant that looks good cascading down from a high shelf. The Chinese evergreen is a more upright plant that looks good at eye level or lower. The ZZ plant has a more exotic look and is also upright. The ZZ can get by on monthly waterings so it is very low maintenance for a busy career person.

The best of the low light larger plants are the Dracaena 'Janet Craig' and Dracaena 'Lisa.' They have a similar look, with large, dark green, shiny leaves. The Lisa is taller and narrower. Janet Craig is fuller and shorter.

There are other choices, but those that I mentioned are the best for the environment you described.

One of the benefits of low light is that plants in low light grow quite slowly. That means they need water less frequently and will never need fertilizer or repotting. In other words, plants in low light do best with benign neglect and won't interfere with your career obligations.

Please let me know if any of this is unclear or if you have any additional questions.

Regards,
Will Creed, Interior Landscaper
Horticultural Help, NYC

You can E-mail me directly at: [email protected]

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