Let there Be Light: Understanding Lighting for Houseplants

Last week we discussed the basics of watering to help you level up your plant parenthood skills. This week, we’ll focus on something equally crucial to the health of your plants; lighting. 

Mastering lighting is one of the more tricky aspects of indoor gardening for a number of reasons. With light, there are very few constant variables. Weather, location, season, and even room temperature can affect how much a plant will want. Some species are happy with a shady desk corner, while others will fail to thrive without direct rays. 

Luckily, most species popular in the house plant hobby are more flexible in their light requirements. Most “beginner” indoor plants (think Snake Plants, Pothos, and Peace Lillies) are marketed as “bright indirect light” plants. Which, while good information to have, might leave you asking...

What is “bright indirect light” anyway? 

Bright indirect light refers to light that is filtered. If you hold your hand up in front of your plant and see a clear outline of your hand, then your foliage is getting direct rays - often referred to as “bright light”. Conversely, bright indirect light will cast a soft or no shadow and is more diffuse. 

Bright indirect light is ideal for many houseplants as many of them are native to heavily forested jungles. In this ecosystem, giant trees canopy much of the jungle, making the light that reaches under-dwelling plants dappled and less intense. Mimicking these conditions in your home ensures that your plant is getting bright enough light without scorching its foliage or causing unsightly sunburn. 

How do I know what kind of light I have in my home? 

You can establish what kind of lighting the windows in your home offer by checking the direction they face. It’s also handy to check to see if there are any obstructions that may potentially 

The first is establishing an understanding of what direction your windows face. East and West facing windows will receive direct morning (sunrise) and afternoon (evening) light respectively. These windows will have direct rays for only a portion of the day, as the sun moves across the sky.  South-facing windows tend to provide long stretches of hot, direct light throughout the day. North-facing windows offer the least light, as they get no direct sunlight during the day. However, a north-facing sill might make an ideal home for a plant more averse to direct rays.   

Maya's Picks: Unpicky Plants 

Low light plants are a great solution for the darker corners of your home, or for spaces with smaller or north-facing windows. Bright or bright-indirect light plants may be more demanding. Whatever light your space have to offer, these plants will adapt and thrive. 

My top picks for varying light conditions are a ZZ Plant, any darker variety of Sansevieria (Snake Plant), and Spathiphyllum (Peace Lilly). Variegated varieties of these plants will likely prefer more light, so I recommend sticking to the darker varieties. 

Spathiphyllum (Peace Lily) 

For more information on easy plants to care for when you're just starting out, check out this video. Otherwise, get out there, and investigate the lighting you have in your space!