January 8, 2024

Houseplant Lighting Guide

A Quick Guide to

Houseplant Light Requirements

Ready to start growing your houseplant collection but unsure how to determine what type of light you get? We’re here to help! To start, there are four general types of lighting we receive indoors –  full sun, bright light, medium light, and low light. Our plant experts broke down each lighting type and gave examples of some of the most popular plants that fall into each category.

Bright Direct Light

Full Sun

For houseplants, full sun consists of 4 or more hours of direct sunlight. In the home or office, this lighting is typically found in eastern, southern, or western windows.

Some of our favorite, full-sun-loving houseplants include –  Succulents and Cacti, Eucalyptus, and flowering tropicals like Citrus, Hibiscus, Mandevilla, and Gardenia.

 

Echeveria

Filtered Light

Bright Indirect Light

Bright indirect light is most commonly found in rooms with Northern-facing windows. These spaces tend to get bright, indirect light through most of the day, which creates an inviting environment for houseplants. This lighting can also be found 5-6ft away from eastern, western, or southern exposure windows.

Plants that love Bright Indirect Light include Monsteras, Dracaenas, Crotons, Money Tree, Bromeliad, and Philodendron varieties with color or variegation. If you’re looking for flowering plants for these spaces, try Kalanchoes, Orchids and Anthuriums.

Watch Bright Light Houseplants Video
Orchid

A Little Less Sun

Medium Indirect Light

The most common lighting found for indoor plants, medium indirect light, is found 6-8ft away from a window, or in the middle of a sunny room. Looking to add foliage interest to a room with no windows? 12-14 hours of fluorescent lighting can also support plants that enjoy medium indirect light.

Keep in mind, plants with variegated foliage might lose some of their color if they don’t get enough light. If you find this to be the case, try moving your plant closer to a window or light source.

Some of our favorite medium light loving plants include Pothos, Chinese Evergreens, Prayer Plants, Spider Plants, African Violets, Ficus, Tradescantia, Rex Begonia, and Ferns.

Watch Medium Light Houseplants Video
Pothos Silver Satin
Pothos N'Joy

Easy-Care

Low Light

Plants that grow well in low light prefer to be 8-10 feet from a light source. This could be a darker corner, hallway, room with no windows, or any interior spot with “just enough light to read by.”

ZZ Plants, Snake Plants, Parlor Palms, Peace Lily, and Dieffenbachia are some of our favorite low light loving plants. Varieties of Pothos and Philodendrons with mostly green foliage (little color and variegation) also grow well in low light conditions.

View Top 10 Low Light Plants
Sansevieria La Rubia

A Video Guide to

Houseplant Lighting

Still not sure what type of light you get in certain areas of your home or office? Noelle demonstrates the four general types of lighting we receive indoors, plus, she gives examples of plants that thrive in each type of light.

In-Home Lighting Guide +

Houseplant Tour

Lighting is the first thing you should think about when shopping for houseplants. Just like choosing plants for Sun vs. Shade in your garden, it’s important to select plants that match your indoor lighting conditions. In this houseplant home tour, Noelle goes room by room, defining the lighting & showing you plant families to match.

Check out our Gardening Guide for a list of plants for every light category and suggestions for different rooms in your home.
Download Perfect Places for Houseplants Guide

Bringing it all Together

Like a Boss

No matter the lighting scenario in your home or office, remember to rotate houseplants every 2 weeks towards their light source to promote even growth. Once you feel comfortable with the type of light your plants need, consider branching out and adding new plants to your collection!

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