You can say that having plants in your home or working space is a must. There are many good reasons to have plants; to brighten up a dark room, or place in the shade with plants, is the best self-care you can get. Not only do plants enhance the overall appearance of your space, but they are also good for removing toxins and humidifying the air. There are many scientific studies that show that just looking at real plants enhances your mood, increases creativity, and reduces stress. Plants add life to spaces and reduce noise levels. Are you a bit down? Plants can be therapeutic to care for. Just the touch of a leaf elicits an unconscious calming effect.
Plants Are a Must - Also in the Shade or a Dark Room
Everyone loves them and knows plants thrive in light rooms. And it is understandable that people are looking for plants for darker spaces as well. You just want to have plants everywhere, also for instance, at a dark corner in your home, or in your bathroom where there is just artificial light. Many plants do well in the shade or in a dark room.
Check out the plants in this article where you'll find the best shade houseplants you can pick for the darker spaces where there's insufficient light.
Chinese Evergreen (Aglaonema)
Originally these species are from the tropical forest, and most varieties of Aglaonema thrive best in filtered light to partial shade. But never direct sunlight. Chinese evergreens perform very well as houseplants in the shade or a dark room in your home. For darkened corners of the interior, only Aglaonema specimens with green leaves are suitable. Aglaonema with colored ones you should avoid for darker spaces, they are best placed on the windowsill from the east or north side. Chinese evergreens are hard to kill, as long as you don't overwater them, keeping the soil evenly moist.
ZZ Plant (Zamioculcas Zamiifolia)
The Zamioculcas Zamiifolia or the ZZ Plant (say Zee Zee Plant) is an easy-to-take-care of and a straightforward houseplant. The ZZ Plant is ideal for darker spots in your home. ZZ Plants will be completely fine in extremely low levels of light. Or even rooms with no light at all as they will accept fluorescent lighting as a substitute for natural daylight. The glossy leaves of the plant reflect light back into a room and help to brighten the environment around it. Zamioculcas Zamiifolia goes by a few common names including Zanzibar gem, Zuzu plant, Aroid palm, Eternity plant, and Emerald palm ZZ.
Golden Pothos (Epipremnum Aureum)
Because Pothos plants are extremely hardy plants, there’s not much you can do wrong with it. When put in a dark spot, it slows growth, so when deciding for this plant in a dark spot or room, make sure to already get a fully grown plant. A bit too much, or too little water is no problem for the Golden Pothos, you just can't go wrong with this plan. It's a survivor. Besides doing well in the shade or a dark spot, this plant can bring you good luck and fortune. Read more about it in this article: 'The Best 12 Plants That Give Good Luck and Fortune in 2022'.
The propagation of this plant is also extremely easy. Pothos roots incredibly well in water. Simply put cuttings in the water and then wait. After about 2 to 4 weeks new roots should develop. When the roots are about 5 cm long, you can put the cuttings in a new pot with a fresh soil mixture.
Read all about the Golden Pothos here: 'Pothos Plants - Care & All There’s to Know About This Houseplant'.
Swiss Cheese Plant (Monstera Deliciosa)
This is a special houseplant that everybody knows and does well in the shade or in a dark room. The Monstera Deliciosa is a retro-looking plant that also fits really well in the urban jungle trend of today. The normal green Monstera Deliciosa is very common. And easy to get at your local flower shop or garden center.
There are also varieties of Monstera with variegated leaves. In whites and yellows. But the variegated varieties are very often quite expensive because they are hard to get. You can read all about the variegated Monstera here: 'All Variegated Monstera Plants Together - Albo, Aurea, Sport & Thai Constellation'.
Corn Plant (Dracaena Fragrans)
Next on our list of best shade plants to consider is the corn plant. The corn plant is a member of the Dracaena family of which most tend to do very well in the absence of direct sunlight. The leaves will scorch if too bright. In the complete shade, the new leaves will be quite small and the stripe(s) may look quite different from those found on the older ones. But they survive!
The Dracaena Fragrans has a crown of leaves, looking very much like corn leaves, hence its name. The leaves mature in long wide leaves which are gracefully and are commonly variegated. It's a hardy houseplant that when placed in a room with a bit of light, it does very well. A perfect houseplant for in the shade or a corner of your house where just a bit of indirect light comes in.
Picture by @nahomisplants (Corn Plant) and @i_about_plants (Chinese Evergreen and Corn Plant)
Spider Plant (Chlorophytum Comosum)
This one is a plant that is almost impossible to kill. As with many other plants that do well in the shade, the spider plant tends to stop growing and flowering in the absence of light. it is one of the most common hard-to-kill house plants in the world. The fun fact is that the Chlorophytum Comosum also purifies the air (at least according to NASA studies). Place the spider plant in your bedroom or living room, depending on what shady corner you want to spruce up.
Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum)
Peace lilies are one of the most popular varieties of houseplants. They're easy to maintain, and they can make a lovely flower as well. A great addition to places in the shade or dark in your home and office. You'll have beautiful houseplants for years to come because Spathiphyllum is very easy to take care of. Displays have many other benefits as well, such as cleaning the air by removing toxins, and bringing luck as it is one of the plants that give you good luck and fortune.
Prayer Plant (Maranta Leucoreura)
Another plant that does well in the shade or darker space in your home or office is the Maranta Leucoreura, aka the Prayer Plant. It t gets its name from its leaves’ habit of folding at dawn as if the plant were praying. Prayer plants do enjoy low light and shade to dark conditions but if kept in the full dark they might not survive. The maranta Leucoreura doesn't grow tall. They do well on small office desks, shelves, and coffee tables. They are also known as the Ten Commandments plant (because of the ten stripes on each leaf).
Boston or Sword Fern (Nephrolepis Exaltata)
The Boston, also known as the sword fern, is a popular fern species that grows in many tropical areas around the world. It is commonly kept as a houseplant for dark spaces, especially because it doesn’t have high sunlight needs. The foliage of this fern remains evergreen. High humidity is critical for Boston ferns. They thrive in humidity levels of 50 to 60 percent, so a dark bathroom is a perfect spot for this fern. This plant does need a bit of indirect light though. It is not suitable for completely dark spaces, just put it away from direct sunlight and keep conditions stable to enjoy these plants to the max.
Paradise Palm (Howea Fosteriana)
This is the most commonly cultivated of the two Howea species from New Zealand (where it is usually known as Kentia Palm). Paradise Palms are one of the world's most popular palm trees. 'Kentia Palms' are slow-growing but easy to care for. They enjoy shady conditions, this plant is perfect for most places in your home. Kentia Palms love regular watering during summer and prefer to be dry in the winter. They are excellent air purifiers.
Snake Plant or Mother's Tongue (Sansevieria Laurentii)
Last on our list of best shade plants is the Snake Plant, a regular guest of many lists and websites, as this plant is not only impossible to kill, but also has many advantages such as removing the toxins from the air and bringing good luck and fortune to your home and office when placed there. The Sansevieria is one of those plants that simply always lives. No matter how you neglect this plant, it stays alive.
