The Right Light For Your Plants

All House Plants need sufficient light to thrive, and every plant has its own unique lighting requirements. Knowing your home’s lighting will help you select the right plant for your space.

Bright Light

Bright light comes from sunny Southern or Western-facing windows. These areas will receive at least 5 hours of direct sunlight a day. Certain plants will thrive with bright light, while others may get sunburned with so much sun exposure. It is important to know your plants’ lighting requirements to keep them happy and healthy.

Resist the temptation to move plants closer to the windows during the winter months, as that area is often cooler than most plants can tolerate.

Bright Light Plants

• Cactus
• Succulents
• Citrus
• Croton
• Bird of Paradise
• Palms
• Most indoor flowering plants

Indirect Light

Indirect or Medium Light comes from East facing windows. The interior of a room with south or west-facing windows has medium lighting conditions. You can also place sheer curtains over your brightly lit windows to create indirect light. Most plants do well in these conditions.

Indirect Light Plants

• Ficus
• Monstera
• Spider Plant
• Pepperomia
• Pontail Palm
• Philodedron
• Pothos

Low Light

Low light comes from North-facing or shaded windows. Most rooms qualify as low light during the winter months. Corners, bathrooms, hallways, and windowless interior rooms all have low lighting conditions. While there are plants that will thrive in low-light conditions, all need some type of light daily. You can easily supplement with grow lights if you find your plants are struggling.

Low Light Plants

• ZZ Plant
• Snake Plant
• Peace Lily
• Lucky Bamboo
• Aglaonema (Chinese Evergreen)
• Cast Iron Plant

Shop a selection of House Plants online

Too Much Light

Our plants are great at telling us what they need (or don’t need), we have to know how to read the signs. If your plant is getting too much sunlight you may notice:

• Brunt or brown leaves
• Wilting or shriveling leaves
• Quickly drying out soil

If you notice any of these signs, you need to reduce the amount of light your plant receives. Move it further away from or place a sheer curtain over the window. You can remove the burnt leaves, or cut off the brown spots if less than 1/3 of the leave is affected. If all of your plants’ leaves are damaged, you may need to replace it. Plants have a hard time producing energy without leaves.

Too Little Light

On the flip side, our plants will tell us when they aren’t getting enough light.

• Stretching toward light source
• Losing color in their foliage
• Smaller leaves than normal

If you notice any of these signs, you will need to provide more light for your plants. The easiest solution is to swap your normal light bulbs for grow lights. Or place a grow light near your plants. You can also relocate them to a brighter area, if available.

Come by any English Gardens location and ask an expert about what plant is right for your home.

Watch our video to learn more about what plants are right for your home’s lighting conditions.