Perhaps the most asked gardening questions this time of year relate to indoor tropical plants that are low light tolerant. Many people joke that the only plants they can get to grow in the dark corners of their home or apartment are silk plants.
Truth is, there are several excellent plants that tolerate low light in their natural habitat (usually in the sub tropics) and, therefore, lend themselves well to growing indoors under similar circumstances. Here's a brief list.
Aspidistra sometimes called Cast Iron Plant, this attractive 3-4 foot green tropical plant is a real survivor. With its long, spathe-shaped leaves it's possible to keep an aspidistra alive under all but the very toughest of growing conditions. Its demands for water are minimal through the winter months, and in the summer it will produce some new growth for you if it's exposed to just half a day of diffused light. Through the winter months, allow the soil to become dry one inch below the surface between watering, and in the summer keep the soil moderately wet as long as new growth is appearing on the plant.
If you can get your cast iron plant into some reasonable amount of sunshine, you may even get a blossom which isn't all that bad for a plant that thrives on neglect!
Sansevieria or mother-in-law's tongue. As its common name implies, this aggressive tropical plant is a real sharpy. It's been around for years and I'm sure you'll recognize it when you see it at the garden center. Very tolerant of low light conditions, sansevieria is actually a semi arid plant requiring very little watering unless it's producing new growth. And when it is growing actively, it can produce some pretty aggressive growth – it's even known to grow through the wall of a plastic pot! Like the Cast Iron Plant, water sparingly through the winter months and reasonably well through the summer months, as long as new growth appears.
Spathiphyllum or White Flag is another floor plant that grows 3-4 feet high. This is one of the most popular indoor green plants on the market today. Perhaps one of the reasons for this is that it has been classified by NASA as one of the five clean air plants. It is known to be one of nature's most efficient clean air filters as it exchanges carbon dioxide for oxygen at a pretty impressive rate.
Unlike the other two plants mentioned above, the spathiphyllum will survive in low light but thrives in moderate or half day light. Famous for its white spathe flower, this plant will only bloom when it gets about half a day of light or diffused light all day long (for instance, a south facing window with sheer curtains). Allow the soil to become dry to the touch through the winter and keep the soil moderately moist through the summer months when this plant is in a growth mode.
And finally, a hanging basket well worth your attention for low light situations – grape ivy. This lush looking tropical plant actually requires a lot less attention than you would expect. Grape ivy will grow in a dark corner very nicely, providing that you don't over water it. Nine times out of ten, it seems to me, over watering is the primary cause of problems with this prolific hanging plant. Water your grape ivy only when the soil becomes dry about one inch below the surface through the winter months, and allow the surface of the soil to become dry to the touch in the summer months when the plant's in a growth mode.
All of the above mentioned plants will enjoy a monthly feeding of 20-20-20 beginning in April through September.