6 Indoor Plants That Love The Dark: A Tip From The
Garden Center Nursery
Copyright 2005 Flor Buenaventura

It was a long search that took me more than ten years.
But finally I found it - the indoor house plant that will
brighten up the end of a corridor 5 meters from my front
door. The Aspidistra, commonly known as the Cast Iron
plant, has graced the drawing rooms of many an
otherwise drab Victorian English manor, and now graces
my suburban Sydney brick home.

Many gardening experts describe the Aspidistra as one of
the toughest and most adaptable house plants. Its long
blades of slender dark green or variegated dark green
and white leaves shoot straight out from the soil but in
clumps and up to 75 cm in height and 15 cm wide.

It is such a low maintenance plant much like an even-
tempered woman who does not need any fussing over
but still maintains its sweet nature. It needs very low
light, average temperature and humidity and just
occasional watering.

Other plants that do not need much light

Low-light plants are usually defined as those that can
survive in 25 to 75 foot candles - that is, a spot that is 4
to 5 metres from a bright window, just enough light to
read by comfortably, but where artificial lighting switched
on by day would give a brightening effect.

You can easily find the Aspidistra in your local garden
center nursery. In addition, five other plants that will suit
very low light situations are the following:

Aglonema (Chinese Evergreen) which are among the few
plants that prefer only moderate light and adapt well to
low light. It has large dark green oval then tapering
leathery leaves later developing a caney base.

Drachaena deremensis varieties (also know as Happy or
Fortune Plants) which are slender leafed and usually
white variegated. The Drachaena family are caney plants
crested with decorative rosettes of straplike foliage.

Holly fern which adapts to low light and Boston fern a
fishbone type of fern that will remain in low light for many
months but need a spell in brighter light to rejuvenate.

Neanthe Bella or Parlor Palm which is more suited to low
light situations than most palms.

Sanseviera (also known as Mother-In-Law??s Tongue)
which stands low to very bright light has waxy, erect
straplike leaves usually with cream-colored margins and
an unusual banding of the grey-green center.

If you are finding it difficult to find a plant that will
brighten up that dark corner, why not try one of these
hardy and lovely favorites of mine?

Flor Buenaventura is a gardening enthusiast who loves
sharing information with her fellow gardeners. To see a
great collection of garden-related articles and resources,
please visit her http://www.garden-center-nursery.com
website.



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