Low-light plants for dim Dubai apartments, hallways and bathrooms

The short answer#

A low-light plant will live in a room with no direct sun, such as a hallway, an interior room or a corner well back from the glass. It will grow slowly and look best with some daylight. Almost no plant survives where there is no daylight at all, so a windowless bathroom needs an artificial plant or a grow light. Try cast iron plant, ZZ plant, snake plant, pothos, parlour palm and lady palm first.

What low light means behind Dubai glass#

Plant labels say 'low light' to mean no direct sun and clearly less light than a bright window. You do not need a meter. As a rough test, hold your hand about 30 cm above the pot. A faint, soft shadow means low light, and a sharp, dark shadow means bright light.

Tinted and low-E glass lower the number further. A low-E coating alone removes a further 5–10% of the visible light plants need, and added tint removes more, depending on the glass. Deep rooms, balcony overhangs and curtains or blinds kept closed against the heat cut the light again, so the back of a Dubai living room is often much dimmer than the window suggests.

How far from the window#

Light falls quickly as you move away from the glass. Colorado State Extension counts medium light as roughly 0.6–1.8 m (two to six feet) back from an east- or west-facing window, and lower the further you go. That guidance comes from a different latitude and different glass, so treat the table below as a rule of thumb for a Dubai room, not a measurement.

Plants that cope with low light#

Light notes below come from NC State's plant database, UF/IFAS and the RHS. Pet status is from the ASPCA list only.

In a home with a cat or dog, stay with the non-toxic rows and read the pet-safe guide.

Toughest in a dim spot

Cast iron plant

Cast iron plant

Aspidistra elatior

Low–MediumPet-safe

ZZ plant

ZZ plant

Zamioculcas zamiifolia

Low–BrightNot pet-safe

Snake plant

Snake plant

Dracaena trifasciata

Low–BrightNot pet-safe

Pothos

Pothos

Epipremnum aureum

Low–BrightNot pet-safe

Aglaonema

Aglaonema

Aglaonema modestum

Low–BrightNot pet-safe

Philodendron

Philodendron

Philodendron hederaceum

Low–BrightNot pet-safe

Dim spots with pets at home (ASPCA non-toxic)

Parlour palm

Parlour palm

Chamaedorea elegans

Low–BrightPet-safe

Lady palm

Lady palm

Rhapis excelsa

Low–BrightPet-safe

Peperomia

Peperomia

Peperomia obtusifolia

Medium–BrightPet-safe

Hallways, interior rooms and bathrooms#

A hallway with a glass front door or a window at one end is usually low to medium light near the glass and low further in. Put cast iron plant, ZZ plant or snake plant in the dim stretch.

A bathroom with a frosted window is usually a low to medium light spot, and a bathroom with no window is not a plant spot at all. Check whether yours has a window before you buy. In a lit bathroom pothos, ZZ plant and snake plant cope with the lower light. Ferns enjoy steam, and NC State suggests placing Boston fern near kitchens and bathrooms for higher humidity. It also says Boston fern thrives in bright indirect light, which most bathrooms do not offer.

Do not add plants to make a damp bathroom more humid. The EPA advises keeping indoor humidity below 60%, ideally between 30 and 50%, to limit mould, and says to run the bathroom fan when showering. A bathroom that stays damp needs ventilation more than plants.

What does not work in low light#

Several plants sold as easy indoor plants need strong light. In a dim spot they stretch, drop leaves or rot.

• Ponytail palm, spineless yucca and olive are full-sun plants (NC State). Give them your brightest glass, or a balcony for the olive.
• Moth orchid needs good light, and the RHS says to keep it out of direct summer sun. A bright spot without hot sun suits it. A dim hallway does not.
• Boston fern, prayer plant and alocasia want humid air as well as light. A dim, dry AC room gives them neither.
• Flowering plants in general. Peace lily rarely flowers in deep shade (RHS), so expect green leaves only.
• Colourful and variegated forms. Pothos loses its variegation in low light (NC State), and pink and red aglaonema fade to green.

Looking after a plant in a dim spot#

Water by the soil, not the calendar. Push a finger about 5 cm (two inches) into the soil and water only if it is dry (University of Maryland Extension). A plant in low light grows slowly, and overwatering and root rot are a main risk for most of the plants above.

Wipe dusty leaves. Dust blocks light and reduces a plant's ability to photosynthesise (Ohio State Extension), and light is what your plant is short of. In a dusty city, wipe big leaves with a damp cloth every few weeks.

If a plant stretches, pales or its new leaves shrink, it wants more light. Move it closer to the glass. If there is no closer spot, add an LED grow light or swap in a tougher plant from the table. More fixes are in our guide to indoor plant problems.