You help Moubert with a house plant for a dark room and give general tips on care and watering
'...window blind is down all the time...remarkably tolerant of low light...quite a way from the east-facing window...something with really dark-green leaves...originates from the tropical forest floor...the roots were rotten...keeping the compost barely moist...a very dark bathroom...pretty tolerant of neglect...mine seem to thrive on neglect...don't feel so guilty about starving plants!'
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| Aspidistras tolerate very low light levels
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I need a house plant for a dark room that can take care of itself?
Moubert says: 'My living room is quite dark and the window blind is down all the time, as it faces the road. I'd like a nice, large, architectural-type house plant for the room. Would
Monstera be any good - or something on a moss pole?
As a freelance cameraman, I am away quite a lot with work, so I'm looking for a plant that can take care of itself.'
You reply
Mary: 'You are really asking a lot of a real plant to live under such conditions. I would probably opt for
Asplenium nidus. This is a fern that can grow quite large in the shape of a funnel. Alternatively, how about an
Aspidistra. They are remarkably tolerant of low light conditions.'
Spud: 'Palms do well for me in my lounge – they are quite a way from the east-facing window and they don't get that much light – but I do open the curtains most days!...How about a blind where people can't see in, but light is let in.'
Val: 'Look for something with really dark-green leaves; the darker the leaf, the less light it needs as the cells are adapted to making the most of what they can get (think forest-floor dwellers in the wild). Aspidistra is a good choice.'
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| Monstera grows on tropical forest floors but still needs some light
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Sarah B:
Monstera is a plant that originates from the tropical forest floor, so would be used to having a canopy of leaves above it blocking out the light. I think it's a great-looking plant for architectural structure, but an
Aspidistra would be a better bet for very low light levels.'
Dying dragon plant
Anne Buddle says: 'My son is in a top-floor flat which gets some light, but is not very sunny. He has a
Dracaena (dragon plant) that did well until winter last year, then part of it died. We repotted it, but the same has happened this year. Out of three stems, the tallest stem has dropped all the leaves, and on taking it out of the pot, we found the roots were rotten. He was told to water from the bottom and rest on pebbles, which he has done, but I suspect it is too much water? How should you feed and water these large architectural plants, and care for them?'
Val: 'Most houseplants (except those that flower in our winter) need less water when the light levels are low. They enter a kind of dormant period, and you only need to water enough to just keep them alive. This means keeping the compost barely moist. The rotting you describe sounds like your son probably kept on watering at the summer rate, as if the plant was growing strongly. Standing the pot on pebbles allows moisture to evaporate around the leaves and increase humidity, but if the base of the pot actually stands in water, the roots will rot.'
Plants in a dark bathroom
Shelagh: 'I have a very dark bathroom which I like to keep plants in. The solution I have come up with is to have four plants that can cope with reduced light levels and swop them around on a weekly basis. One week two of them live on the shelf in the bathroom and two on the windowsill in the utility room, and the next week the other two. This seems to work quite well and I don't feel so guilty about starving plants of life!'
Anne Flood: 'I believe parlour palms are very tolerant of low light levels.'
Christmas and Easter cactus
Neil Frary: 'I always found Christmas and Easter cactus to be pretty tolerant of neglect. Mine seem to thrive on neglect (they only get watered every other month as I work away). They are 3-4m (10-11ft) from a west facing frosted glass window, so light levels are lowish, but not blinds-down low!'
If you can help Moubert and others with house-plant conundrums, of if you have a question of your own, visit the Forum to read more and add your comments on house plant for a dark room.
Images: The Flowers & Plants Association.
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