Let There Be Light...for Your Houseplants

  • Add moisture to the air. Low indoor humidity increases your chances of catching a cold or flu, or having dry itchy skin.
  • Purify the air by removing volatile organic compounds. Good air-scrubbers include English ivy, asparagus fern and dracaena.
  • They lift our moods, reduce stress, help us worry less and help us recover faster. Blooming plants are a particularly good pick-me-up.

A common challenge facing houseplants indoors, particularly in winter, is poor light. Most homes are not well-lighted for plants, especially those requiring lots of light.

Signs your plants are not getting enough light can be seen as small leaves, long thin stems, failure of blooming plants to flower and lighter-than-normal colored foliage. For example, a geranium grown in low light tends to be spindly and have light green leaves, while the same plant in bright light will be shorter, better branched, with larger dark-green leaves. Learn more about Evaluating and Adding Light below.

Evaluating Indoor Light Levels