"The dappled morning light peered in through the eastern window and cast her gaze upon the Stromanthe sanguinea in the aged terracotta pot"... is how our medium light houseplant novella will begin someday. The words "diffuse" and "indirect" will be used often. Do you have a northern or eastern windowsill? It's a perfect spot for what the plant world deems "medium light" plants. Southern and western windows are just too bright to keep these plants looking lush and healthy. But if south and west is what you have to work with, don't worry, you can mitigate the brightness by moving the plants back five or six feet from the window. There are so many plants to fit this description but we've managed to narrow down the list to some of our very favorites:
Codonanthe devosiana "Paula"
Common name: Codonanthe
Why We Love It: A trailing epiphyte with a unique symbiotic relationship to ants (Read our blog post about Codonanthe here!), this medium light plant has beautiful blushing white flowers.
Light: Medium to bright, indirect.
Water: Let the top inch of the soil dry to the touch before watering.
Pet Friendly: Yes
Rhaphidophora tetrasperma
Common name: Mini Monstera
Why We Love It: While not a true monstera, this guy sure has the leaf splits of one! A fantastic specimen to grow on a moss pole or up the wall.
Light: Medium to bright, indirect.
Water: Let the top inch of the soil dry to the touch before watering.
Pet Friendly: No
Cissus discolor
Common name: Rex Begonia Vine
Why We Love It: The toothy leaves of this cissus look enough like rex begonia leaves to give it the name. This tropical vine climbs with tendrils and works well in a hanging basket.
Light: Medium to bright, indirect light.
Water: Water regularly but let soil dry out a little in between. Does not like soggy roots!
Pet Friendly: Yes
Hoya pubicalyx x. Royal Hawaiian Purple
Common Name: Hoya “Royal Hawaiian Purple”
Why We Love It: The dark purple new growth turns green with white speckles as the leaves age. And the clustered flowers are an astonishing reddish black!
Light: Can handle many light situations, from lower light to indirect bright light.
Water: This plant is sensitive to overwatering, let the top inch of soil dry between waterings.
Pet Friendly: Yes
Scindapsus pictus exotica
Common Name: Satin Pothos
Why We Love It: The satin shine of this vine’s silver spotted leaves brings a sparkle to the room!
Light: Grows best in medium light. Can grow in lower light but might lose some variegation.
Water: Susceptible to root rot, be careful not to overwater.
Pet Friendly: No
Rhaphidophora decursiva
Common Name: Dragon Tail
Why We Love It: The drama! Giant, glossy green leaves develop more and more fenestrations (12-15 per leaf) as the plant ages. Even immature, with solid leaves, the rhaphidophora decursiva is a sleek beauty of a climber.
Light: Medium to bright, indirect. This vine is an understory climber in the wild, so it hasn’t evolved to handle direct sun.
Water: Let the top inch of the soil dry between waterings.
Pet Friendly: No