Houseplants bring beauty to our homes, especially during the winter months. To stay healthy, plants need to receive adequate light. When selecting a houseplant keep light requirements in mind.

The amount of light a plant receives is important because all plants need light for photosynthesis, which is the process plants use to combine carbon dioxide and water into carbohydrates. Plants that do not receive adequate light to manufacture food will eventually die. Light requirements vary by species with some requiring more light than others.

Knowing the duration and intensity of light available for a given location will help determine which houseplant is the best choice. This can be accomplished by observing the location over the course of one day, preferably a sunny day. Note the amount of time light is available and if there is any direct sunlight. South facing windows generally provide the most light followed by east and west windows with the least amount of light coming from north facing windows. Generally speaking, a low light area will provide enough natural light to read a newspaper without strain while a medium to high light area will be bright the whole day with some direct sunlight. Here are a few options for low and medium to high light areas.

Houseplants for low light areas:

Chinese evergreen (Aglaonema commutatum)

Dieffenbachia (Dieffenbachia maculate)

Dracaena (Dracaena spp.)

Pothos (Epipremnum aureum)

English ivy (Hedera helix)

Snake plant (Sansevieria trifasciata)

Peace lily (Spathiphyllum wallisii)

Houseplants for medium to high light areas:

Swedish ivy (Plectranthus spp.)

Jade plant (Crassula argentea)

Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera buckleyi)

Spider plant (Cholorphytum comosum)

Japanese arailia (Fatsia japonica)

Philodendron (Philodendron spp.)

If you have plant questions please call me at the University of Minnesota Extension office, Clay County at 218-299-5020, 1-800-299-5020 or email me at nels1657@umn.edu. Check out our website at www.extension.umn.edu/county/clay/