Today’s post is all about my favourite houseplants to grow in west facing rooms. This is my favorite orientation because it’s so flexible for growing houseplants and can make conditions good for a lot of different kinds of plants. Although rooms facing south are bright, the amount of light they let in can be a problem. For this reason, rooms facing west could be a good alternative. I will always enjoy the warm glow of the sun going down in the summer through windows that face west.
I wrote a few weeks ago about houseplants and the lighting in a room’s orientation. Now I want to talk about the different light exposures—North, East, and South West—so we can get back to the PLANTS! More specifically, which plants will do best in each of these positions? I get a lot of questions about this, so I thought it would be helpful to put all the information in one place on the website. It’s under the “a HPH guide to…” tab on the home page.
In the past few years, I’ve lived in a few different places. From a second-floor apartment with old single-glazed sash windows and lots of trees that made it hard for light to come in during the summer to a small cottage with drafty latticed windows, I’ve had a lot of different experiences. Right now I’m kind of camping out in the old chapel I’m restoring to become the new headquarters for houseplanthouse as my living and working space. Having lived in so many different homes has not only taught me about the different ways rooms can be set up, but it has also helped me figure out where my houseplants do best.
Here’s a link to the first blog post if you missed it: Let’s Talk About Light: a HPH Guide to Understanding Houseplants, Lighting Orientation—I had a lot of fun making those diagrams; thanks for the nice comments on them! In this first post, it’s important to remember points 5 (obstructions, window treatments), 6 (seasons), and 7 (moving shock) in the bigger picture of the question of light. Also, keep in mind that I’m in the Northern hemisphere for reference!
I love western exposures the most; they give off what gardeners call “bright, indirect light,” which is probably the best lighting for most houseplants. When I’ve been thinking about moving, the chance of good windows facing west has always been a big deal for me. Considering the house orientation is one of the first things you do when you want to buy a house? That means you really love plants! Long-time blog readers may remember that my old apartment had a living room that faced west, which is where my big old Monstera really did well. In the morning, it’s a pretty soft direct light, but in the late afternoon and evening, it can really have a warm brightness that makes it feel like a South light location that has been turned down. During the summer, there will be a period of direct light in the late afternoon or evening as the sun goes down. However, this will be weaker than the direct light in the south that appears at noon, when the sun is at its highest point in the sky. During the height of summer, if you live in a place with lots of light, you may need to move plants on your windowsill back a bit.
When it comes to hanging plants, west facing windows provide the perfect balance of sunlight exposure that many varieties thrive in. Not too harsh and direct like a south facing window, but brighter and warmer than an east facing exposure.
If you have a west facing window and are looking for the best hanging plants to decorate it with, here are 10 of the top options to consider:
1. String of Pearls
With its cascading stems of ball-shaped leaves resembling a string of pearls, this succulent vine is perfectly suited for hanging in a west facing window. Native to South Africa, string of pearls needs at least 6-8 hours of direct sun per day, making a westward orientation ideal. The warmth of the afternoon and evening light will bring out the best coloring in the leaves.
2. Burro’s Tail
Also known as donkey’s tail, this succulent has heavily laden stems covered in plump leaves. As it hangs down, it takes on the appearance of a braided tail. A west window provides the right amount of intense sun these plants like without scorching the leaves. Let it trail out of a hanging basket to show off its full length.
3. Air Plants
Air plants are epiphytes, meaning they get their moisture from the air rather than soil They come in a huge variety of shapes like spirals, fronds, and spikes West facing exposure gives them enough bright, indirect light to thrive. Avoid direct hot sun by hanging them in front of a sheer curtain.
4. Peperomia
With over 1000 species, Peperomia offers lots of variety in leaf shape, color, and texture. They are compact, low maintenance plants that look great trailing out of hanging pots. P. caperata and P. scandens are particularly suited for western light. Keep soil slightly moist but not wet.
5. Forsythia
Add some drama with these low growing shrubs covered in masses of bright yellow bell-shaped blooms in early spring. Their arching flexible branches look beautiful tumbling out of hanging baskets. Prune lightly after flowering to maintain shape.
6. Ivy
English ivy (Hedera helix) is a classic choice that cascades gracefully Its dark green glossy leaves pair nicely with decorative hanging pots. Keep soil moderately moist but avoid direct hot sun which can scorch leaves Other ivy varieties like needlepoint also do well.
7. Hoya compacta
Also called Hindu rope plant for its twisted tightly packed leaves, this slow growing succulent is perfect for a hanging basket. Its petite size and minimal watering needs make it an easy care option. The west sun will bring out the red edges on the leaves.
8. Fuchsia
These beautiful shrubs produce drooping clusters of colorful bell or teardrop shaped flowers. The warm afternoon sun from a west window will help initiate blooming. Trailing varieties like Swingtime are best for hanging. Pinch off spent flowers to encourage reblooming.
9. Grape Ivy
With pointy, deep green leaves on dangly stems, grape ivy makes a lush display cascading out of a hanging container. It tolerates lower humidity better than other ivies. A west window provides the right amount of sunlight filtered through a sheer curtain.
10. Heartleaf Philodendron
This popular houseplant has dark green heart-shaped leaves that emerge bronzy-red. It’s fast growing and trails nicely. Warmth and moderate sunlight from a western exposure will keep its growth steady. Maintain even moisture and humidity.
When looking for hanging plants, always check the light requirements to make sure your west facing window can provide suitable exposure. Adjust watering based on sunlight intensity. With the right plant choices, you can create an eye-catching plant wall that brings life and greenery to your westward window.
Epipremnum: variegated varieties of pothos; neon, n’joy, manjula, marble queen…
Variegated pothos plants are an essential part of my plant gang — I’ve declared my love for Marble queen pothos on many occasions here on the blog + over on my instagram + it’s a brilliant choice for a west facing room. I grew a humungous pot of this in my old apartment which was south-west facing + in my new place, two of my plants are around a metre from a west-facing window and loving life. This light intensity really suits them + it keeps their growth consistent + variegation good. Also, a Neon pothos is another variety that is quite adaptable to a west-facing room, which will help to keep the zingy chartreuse colour nice + vibrant.
Other variegated options I would recommend are a pothos N’joy + a Manjula Pothos too. With their pronounced variegation, both of these prefer an indirect light position to keep the foliage splashed with a range of tones — from cream all the way through to green. These plants grow well in a western exposure if it’s protected by a net to soften the brighter afternoon light, or it can be moved further back from the light source to enjoy a bright, indirect light position. Close to an east-facing window is an alternative option to consider, but growth will likely be slower here. Currently, my plants are around 2 metres from a west-facing window that is slightly frosted + they’ve really been doing well. In a brighter position, crisping can occur on the tips of the Manjula + N’joy foliage, along with leaves that are washed-out in appearance, so that’s something to be mindful of in the Summer months. You might also find that the lightest cream parts of the leaves have more of a tendency to scorch if the light is too intense, which can look unsightly.
The Monsteras I grow here at House Plant House are without a doubt the ones I care about the most. They’ve all grown with me from small plants in different places over the last few years. In my old apartment, they did best about a meter from a west-facing window but will do well anywhere. I grew both of my bigger monsteras here, and they loved it—they grew steadily, their leaves got bigger, and the plant looked happy all around. I always tell people who have the room to get one of these lovely plants that will stay with them for years. Since I really like Monstera, I’ve written a few posts about it. If you want to read more or get plant ideas, I’ll link to some of them here:
Tradescantia are a group of plants that are pretty adaptable but with decent light levels, like that of a west-facing room, you’ll be able to enjoy good growth + an array of pretty pink-toned leaves to admire. My two picks are the fluminensis tricolour + Tradescantia nanouk — both blush coloured varieties that are some of my favourite plants of all here at House Plant House.
Decent light helps to keep these plants suitably variegated, but I’ve got more on that topic here + new growth as the plant matures will have its best chance of being compact + full. I love these plants because they are easy to prune + keep into a shape that suits your space. I’m always propagating my fluminensis tricolour (the plant above) when things get a bit crispy!
I’ll link to one of my two Nanouk blog posts (the plant below) and another one that you might also like:
If you’re reading this after the South facing plants post, you might remember that I mentioned that whilst Euphorbia look pretty cactus-like, they are actually part of the succulent family + actually prefer a slightly less direct/intense light than the desert cacti I was recommending in that post. West facing rooms, close to the window are a stellar choice for Euphorbia (like my Trigona Rubra/Cathedral cactus below) because those few hours of afternoon sunshine help keep the growth balanced + full — these plants have a tendency to get spindly pretty quickly if they don’t receive enough hours of daylight, but I’ve not experienced any issues with this around 0.5 metres from my west facing window. In the high summer I’ll move it slightly further away, or use a net to filter the light a bit.
I believe Dracaena are one of those groups of plants that don’t get enough credit because they are so easy to care for and can give a room a tropical, palm-like look with little work. In my house, my Dracaena fragrans lindenii (sometimes called a corn palm) has done best in an east-facing spot. But in the cottage, it did best in a west-facing spot about two meters from the window. Moving my plant out of direct light in this room stopped any leaves from turning brown, which can happen when they are in too much light. These are a great choice for an office or living room that faces west. They also don’t have to be put right next to the windows, which is an added bonus. Mine made an old metal filing cabinet in the corner of my room look taller and more sculpture-like:
Next up is a perpetually popular houseplant that will enjoy a west-facing location, the Pilea peperomioides. The light aspect of Pilea care can really have quite an impact on the shape + growth of these unique looking plants. Over the last few years, I’ve experimented with dotting a few plants around my apartment + have been testing out growth habits in different conditions + overall, the best position for me has been around 1 metre from my west facing window. I rotate my plant weekly to keep growth balanced which is a must if you want to maintain that globe like form — I let some of the smaller plants go a little wild, but I do try to keep the mother plant looking quite sculptural as it has centre stage on my dining table!
I’ll link some more Pilea posts here if you fancying seeing more of my collection:
Out of my Hoya gang, my linearis is one that has grown especially well for me around 1 metre from a west facing window — here it receives good amounts of light throughout the day most of the year, but in the Summer if it’s very hot I tend to move it a bit further back if I can, or I’ll put up a net to diffuse the light. The other good position for this particular Hoya has been in the cottage pretty much next to my South-east windows behind a net too — I don’t have curtains so my plants can get maximum light early in the morning as the sun rises in this spot (I thought I’d mention this in case you have a room that is in this location as an alternative option to consider). In both of these positions, growth has been lovely + dense + my Hoya has become a statement trailing plant in the space.
As a general rule, aloes do best in bright, sunny places. However, a west-facing windowsill is a great place for your plant to settle down. In a south-facing spot, the tips of this succulent can get a little crispy and even turn pink from the sun. It’s important to note that succulents like Aloes can get used to brighter places over time. Giving your plant a few hours of light a day for a few weeks can help it get used to its new home, but be aware that it may need to be watered less often if it moves to a brighter spot. Over the years, I’ve found that a west-facing orientation is better for my plants. I don’t have to move them in the summer like I did when they were in a south-facing orientation.
If you are a regular reader of the blog or insta, you’ll know about my love for a Ficus! I’ve got quite a few plants because I just love their upright growth habit + beautiful foliage, particularly the variegated rubber plant — aka. the elastica tineke. Having a number of plants means I’ve tried out a number of locations in my three different homes over the last few years. Some favourable positions I’ve found for these plants are 1 metre from a west window, 0.5 metres from a north-west window, plus in my old dual-aspect bedroom, around around 2.5 metres from south + west facing windows. What we can conclude from this is that a westerly aspect works really well for these plants as the leaves get a few hours of afternoon sunshine + decent light levels throughout the day overall. The variegated types require a bit more light than the non variegated ones but aside from the elastica types, I’ve also happily grown my bambino Ficus lyrata/fiddle leaf fig pretty much next to my west facing window which worked wonders with the plant regularly producing lovely large leaves.
My Philodendron brasil is one of the older plants I have. It began as a small pot plant that didn’t trail much. Fast forward a few years + it’s around 2. 5 meters long, has been cut up and propagated, and keeps growing even when I forget about it! It loves being in a west-facing window; my plant is currently living one meter directly across from one. It is putting out a lot of new growth, especially at the top of the planter, which helps the plant look nice and full. The long tendrils can start to look straggly in places with less light, but a west-facing spot is good for this type of trailing Philodendron.
Plants for West facing rooms
My Saxifraga stolonifera was one of the plants I featured in my blogpost Plant style: 5 houseplants I’ve grown to love (that I didn’t like last year), but over time, it’s fair to say that I’ve grown to appreciate their fuzzy leaves! I propagated this plant from the tiniest of cuttings and it currently sits on my west facing windowsill + is throwing out plantlets galore. Last year in the cottage, it was around 0.5m from my South-East facing window behind a net + casually threw out an inflorescence (flower spike) over Summer so this is another positioning option that I’ve tried and tested! It’s not a fast grower at all and it’s one of those classic houseplants you don’t see all that often these days, but I’d recommend this one if you do well with begonias. They look really pretty if they are hung near a window as the plantlets trail down in much the same way as a mature spider plant — that’s my plan for this little plant.
I love to grow the jade plant, which is also called a money tree or lucky plant. The variety shown below is one I’ve grown from a very small seed, and I also have a few “regular” crassula ovata plants that I’ve spread around the house. I’ve found that mine do best on a windowsill that faces west, which is where the plant on the right is now that it’s moved. A south-west, or south-east position are viable alternative locations too if that suits your home orientation. During the summer, you may need to move them farther away from the window to keep them from getting too hot.
20 Part Sun Houseplants | Houseplants for West Windows vs East Windows
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