I’m going to talk about my favorite houseplants for rooms that face north today. This is a direction that most plant lovers think is hard to grow plants in. After my last post a few weeks ago about houseplants and how to light a room, I want to talk about the different light exposures: north, east, south, and west. Now let’s get back to the plants. To be more specific, which ones will look 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!
If you’re interested in art, you may know that painters love studios that face north because of how the light hits them. Northern light has a cooler color and is more stable; it’s also sometimes called “reflected light” because it doesn’t change to a warmer look as the sun moves around during the day. As background, I went to art school, so the question of light has been important to me for a long time. Whether I’m painting or taking pictures, I’m aware that I notice light more intensely than most people do.
When it comes to houseplants, rooms that face north get low to moderate indirect light. To get the best results, put plants in these rooms as close to the windows as possible. The light isn’t very strong in these places, and because it’s indirect and weak, it can be hard to grow some plants.
Having a north east facing window in your home provides the perfect opportunity to grow a wide variety of beautiful and easy care houseplants. While north east light is lower and more indirect than a southern or western exposure, many houseplants actually prefer lower light conditions, making a north east window an ideal location.
In this article, we’ll discuss what makes the north east exposure unique, how to determine if you have north east facing windows, and provide a list of the 15 best plants to grow in north east light. With the right plant selections, you can create a lush indoor jungle even in lower light.
What is a North East Facing Window?
When we talk about the “exposure” of a window, we are referring to the direction it faces. North, south, east, and west are the four main exposures.
Windows with northern exposure face north and receive very little direct sunlight. Eastern exposure receives gentle morning light. Southern windows get bright light for much of the day. And western exposure gets hot afternoon and evening sun.
A north east facing window is one that sits somewhere between due north and due east. It receives gentle morning sunlight but no harsh direct afternoon sun The light levels are lower than south and west facing windows which makes it perfect for shade loving plants.
How to Determine if You Have North East Facing Windows
Figuring out which direction your windows face is easy with two simple tricks:
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Use a compass. The compass app on your phone makes identifying direction easy. Stand in front of the window in question and see which direction it indicates. Any window facing between north and east is north east facing.
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Watch the sunlight. In the morning, observe which side of your home gets the first direct sun. That’s the east side. North east windows will be located between that morning sun side and the side that never gets direct light (the north side).
Pay attention to how the sunlight enters each room over the course of a day. This will reveal the exposure of your windows. North east rooms have gentle morning sun but no harsh afternoon light.
15 Best North East Facing Window Plants
Now let’s get to the fun part – deciding which plants to grow! Here are my top recommendations for north east facing windows
Vining Foliage Plants
Vining plants are great for filling vertical space in front of a window with cascading greenery. Try these trailing beauties:
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Pothos – With heart-shaped satiny leaves, pothos is a houseplant superstar. Its vines can grow up to 10 feet long! Pothos tolerates all types of light levels and irregular watering like a champ.
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Philodendron – Easy going philodendrons thrive in north east exposure Heartleaf philodendron and the stunning ‘Brasil’ variety with yellow variegated leaves are fast growing and easy to train up a trellis
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Wandering Jew – Also known as inchplant, the wandering Jew has gorgeous leaves dotted with purple, red, pink, or silver depending on variety. These pretty trailing plants love north east windows.
Upright Foliage Plants
Upright, structured foliage plants add architecture and interest to spaces. Here are some great picks:
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Dracaena – Dracaena offer striking upright foliage in a range of colors like lime green, dark burgundy, or tricolor. They tolerate very low light. Popular varieties include the corn plant, dragon tree, and Janet Craig.
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ZZ Plant – Nearly impossible to kill, ZZ plants have thick waxy leaves that emerge from bulbous rhizomes underground. Their growth is slow but steady. ZZ’s adapt well to low north east light.
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Chinese Evergreen – With patterned leaves in shades of green, pink, silver, and cream, the Chinese evergreen brings a pop of color. For best results place in a bright north east window and water when the top inch of soil dries out.
Flowering Plants
While flowering houseplants need decent light to bloom, they’ll still provide attractive greenery in a north east window. Enjoy flowers when they appear! Good bets are:
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Peace Lily – A houseplant classic, peace lilies produce elegant white blooms among deep green leaves. They naturally bloom in spring but need medium light. Keep the soil moist.
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African Violet – African violets are cute compact plants with fuzzy green and purple leaves with delicate pink, purple, or white flowers. Water from the bottom to keep leaves dry.
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Orchids – Orchids need very bright light to rebloom but will be happy in a north east window between bloom cycles. Moth orchids and lady slipper orchids are especially east to grow.
Other Great North East Plants
Don’t overlook these other stunners that thrive with morning sun and partial shade:
- Ferns like Boston ferns and bird’s nest ferns
- Snake plants with upright spear-shaped leaves
- Cast iron plants with broad dark green leaves
- Palms like majesty palms and parlor palms
- Crotons and calatheas with colorful leaves
- Bromeliads like air plants mounted on driftwood or flaming sword bromeliads
With the right plant picks, your north east windows can overflow with vibrant indoor plants. Focus on low light lovers and foliage plants, water appropriately, and enjoy your own urban jungle!
Frequency of Entities:
north east – 14
north east facing window – 7
window – 14
light – 10
plant – 15
leaves – 7
easy – 4
care – 2
houseplant – 5
water – 5
grow – 3
Philodendron scandens (Heart Leaf Philodendron)
Philodendron scandens is a very easy plant to grow in a North-facing room instead of golden pothos. It would do best hanging down from the curtain pole; you could even hang several of them together to make a trailing plant “curtain.” Just make sure the top of the plant gets enough light; don’t hang it too high above the window. If you have a spot that faces northeast or northwest, you could also try a philodendron brasil. The leaves of both plants are heart-shaped, but the leaves of the brasil have different colors on them. We love hanging them next to each other to play with the “same but different” look. As a general rule, in darker locations like north facing locations, choosing non-variegated plants is preferable.
If you want to grow a “prayer plant,” like Calathea, Stromanthe, etc., the Marantaceae family member that does best in partial shade is Maranta. ) for a North-facing room. These plants have beautiful leaves that fold up and up at night, like they’re praying. The red-backed herringbone maranta (maranta leuconeura erythroneura) is often found in public building planting displays like malls and library foyers, which shows how well it does in low light. My leuconeura var kerchoveana, also known as “rabbit tracks,” is my favorite maranta right now. It has the most beautiful blue-green leaves with dark brown spots. These plants do better in softer light and can look a little worse for wear if they are in a bright place, with leaves that are turning brown and crisp. I’ve been growing my plant in the shade for a while now, and I’m always amazed at how well it does with little light.
Aglaonema (Chinese Evergreen): Green varieties
Some people find Aglaonema plants boring, but I’ve seen a clear rise in popularity for these beautiful leafy plants, especially online, over the last year or so. This might have something to do with the fact that so many new cultivars have come out in the last few years. It’s important to note that the trendy pink and white types need more light than the more traditional green ones, as I showed above. You can be sure that these plants will grow in a room that faces north. They grow slowly, which makes them a good choice for smaller rooms. Both of these plants have bloomed for me when they were in a brighter spot, but the interesting patterns on the leaves are what really make this simple houseplant stand out.
Window Lighting | What Plants I Grow In North, East, South, West Facing
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