Houseplants that can tolerate but don't always need direct sun?

Hello friends,

We're looking to spend a little cash on some house plants for our bedroom. We want more plants in there because we've had a little bit of an issue with CO2 buildup (house too airtight, ERV maybe not big enough ... but that's another post). Also, for aesthetics, we'd like to be able to lay in bed and not look at the newly installed PVC pipe to our rain collection cistern.

The photo below is of the corner where the plants-to-be will live (on the bench which I built! From scrap material! Yay!). It's a south-facing window to your left, west-facing straight ahead. The south-facing window has an overhang and only lets in direct sun from Nov-Apr. The west-facing window doesn't have an overhang, so does get afternoon sun year round, but in the summer we'll sometimes close the shade.



So, we'd love recommendations for plants that don't easily die that can adorn our world and clean our air. Thanks in advance for your suggestions!

The cactus is the one you have to try, and I think the warmer temperatures might let you see it bloom.

It looks to me like that is an ideal spot for many different houseplants, with lots of indirect light. For me it would probably end up as propagation area! In the winter the sun although direct will be reduced in intensity being at a lower elevation so won't be so much of an issue as you might think.

That is a beautiful view outside that window.  

You did a really nice build with that bench.

I feel most houseplants would like that spot.

An airplane plant would be pretty hanging in the corner.

Since I have been reading about houseplants recently so many plants come to mind, too many.

Aloe Vera, Jade Plant, Crotan, Ponytail Palm, and Cactus are some that I have had previously that would do well in that spot.

Nancy Reading wrote:It looks to me like that is an ideal spot for many different houseplants, with lots of indirect light.

My main goal is to pick plants would handle the direct sun from the Western window, especially in the summer. I have a rubber tree and a monstera, for instance, but The Google says they don't like direct sun.

Our rubber tree (ficus) gets full sun for 2-4 hours in the summer, and it's fine.

Lots of succulents would do well in bright, but indirect light and also handle full sun just fine. Our windows are similar. We're pretty hands off, so we like tough plants.

We have:
At least ten different haworthias - they all seem to do well, but the translucent ones get pulled back from the hottest part of the window in the summer.
Aloes
String of hearts (Ceropegia) - I love the tiny flowers on these, but if they get pollinated you get seed pods with fluffy, floaty seeds, so pick them before they open to avoid a mess.
A couple different burro's tails (sedum) - when these flower, they drip nectar, so keep that in mind.
Jades (Crassula ovata) - although ours often get a bit sunburned first thing in the spring when the sun comes out after a month of rain and cloud
Hoyas - they drip nectar, too. They're fragrant at night and can be overpowering while you're trying to sleep if you don't like the smell
Peperomia obtusifolia and a couple other peperomia I don't know the names of. We've had a couple peperomia with more delicate leaves that didn't do well for us.
Curly leaf ficus
Mother in law's tongue (Sansevieria) - we've got three different flat leaf ones and one of them gets really big flower spikes. We also have one of the cylindrical leaf ones, but the flowers are boring on that one.
Spider plants - the curly leaf ones have a bushier, more compact growth habit, including the trailing babies, that I really like
Norfolk pine
Money tree (Pachira aquatica)
Orchid cactus (epiphyllum) - this one gets ridiculously gorgeous flowers. My mum tortures hers really badly (no water for over a month at a time, leaves it outside first thing in the spring to get sunburned and then frostbitten 😂) and hers flowers almost non stop. These ones will drip nectar, too.
christmas cactus
Dragon fruit grown from seed from store bought fruit. Mine hasn't flowered yet, but it's trying to take over the table it's on.
Various opuntia
Desert rose (Adenium)
Buddhist pine (podocarpus)
Madagascar jewel (Euphorbia)
Lots of other cacti and succulents I don't know the names of or forgot about.

All of these do well in the type of lighting you describe and can handle infrequent and/or irregular watering, and wide ranges in temperature. The windowsill on the south window gets a sliver of sunlight when the sun is high in the summer. It can get 50C there easily. In the winter, we sometimes have frost on the inside of the same window.

Now that so many wonderful plant ideas have been submitted, how does one decide which plant to choose? Here are some additional considerations that may help narrow down the plant choices.
+Optimal plant height: make some paper cylinders of various heights then lie in bed and see what height gives the best view out the window. Pot height + plant height will add up to what ideal height?
+Optimal plant density: before you buy, try putting some sticks in multiple pots and see how thick you want the foliage to be. Do you prefer a wispy look with wide spacing (orchids, pencil cactus, spider plants), medium coverage (dwarf bamboo, aloe, jade), or dense coverage (snake plant, African milk tree)
+Container choice: pots can be ceramic, metal, or any other material that conceals a repurposed plastic liner. Some plants look better in clay pots. Some plants look better with sleek modern pots. What kind of pots look good in your room?
+Plant stand stability: How much weight can the stand support? If the pot choices are heavy ceramic, the weight of pots + soil + water may exceed the capability of the stand. To increase stability, either give the stand more support by framing the top of the stand legs (beneath the top) with molding (such as 1 x 2 or 1 x 4 inch lumber scraps) or reduce the weight of plants on the stand (lightweight planters, soil and plant choice).
+Drainage tray(s): prevent drainage stains on the wood floor and wood stand with one large tray or individual small trays (more stand weight considerations)

Jan White wrote:
All of these do well in the type lighting you describe and can handle infrequent and/or irregular watering, and wide ranges in temperature.

Excellent list, thanks for all the specifics!

I have nothing to add to these good advices!
Only a photo of some of my houseplants ... I hope soon you'll enjoy yours!

I forgot to come back with a plant-filled update! Very happy with our "hedge." We had the rubber plant, and the pothos. I got a coffee plant and the philodendron at a local nursery. I cut the bench legs down about three inches, and all of the plants got a haircut, as I like having the window as unobstructed as possible.

Plants like coffee.

Make your coffe with  grinded coffebeans. After the cooling down of this waste you have an excellent fertilizer for your plants. Just ad some on the ground in the pops and they love it.

Greetings Leo

leo oord wrote:Plants like coffee.

Make your coffe with  grinded coffebeans. After the cooling down of this waste you have an excellent fertilizer for your plants. Just ad some on the ground in the pops and they love it.

Greetings Leo

Yep, before I had my own compost system I used to do this, and the houseplants did seem to like the coffee grounds.

In summer you might have windows open so no concern about CO2, so you could have some pots outside for summer and indoors for winter.

I've had a couple of geraniums (actually pelargoniums, but everyone calls them geraniums) going in the same two pots for 4 years now. Outside for summer, and in an east or west facing window for winter. Cyclamens are a bulb that leafs out and blooms for winter and dies back for summer, so they could be good for your situation.  

I've got a few others I put out for summer and bring in for winter, but the geraniums really do best.

Aloe is useful and every house should have one; once it's established it can get really crowded and attractive in the pot. Jade will live for generations and I love my two jades. Both of these don't like too much direct light.