North-facing apartment window
Choose plants and positions that tolerate cooler, indirect light without pretending the room is brighter than it is.
Read the guideHouseplant light placement for renters
Find the brightest workable plant spot before you buy another plant.
WindowPlant Lab turns window direction, distance, and obstruction into practical plant placement decisions. The goal is fewer doomed corners, fewer scorched leaves, and better first guesses.
Window Light Estimator
Estimate plant placement from window direction, distance, and common shade conditions. Use it as a first-pass map, then adjust when leaves stretch, scorch, or stall.
| Rating | Best-fit plants |
|---|---|
| Bright direct | Succulents, cacti, herbs near the glass |
| Bright indirect | Ficus, hoya, monstera, many flowering plants |
| Medium | Pothos, philodendron, peperomia, calathea |
| Low | ZZ plant, snake plant, cast iron plant; slower growth expected |
Start with the problem you have
Unknown plant distance
Translate window direction and room depth into a starting zone for low, medium, or bright-indirect plants.
Open the calculatorLow-light shopping list
Use a checklist to separate genuinely tolerant plants from plants that only survive briefly in dim rooms.
Use the checklist