Plants to add now: choosing for partial shade indoors

For a partly shaded indoor position at this time of year, choose plants that tolerate lower light and do not need to grow quickly straight away. Daylight weakens rapidly in Hartungviken, Sweden, in early October, so choose plants that can settle in steadily over winter.

• Peace lily for lush foliage and the possibility of indoor flowers.
• Pothos for an easy-care plant that can trail or climb.
• ZZ plant for a fairly dark spot and a particularly resilient choice.
• Snake plant for a robust plant that can dry out between waterings.
• Aglaonema for colourful foliage on a plant suited to partial shade.
• Heart-leaf philodendron for soft trailing stems and steady growth in normal room conditions.

For that particular spot, I would avoid light-demanding plants and seasonal flowering plants sold for bright windows. They may do well briefly, but often become leggy or slow down in partial shade in late autumn.

Use a pot with drainage holes and ordinary potting compost, ideally mixed with a little perlite, and water cautiously at first. Through autumn and winter, restraint with water is almost always better than too much. If you want just one plant for the most dependable result, choose a ZZ plant or pothos.