Favorite Houseplants for Direct Sun

Here’s a pro tip: Almost all indoor plants will happily grow in bright indirect light, but only some are okay with sitting in a sunny window. feeling the direct warm sun on their leaves. We’ve got some beautiful houseplant suggestions for spots in your home with bright direct sun.

Ficus ‘Audrey’

Our favorite plants for direct sun:

• Adenium

• Alluaudia

• Anigozanthos (kangaroo paw)

• Ananas (pineapple)

• Beaucarnea recurvata (ponytail palm)

• Cactus

• Caryota mitis (fishtail palm)

• Clusia

• Cordyline

• Croton

• Cycads

• Dypsis lutescens (areca palm)

• Dracaena marginata

• Dracaena arborea

• Epiphyllum

• Euphorbia ammak

• Euphorbia ingens

• Euphorbia trigona

• Euphorbia tirucalli (pencil cactus, ‘Sticks on Fire’)

• Ficus Alii

• Ficus decora

• Ficus ‘Amstel King’

• Ficus ‘Audrey’

• Ficus tineke

• Ficus triangularis

• Gardenia

• Hibiscus

• Hyophorbe lagenicaulis

• Musa (banana)

• Pachypodium (Madagascar palm)

• Pleomele

• Plumeria

• Ravanea rivularis (majesty palm)

• Sansevieria (cylindrical types)

• Schefflera arboricola

• Schefflera amate

• Strelitzia nicolai (giant bird of paradise)

• Succulents (most)

• Tillandsia (silver varietes)

• Veitchia

• Wodyetia bifurcata

• Yucca

What does direct sun mean? Beams of light hitting the plant near a window with the most intense light. If you’re in a direct sun spot, you can feel the warmth of the sun on your skin.

It’s true, however, that not all windows are created equal. When assessing just how warm and bright the light is in your “direct sun” spot, consider these factors:

What direction does the window face?

• North-facing rooms will have the lowest light, often with no direct light.  A window in a north-facing room might not, in fact, get any direct sun at all.

• East-facing rooms will have the second lowest light. This is because morning sun is considerably less intense than afternoon sun. They will often have direct sun in the window, then the light will drop deeply just a few feet away from the glass.

• South / west-facing rooms will have the strongest light. These are generally characterized by very strong direct sun within the first six feet of the window, transitioning to diffuse direct sun deeper into the room, and then moderate indirect and sometimes (but not always) low light at the back of the room.

Are there any obstructions?

• Exterior obstructions such as buildings or trees generally reduce the light of a room. A top floor, south-facing room might have blasting direct sun, while the garden apartment of the same building might have only moderate indirect light right in the window. Other times an obstruction can actually increase the light in a room, such as a north-facing room looking at a white wall, which will reflect southern light into the room.

• Are there blinds or curtains? If so, try to keep them consistently set the same; plants love consistency! This is a way for you to control the light and thus also have some effect on which plants will work in your space.

• How big are your windows? The bigger the window, the more light you’ll have to work with.

How long is the duration of sunlight each day?

• Always consider how long the light is coming into the room, as this will directly affect how much light your plant is able to take in. If the sun only passes through a room for a short period during the day, your plants may not be getting as much direct sun as you think.

How does the light change at different times of year?

• Light durations fluctuate seasonally quite a bit. You’ll have less light during the winter and more during the summer.

• The angle of the sun drops as summer moves into fall and winter. This decreases the intensity of winter light and sometimes creates seasonal obstructions. You might find you have more light in winter than in summer, for example if your window is under a deciduous tree that loses leaves in winter, allowing more sunlight through the branches.

• FUN TIP! Plants that may thrive in hot direct sun haven’t necessarily been grown in that kind of light, so they may burn if placed into exceptionally hot direct light right away. Starting these plants in direct exposure in winter can be a great way to help them acclimate over the spring so they’ll thrive once summer arrives.

Dracaena marginata ‘Colorama’

Strelitzia nicolai (giant bird of paradise or banana leaf palm)

Surprisingly there are quite a few leafy plants that enjoy a warm sunny window. When you choose your plant, make sure to ask our staff whether it’s okay to put it in direct sun; otherwise you risk burning the leaves. The plants featured here are all happy to grow in direct warm sunbeams.

Schefflera amate

Caryota mitis (fishtail palm, center here) will grow in direct sun; the other two palms in this photo like bright indirect light and should not be placed in a window.

Beaucarnea recurvata (ponytail palm)

Dypsis lutescens (areca palm)

Many succulents, including most cactus and euphorbia, are great choices bright direct sun areas in your home. These plants need lots of light when grown indoors, so a windowsill or other warm sunny spot is key to their success.

Haworthia

Euphorbia trigona

Euphorbia tirucalli '‘Sticks on Fire’ is so strikingly gorgeous, but it does exude a toxic sap, so be careful when handling, and avoid this as an indoor plant if you have any pets.

Silver varieties of tillandsia air plants can grow happily in direct sun. Check out more examples of large specimen tillandsias growing as houseplants here.

LEARN MUCH MORE ABOUT HOUSEPLANT CARE IN OUR HELPFUL GUIDE!

For more of this kind of inspiration, delivered to your inbox, join our mailing list. 

---