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ZZ plant low light

Updated: October 2026

You have a hallway, a north-facing room, or an office, and you want a ZZ plant low light spot that will not be a weekly project. The Royal Horticultural Society says you can grow Zamioculcas zamiifolia indoors in indirect light to full shade. That lets you place it away from a south window. It does not promise a dark corner will fill with stems this year. The [ZZ plant comparison](/hub/plant-accessories/zz-plant) is the listing table. This page is where you put the plant, and why you buy the size you want if it will stay there. The Products Compared editorial team used the RHS and Gardeners' World. We did not measure lux. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You have a hallway, a north-facing room, or an office, and you want a ZZ plant low light spot that will not be a weekly project.

Our top picks

Carbeth Plants Carbeth ZZ plant, one pot

Best overall

Carbeth Plants Carbeth ZZ plant, one pot
10.0/10about £17.99
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plantster plantster 35 cm ZZ plant

Best value

plantster plantster 35 cm ZZ plant
10.0/10about £14.99
View offer
Easy Plants Easy Plants aroid palm

Alternative

Easy Plants Easy Plants aroid palm
1.0/10about £21.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Shade it will accept
  2. 2.Where it grows, not only lasts
  3. 3.Office and hallway
  4. 4.What low light does to watering

Shade it will accept

The RHS profile is the clearance for shade: indoors, indirect light through to full shade, in well-drained compost. The same profile rates the plant H1B. A dark room is still an indoor room. A winter patio is not low light. Keep the plant inside, well above freezing. Gardeners' World wants the room consistently above 10°C. A chilly unheated porch fails the temperature line before it fails the light line. Catalogue words on the five listings are not a light meter. Plantster's field says indirect light. Both Carbeth files say partial sun. Easy Plants says shade. Those fields were captured on 15 October 2026. Easy Plants never names Zamioculcas, so do not treat that shade field as proof of the species. The buying guide is where that check belongs.

Where it grows, not only lasts

Surviving and growing are different jobs. Gardeners' World says the plant grows in almost all home light levels, and that growth drops in darker spots. For reliable growth they keep it within about 2 metres of a window, and out of more than about three hours of direct sun, which can scorch. Their preferred sills are north, north-east, west, or north-west. A north-facing UK windowsill in winter is dim, and it is still a better growth spot than a windowless cupboard. If you want new stems, keep it near that window. In a dim corner, expect the plant you bought, not a burst of growth. Scorch is brown patches after more than about three hours of sun, so move a marked plant back. Raven is not in this basket, and shade will not turn a green listing black.
Carbeth Plants Carbeth ZZ plant, one pot

Testsieger

Carbeth Plants Carbeth ZZ plant, one pot
10.0/10about £17.99
View offer

Office and hallway

In an office lit by a nearby window, turn the pot about a quarter turn once a month so the stems do not all lean to the bright side. Wipe the leaves with a damp cloth. Do not mist. A hallway with a glazed door is the sort of shade the RHS allows. A dark well, with the only light a bulb you switch off, is a place the plant may sit and not grow. These sources do not give a lux figure for strip lights, so this page will not invent one. If no window is within about 2 metres, buy the size you want on day one. Who each listing is for sits on which ZZ plant to choose. A 12 cm plant will look like a 12 cm plant in a hall. Easy Plants states 40–45 cm including the pot and does not name the species. Height without a name is not the upgrade.

What low light does to watering

A cool, dim room dries more slowly than a bright kitchen. The compost can stay moist for weeks, which is how the rhizome rots. Low light is not a reason to water more often. It is a reason to wait longer. The published intervals, including Gardeners' World's four dry weeks, are on the watering page. Feel the compost, empty the saucer, and expect a dark UK winter to stretch the gap. Do not move a rotting plant into deeper shade to rest it. Dry the pot first. Do not put the plant outside in winter because a catalogue field says Outdoor. Both Carbeth listings use that field. H1B still means indoors.

Common questions

Will it survive a hallway with no direct sun?
Yes, if the hall stays warm enough and the compost is allowed to dry. The RHS lists full shade and partial shade for an indoor plant. A windowless cupboard is not the same claim.
Is a north-facing windowsill enough?
Gardeners' World prefers a north, north-east, west, or north-west sill, and reliable growth within about 2 metres of a window. A north-facing UK sill is one of their stated spots.
Will it grow, or only sit there?
The light decides. The RHS says deep shade is tolerated. Gardeners' World says growth drops in darker spots. Near a window you can expect slow new stems.
Can afternoon sun scorch the leaves?
Yes. Gardeners' World warns that more than about three hours of direct sun can scorch. A west-facing sill in summer can cross that line. Brown patches mean move it back.
Does an office with fluorescent light count?
The RHS includes the ZZ plant among office plants and tells you to turn it monthly and dust the leaves. It does not publish a lux number for strip lights, and this page will not add one.
Should I buy a small plant and wait?
Only if you are happy to look at the small plant. Gardeners' World says to buy the size you want because growth is slow, and slower in darker spots.
Does low light change how often I water?
It lengthens the gap, because cool shade dries slowly. Do not add water to compensate. Let the compost dry fully before you water again. A full saucer in a dark hall rots a rhizome faster than a missed week.

Related pages

ZZ plant and pets

ZZ plant

Best ZZ plant: who each listing in this set is for

Buy a ZZ plant: species, pot, and height must agree

How often to water a ZZ plant once the compost is dry

Sources

Public UK sources checked for this comparison, plus the amazon.co.uk listing facts in the display file on 15 October 2026. Shelf prices and star lines are those UK figures. GrowTropicals prices from 16 October 2026 are other-shop context, not amazon.co.uk.

  1. RHS, Zamioculcas zamiifolia (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  2. RHS, arum houseplants (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  3. BBC Gardeners' World, how to grow a ZZ plant (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  4. House & Garden, ZZ plant (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  5. Horticultural Trades Association, harmful plants guide (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  6. GOV.UK, import plants and plant products from the EU to Great Britain (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  7. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 9 (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  8. GrowTropicals, Zamioculcas zamiifolia size prices (retrieved 16 October 2026)