Three houseplants that will grow in a hallway, a north-facing room or any corner where the light is poor.
Zamioculcas zamiifolia, the ZZ plant, is upright and glossy and stores water in fat rhizomes, so it copes with being forgotten. Spathiphyllum wallisii, the peace lily, makes a clump of lance-shaped dark green leaves and sends up white spathes above them, mostly in spring and summer but often on and off through the year indoors. Dracaena trifasciata, still sold as Sansevieria and known as the snake plant, is a stiff upright rosette of sword-shaped leaves banded in grey green.
All three take anything from bright indirect light to a genuinely dim corner. Keep them at normal room temperature and out of cold draughts. Let the compost dry out well between waterings for the ZZ plant and the snake plant, and keep the peace lily a little more evenly moist. The peace lily droops dramatically when it is thirsty and picks up within hours of a drink, which is not the plant dying. Feed monthly through spring and summer and wipe the leaves now and then.
Supplied as three established plants in 1 litre root balls, ready to pot into containers of your own. All three are harmful if eaten and the ZZ plant and the peace lily also irritate skin and eyes, so keep them away from children, cats and dogs.
Cultural Information
Common Name: ZZ plant, peace lily and snake plant
Fully Grown Height and Spread: ZZ plant 45 to 60cm; peace lily 30 to 60cm; snake plant 50 to 120cm indoors
Growth Habit: Upright clump with arching stems, clump forming, and upright rosette
Perfect For: Hallways, bathrooms, bedrooms, offices and north-facing rooms
Foliage: Glossy dark green; glossy rich green lance-shaped; dark green with grey-green banding
Flowering Time: Peace lily, spring to summer and often intermittently indoors
Planting Position: Bright to low indirect light indoors
Soil Type: Free-draining, peat-free houseplant compost
Hardiness: Tender, indoor only; keep above 12C
Maintenance: Easy; the main risk to all three is overwatering
Seasonal Interest: Evergreen foliage, with peace lily flowers in spring and summer
Type: Houseplant collection of three plants
