10 Amazing Plants for East Facing Windows

Plant parents and home gardeners often worry about the light levels in their homes, many think that without a south facing window, there will not be enough direct sunlight for plants to flourish.

While growing plants in north facing windows is the toughest, giving the most moderate light, you are in luck if you have a west facing window or east facing windows.

The good news is that not all house plants appreciate direct sunlight, check out these plants that grow well in low light conditions.

Plants for East Facing Window

Gardeners with east facing windows rejoice, read on to find out what kind of plants will thrive there! We have hand-selected 10 amazing indoor plants for east facing windows that will brighten up your plant collection and boost your spirits!

1. Boston Fern (Nephrolepis Exaltata)

Boston ferns are perfect plants for your east facing window. You should give these evergreen beauties a chance if only for their beautiful plant texture.

As hanging plants, the Boston fern makes a great visual addition to your windowsill plants collection. Boston ferns have long green fluffy fronds that arch beautifully when put in a hanging basket or elevated plant stand.

Boston ferns need lovely bright morning light so as not to burn its vibrant leaves and thus are some of the best house plants for north east facing window.

Regularly misting your fern is a must unless you are in a very humid climate. The plant is also very easy to take care of, a few leaves may turn brown here and there, but just make sure to remove them.

Water requirement: Keep the soil slightly moist.

Light Requirement: Bright indirect light, direct sun can burn the fronds.

Top Tip: Light fertilization during spring to fall when it is actively growing.

2. Fiddle Leaf Fig (Ficus Lyrata)

Looking for plants for the north east corner of your home or office? One of the most popular indoor plants that you can have for your east facing window is the fiddle leaf fig.

Also one of the favorite indoor plants of the year, the fiddle fig needs only about three to four hours of sunlight a day which makes the morning sunlight perfect for them.

Exposing it to morning sunlight helps avoid the dropping and browning of leaves, thus the fiddle fig thrives as north east facing window plants.

A fast grower that can grow up to 6 feet, the fiddle leaf fig needs a moderate amount of moisture. The bright green leaves will fade if you do not water them enough. However, if you water them too much the leaves might drop, and root rot might develop – use a pebble tray and opt for a planter with drainage holes to avoid this.

Water requirement: Mist the plant with water in a spray bottle daily. Keep the well-drained soil moderately moist.

Light Requirement: Morning sunlight

Top Tip: As an indoor plant that is sensitive to salt levels in the soil, make sure you flush the soil until the water comes out the bottom to avoid salt build-up.

3. Calathea

If you have an east facing sunroom, get some Calathea for it! This houseplant is known for its colorful foliage. The top side of the leaves look like they have been painted with white brush strokes and the underside is Burgandy.

Calatheas has many nicknames, including the Peacock plant, Cathedral window plant, Zebra plant and Rattlesnake plant.

Calatheas make great east-facing windows plants, avoid full sun, they love bright indirect light conditions. They love being watered regularly, and rarely does the soil get too soggy.

They flourish really well in humid conditions. A room humidifier is great for the pant but you can also use a water tray or just misting.

Water requirement: Consistent watering is needed.

Light Requirement: Bright indirect light but can tolerate a bit of shade.

Top Tip: As variegated plants, if they become too white, this is an indicator that they need more light. You can use artificial lights to give it a boost.

4. Moth Orchid (Phalaenopsis)

Hardy, tough, and versatile – the Moth orchid edges out the competition for south east facing window plants.

As far as plants for south east direction goes, the Moth orchid enjoys the medium light it offers. They actually dislike too much light!

The Moth orchid does well as an eastern facing window plant, as long as they receive bright indirect light they will flower. They bloom a moth-like flower with striking colors that can last for months. The flowers come in blue, green, red, orange, white or pink.

Moth orchids are perfect flowering plants additions to your indoor gardening for your east facing window, they can even do well with a north facing window.

Not unlike other orchid plants, the Moth orchid uses a host plant to cling to in order to thrive. But for a houseplant growing alone, you will need to use an organic potting material that comes from a tree or mimics a host tree. Most bark material will work for Moth orchids such as ground fir tree bark.

Water requirement: Water every 1 to 2 weeks.

Light Requirement: Low light to indirect bright light.

Top Tip: Remove dead flowers right away so that new ones can bloom.

5. Prayer Plants (Maranta Leuconeura)

One of the most amazing plants for beginners, Prayer plants are easy to keep, and are available to find in almost any nursery. Its leaves are flat during the day and they fold at night as if the plant is praying.

A tropical plant, the prayer plant comes in a tricolor variety, it has deep green, velvety leaves with yellow splotches down the middle and red veins that loop around, giving the leaves beautiful margins.

The Prayer plant is a slow grower but it reaches up to a mature height of one foot indoors. It thrives in partial shade. Avoid direct sunlight for the Prayer plant, instead, choose these plants for the northeast facing windows of your house, as long as they get enough morning sun.

Water requirement: Water frequently, wait for the top part to dry out before watering again.

Light Requirement: Morning sun, partial shade or full shade.

Top Tip: Provide these window plants with greenhouse-like conditions, warm, moist, with gentle airflow, and a lot of fertilizer.

6. Jade Plant (Crassula Ovata)

Jade plants are succulents with small pink or white star-like flowers. This flowering plant is one of the most common and loved house plants.

They need to be in a bright spot in your east facing window to get sufficient morning sun. As a fairly adaptable plant, they also do well in west facing windows or south-facing windows too.

Jade plants have thick stems and smooth leaves with stems like miniature tree trunks. They do not require a high level of care and only need a little bit of watering, but you should also keep the soil dry during winter to avoid root rot.

Water requirement: Water often during summer, make sure the soil is moist but not wet.

Light Requirement: Bright indirect light and avoid direct sun.

Top Tip: Place the toxic indoor plants out of reach of pets!

7. Umbrella Tree (Schefflera)

Another great addition to the east-facing windows plants list is the umbrella tree or also called an umbrella plant.

It is known for its long, shiny, oval green leaves that droop gracefully where the long stems meet the main stalk, thereby resembling an umbrella.

The Umbrella tree is perfect for eastern exposure because it needs bright filtered sunlight in the morning but should be kept out of the line of harsh rays of direct sunlight in the afternoon. These east window plants get floppy if they do not receive enough light.

Water requirement: Water weekly especially during the growing season and spray the leaves frequently to keep the plant hydrated. Yellow leaves are a sign of overwatering.

Light Requirement: Bright indirect light, no direct light.

Top Tip: Keep away the tropical plant from air vents and exterior doors.

8. Goldfish Plant (Columnea Gloriosa)

This indoor plant blooms extraordinary red-orange flowers that actually resemble a goldfish! To accompany the blooms, the goldfish plant has hundreds of small, thick, tiny and dark green leaves.  

The beauty of the plant has a price, you need to give it an adequate amount of light to unveil its true potential. This makes it suitable as plants for the east side of the house, as long as it can get half a day’s worth of sunlight.

These window plants are sensitive to high temperatures and moisture on their leaves, and are best placed in hanging baskets. They can live up to a decade if well taken care of!

Water requirement: Water generously during summer and keep the soil moist.

Light Requirement: Bright light to full sun.

Top Tip: Never let the soil completely dry out to encourage blooming.

9. Rubber Plant (Ficus Elastica)

The rubber plant makes a really good plant for east-facing windows, it loves the bright indirect light.

The Rubber plant is one of those unique tropical indoor plants from Southeast Asia, with oval-shaped leaves that grow large and in a rich emerald green. These plants can grow quickly and they reach up to 100 feet tall in their natural jungle habitat, but won’t reach that height when grown indoors with a little pruning.

It is simple to take care of your indoor Rubber plant, give it an adequate amount of light, water and warmth, you will surely have a charming beauty in your east-facing window.

Water requirement: Water frequently, steadily moist but not soaked.

Light Requirement: Bright indirect sunlight is ideal.

Top Tip: Use a bamboo stick to support the plant to prevent it from drooping.

10. Areca Palm (Dypsis Lutescens)

Areca palms are one of the best plants to add to your east facing window! Not only are Areca palms (commonly known as butterfly palms) a great air-purifying plant, they also are a sutble tropical asset to your decor.

Their long, feathery fronds are very easy to distinguish but they need bright indirect light to stay in good shape. Thus, Areca palms are perfect your east facing window or west facing window.

Acreca palms prefer high humidity but can tolerate less. Leaf browning is a sign that they need extra moisture. The plant is also sensitive to chemicals in tap water.

Water requirement: Make sure the soil is evenly moist and not soggy.

Light Requirement: Bright indirect sunlight in the eastern window, avoid too much sun.

Top Tip: Use rainwater or distilled water when watering.

East Facing Window Plants and Natural light

East facing windows get the first ray of light every morning as the sun rises, these rays are usually soft and not harsh. This is great for keeping your plants healthy and well.

Eastern exposure means moderately intense direct light in the morning hours of the day and then indirect light for the rest of the day. This means that the sun scorching the leaves of your plants is far less of a worry with east facing windows, as compared to a south facing window.

Whereas north facing windows get very little sunlight and are suitable for only a selection of hardy houseplants.

Your trustworthy east facing window hence provides a good light level and a great source of heat without the extremities. Do not be afraid to experiment with east facing window plants!

Some low light plants that prefer a north facing window can also thrive as plants for a north east facing garden with proper care. For example, you can put a sheer curtain to help create dappled light or filtered light from the direct sun.

Last Tips on Plants for an East Facing Window

Most plants love light, and many new gardeners tend to think that bright direct sunlight is the best for growing plants, however, gardening and plants are more nuanced than that.

Understanding the amount of light and type of light that comes through your window is therefore important. Choose the best plants for the direction your windows face to keep them happy and healthy.

On this note, light preference is not the only thing you should consider, remember to also select plants that are suitable for the humidity and temperature levels in your home or office.

Moreover, choosing the best material for your pot is also essential. Fiberglass is tough, versatile, weather-resistant, and low maintenance, all good qualities for pots. Check out our selection of fiberglass pots in a wide range of shapes, sizes, and colours.