Are you able to watch the sun rise out of one of your windows? That's the east-facing one. The gentle morning sun that comes in east-facing windows won't burn leaves or scorch flowers. This light is a soft, cool light that many plants love.
In many ways, an east-facing window is the perfect orientation for houseplants. The sun is never too bright or hot in the morning, yet once the sun moves out of the east, the window still gets excellent indirect light. So which plants to put there? Here are seven great houseplants that will appreciate this placement.
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1) Boston Fern (Nephrolepis exaltata)
Boston ferns have won our hearts with their arching branches covered with soft, voluptuous fronds. Its emerald-green foliage plays a starring role inside homes and outside on patios or porches. The Boston fern has a classic look that goes well with any decorating style, from tropical to elegant to bohemian. And these ferns help remove toxins from the air.
Boston ferns appreciates medium to bright light, but afternoon sun is too bright. East-facing windows should be just the thing. Ferns of all kinds like moist soil and humidity, so take the time to spray your fern from time to time.
Buy Now: Terrain Boston Fern, $48
2) Goldfish Plant (Columnea nematanthus)
With oodles of orange-red blossoms that look like leaping fish, the goldfish plant makes a stunning houseplant. The branches are long and cascading, just perfect for a hanging basket. Goldfish plants bloom profusely if you give them the care they need. This includes well-draining soil and generous irrigation during the growing season.
Goldfish plants love bright light but they don't like it too hot. Afternoon sun is a little too intense for these long-lived plants, but the eastern exposure can work well.
3) Corn Plant (Dracaena fragrans)
The corn plant is a tropical African evergreen tree with thick stems and narrow, spirally arranged leaves. It is called a corn plant because it resembles the tall, unbranched stem of a corn stalk, but that's not its only common name. It's also called a ribbon plant (for the thin leaves) or a dragon plant. It has remained a very popular houseplant for several decades.
One reason for the corn plant's popularity is how easy they are to grow. They forgive neglect and will grow in a wide range of locations and light conditions. But to reach its full potential, the corn plant needs a full halfday of sunlight.
4) African Violet
African violets are understory tropical plants that made good. Today these low-growing compact plants are one of the world's most popular houseplants. Who can resist a plant that produces deep purple flowers several times every year? It makes us overlook the plant's picky reputation.
If you give African violets the care they need, they should do just fine as a houseplant, flowering all year round and expanding in size. The first step is to find a proper placement that gives the violet adequate light. They want bright, cool sunlight like that of an eastern exposure. They also need a soilless potting mix, room temperature water for irrigation, and regular fertilizer.
Buy Now: Hirt's Garden Novelty African Violet, $5.99
5) Polka Dot Begonia (Begonia maculata)
Polka dot begonia is a beautiful and trendy houseplant that adds style to any room. Its leaves are the main show: bronze-green wing-shaped leaves with dramatic rusty-red undersides. The leaf tops are "freckled" with silver polka dots. A young polka dot begonia plant works well on tabletops, but older plants mature into elegant floor plants, reaching four feet tall or more.
While its eye-catching leaves are the primary feature of the polka dot begonia, they also grow small white flowers if they are given enough light. An east-facing window will give this begonia the rays it needs without scorching the foliage.
6) Flamingo Flower (Anthurium spp.)
The flamingo flower is a spectacular tropical plant with dark green, shiny, heart-shaped leaves and bright waxy, red heart-shaped "flowers." But these are actually red spathes, so shiny they look like plastic. The blossoms are the elongated yellow spadices at the center of the spathes. Each flower presentation lasts for two or three months.
Flamingo flowers are native to the rainforests in South America. They are understory plants in the rainforest environment, getting the bright indirect light they require to produce blossoms. East-facing windows should provide an appropriate amount of sunshine to keep them flowering.
Buy Now: The Sill Pink Anthurium, $68
7) Purple Shamrock (Oxalis triangularis)
Purple Shamrock is native to South America, not Ireland, but its trifoliate leaves do resemble a shamrock, especially in the green varieties. The leaves can be solid green, deep purple, or a variegated mix and they close up at night. The plant grows delicate flowers in spring, clusters of five-petaled blooms that are held on stems above the plant.
Oxalis triangularis is beautiful outdoors but it also makes a stunning houseplant. Use a loamy potting mix with good drainage and allow the soil surface to dry between waterings. Purple shamrock plants grow very well in the morning light. If your morning sunlight is exceptionally strong, add a sheer curtain to protect it or else move the plant a few feet back from the window.