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September 11, 2025 58 mins

Today I welcome Lisa Eldred Steinkopf, otherwise known as the “Houseplant Guru,” to the show for an enlightening conversation about how to care for plants in low-light environments and what the best beginner, advanced, and interesting low-light-tolerant plant choices we can make. We discuss how to truly understand if we have low light and several hacks to capitalize on the light we have, and she suggests some really interesting plants besides your normal pothos, dracaena, and snake plants we know so well. Lisa is the author of Grow in the Dark: How to Choose and Care for Low Light Houseplants and Houseplants: The Complete Guide. I love her books, and I love her!


 

In this episode, we learn:

  • How Lisa became “The Houseplant Guru”
  • How to measure low light with no fancy tools
  • How to “hack” your way to capitalizing on all the hacks you have
  • How low light affects your plant care routing
  • Watering for a low light plant
  • Phototropism
  • How Variegated plants are affected by low light
  • Standard low light plants
  • Lisa’s 5 more rare and unknown low light plants for advanced plant parents looking for something new!
  • Patreon Plant Friends and Listener Questions!


 

Mentioned in our conversation:


 

Got a dim corner calling for plants?

Check out the full show notes and blog to see Lisa’s top low-light plant picks and care tips.


 

Follow Lisa

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Follow Maria and Growing Joy:

Order my book: Growing Joy: The Plant Lover's Guide to Cultivating Happiness (and Plants)by Maria Failla, Illustrated by Samantha Leung

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Take the Plant Parent Personality Quiz (Get the perfect plants, projects and educational resources for YOUR Lifestyle)

Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon!

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