Top houseplants that love direct sunlight for your home

Many houseplants usually originate from tropical regions where the tree canopy constantly filters sunlight. However, some plants, especially those native to South Africa, need a lot of sunshine to thrive indoors. You can transform a sunny and bright room by adding a plant that needs direct sunlight to elevate the space.

Although direct sunlight is good for the plants, too much direct sunlight can cause sunburn and leaf scorch. It is important to know when the plants can receive direct sunlight and what they can tolerate.

Jade plant

With their sturdy stems and fleshy leaves, jade plants are popular houseplants for sunny windowsills. These plants do well with at least six hours of direct sunlight each day, so a south-facing window is ideal. Although the plants are considered succulents, and therefore drought-tolerant, they aren’t cacti plants. Just keep your jade plants moist by watering them when the soil surface is dry.

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Snake plant

A popular houseplant favourite, the snake plant is carried in most garden centres as an ideal specimen for those new to houseplants or those too busy to provide much care to their plants. Snake plants do great in bright light, but can tolerate growing in shady conditions. When growing well, the plant might even reward you with a flush of fragrant white flowers.

Hibiscus

No houseplant brings larger flowers indoors than the tropical hibiscus. A spot with strong light is essential to achieve the bright pink blooms of the hibiscus. To keep them compact and branching, pinch them monthly and feed them regularly with a potassium-rich houseplant fertiliser. For your hibiscus to continue growing healthy, provide regular, consistent moisture, but avoid soggy soil.

Fiddle-leaf fig

If you are opting for a big leaf houseplant, then the fiddle-leaf fig is the right plant for you. Fiddle-leafs are named for the shape of the large, lyre-shaped leaves that grow from the slender trunks of the plant. When grown indoors, the plants readily grow a few inches tall, needing plenty of space in a bright location. Like many indoor plants, in this list, these plants can easily tolerate several hours of direct sun.