Help plants grow by choosing roller shades or window blinds to control light

Just as some people prefer the cool shade of an overgrown tree to a day in the sun, some plants flourish under shady conditions.


But in a home that draws in a lot of natural light from southern exposure windows, solar screen shades or window blinds offer a way to place shade-loving plants near a window without hurting their normal growth. A roller shade also is a good match for plants because the amount of light that shines directly on them can be controlled by pulling the shade up or down. Roller shades come in a variety of light filtering, blackout or sunscreen fabrics.
 

One rule of thumb offered by GardeningKnowHow.com to determine if a window treatment isn't providing enough light for plants is to judge whether a person could comfortably read a book in the darkened area. If not, then the plant won't be happy there either.
 

Among plants that will prosper in lowered or filtered light, GardeningKnowHow.com recommends the cast-iron plant, which can grow as high as three feet by allowing the water to dry out between waterings. The Chinese evergreen doesn't like cold drafts, so pulling down a window shade will further protect it against cold air seeping through a window.