I used to grow Sanseverias in a room with no sun or light. They loved it. If I forgot to water them, they didn't care. When I lived in Florida the library there had beautiful Chinese Evergreens growing in a planter in the stairwell that only got light from the florescent bulbs.

Thanks, I just had a look at Sanseverias to see what is available (not a massive fan of S. trifasciata) and there are some pretty amazing ones. S. masoniana is amazing but not too sure whether it would be happy indoors!

Sanseverias are very hardy and will hang on for a long time, but they DO need sunlight. If you want your sanseveria to die a very slow death, keep it in a place with no sunlight. If you want your plant to thrive, it needs sunlight for photosynthesis. This misinformation about sanseverias not needing sunlight is a myth that should be buried already

Low light means different things to different people. If there is still some morning sun coming in there, and the room is otherwise bright, you will be better off than a really dark corner which is probably impossible to grow anything. hellkithenguy Manuel is right about Sans.......but the all green types will do better than the heavy variegates. All green S. masoniana is actually a fairly easy plant as far as Sans go and it is fun to watch it get big. Clivia, Chinese evergreens (mentioned above) aka, Clivia, maybe even the common Pothos may do ok there. Watch for signs of etiolation.

Not that you asked, but, have you considered using LED spotlights? I have had surprisingly (to me) good results using both prebuilt and DIY LED spotlights with actual (not nominal) power consumptions of less than 10 watts per spotlight. The incremental cost to your electric bill would be small. See http://www.general-cathexis.com/images/WindowSillLEDs2.jpg. The photo was taken on 1/10/16 and both plants have nearly doubled in mass since then.

Cast iron plant

Any Philodendron except P. bipinnatifidum (split leaf.)

Arrowhead vine (Syngonium.)

Basket plant (Callisia fragrans) would probably grow fine but not bloom if the light is too low.

Tradescantia fluminensis.

Dracaena 'Janet Craig/Janet Craig Compacta.'

Thanks everyone for the suggestions so far! I'll definitely look into them. I saw a beautiful and large philodendron at a fancy grocery store last night with crimson stems and dark glossy leaves (not spilt) - will have to find out what it was.

I agree about the sanseverias, I know they need at least some light for photosynthesis, just wasn't sure how much. I might try S. masoniana for fun if I can find an affordable source here.

Woodnative, the problem is that most of the "bright indirect light" and morning sun spots are being hogged by the fiddle leaf fig, Hawaiian palm etc. The windows aren't huge either. I do have at least 8-10 hanging spots that I would call bright indirect light but I'm also looking for plants to put on the coffee table, dining table etc which are further from the windows (fern territory I think). I do have pretty dark corners but I know they will remain empty!

Aruzinsky, I did think about grow lights of some kind - we already have a large tropical fish tank with two led panels for aquatic plants. They cost a fortune though, I'll have to look around and see if there are cheaper options here, or I could get them shipped I guess.

Thanks again :)

"I'll have to look around and see if there are cheaper options here, or I could get them shipped I guess."

See:

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw=led+3W+lens&_sop=15&LH_BIN=1&_osacat=0&_ipg=200&_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=led+e27+plant&_sacat=0

In particular,

http://www.ebay.com/itm/15W-54W-E27-LED-Plant-Grow-Light-Bulb-Hydroponic-Greenhouse-Lighting-/291620563879?var=&hash=item43e5f0aba7:m:mUdZmu79-TgRSEzhQRPU3kQ

In my photo, you will see the "27W" version which has an actual power consumption of 4.5 watts. The "54W" version consumes about 9 watts.

Being that I am all too familiar with LEDs in the auto world, I would never ever recommend buying any of those junk bulbs from China listed above. You get what you pay for and anything that cheap is a safety concern, the lumen output in the listings are always way off, they can flicker among many other issues.

to cost only $1.83 (including free shipping from China) you must think about how they're made and how little care goes into them. Some of them can definitely start fires.

aftermarket LEDs are a shady business.

If you want to go the cheap artificial light route, go with CFL's.

i modified the top of this shelf with a dryer vent and a couple CFL's. Cost no more than $15. Even higher light liking plants like the ficus alii and benjamina put out plenty of growth under it.

my large ficus benjamina also puts out plenty of growth under CFL's.

sorry, didn't mean to turn this into a thread about lights. I just do not trust those cheap LEDs and don't want to hear about anyone burning down their house.

Watch this if you want to see how the cheap ones are made. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=08W2VIwBkhI

"junk bulbs from China listed above ... I just do not trust those cheap LEDs"

My first link is a search of bulbs sorted in order of price plus shipping. On the 9th page are LED spotlights in the $100 range. My second link gives a specific recommendation that costs $19.58 with free shipping. It is not junk. A detailed technical analysis of these lamps can be found at

http://www.hortilamp.org/LED/PAR38_6R-3B.htm

http://www.hortilamp.org/LED/PAR38_14R-4B.htm .

These LED spotlights can be placed 3 to 6 feet above the plants and therefore do not block out daylight from the window like the obtrusive fixture in your first photo. I should also mention that the stray light from these LED lamps is dim, similar to a night light.

"If you want to go the cheap artificial light route, go with CFL's."

I see seven CFLs in your pictures. Assuming 23 watts/bulb, 16 hours/day and $0.11/kilowatt hour, you are paying, at least, $8.78/month in electricity to grow a few ficus. That's not cheap.