I'm switching over from an outside garden to houseplants and although I've already got some plants, I want more as I'm interested in turning my place into a jungle

So my first question is: What are the easiest houseplants to grow that like indirect sunlight? My main window faces north and there's a HUGE acorn tree in front of the window, so not much direct light. My south and west windows are small and there are more trees, so I'm thinking of hanging baskets for them.

Also, what easy houseplants are out there that will bloom for me?

thanks!

Hi!

The easiest house plants for blooms in low light are:
African Violets - happy even under a table lamp.
Episcia - mine bloom all the time in a north window - Canadian north window at that even when not in bloom the leaves are beautiful.
Christmas cactu - or Thanksgiving Cactus. Mine bloom in a north window.
Peace Lilies - also good low-light bloomers.

There are lots of good plants for low light or indirect light:
Prayer plants
Calathea
Begonias - will also bloom
Hoya
Spider plant
Roasary vine
String of pearls or string of bananas
Mistletoe cactus
Syngonium
Philodendron


That should give you a good start to having your own jungle!!

Thanks Lee Anne.. I'll look into those and see what I can find. I do have one begonia right now, with pretty red ruffled leaves and I have a philodendron too. There are a few more but I can't remember the names off the top of my head

Which is not unusual for me anymore!!

OH..I do have two African Violets..I'm terrible at growing these, even though my mom made it look so easy! These were in an arrangement with some ivy, which I did kill off..but so far, the violets are happy with me. I've had them almost a year..they came to me when my DH passed away last year. I'm hoping that they'll decide to bloom for me!
(and no offense, but no peace lilies for me..had too many at the funeral..I don't like them anymore!)


Thanks again!

Hi Chris:

How is your indoor jungle coming along? I live in a part of the country where most of my plants can stay outside year round (with a little protection from old blankets if a cold night or two are predicted. I have an older house that doesn't have a lot of natural light but I do have a few plants inside. Pothos does really well in low light situations and I also have Sansevieria trifasiata ("Snake Plant"), Peperomia, a Calathea (that seems to be pouting for some reason after almost three years!), Philodendron micans (Velvet Leaf Philo).

I also have a 10 gal. and 45 gal. aquarium/terrariums that have the hoods with lights. With the lids closed, it keeps the humidity levels up so there's enough moisture inside that I rarely ever have to water.

Hi Lin! Sorry I haven't replied before....

I'm definitely getting to the jungle stage..a friend of mine in VA just sent me 16 new plants! So I've been going nuts trying to make sure I had enough planters, soil and all that goes with transplanting!

I have a couple of different Pothos..which I love cause I can ignore them and not kill them off I've got to get a list going so that I can make sure that I'm giving each plant what it needs. Plus I just moved to a different place and all my windows face NORTH, but the offset is that I also gained a balcony, so next summer I'm going to try either hostas or cannas (I don't know if the cannas will like no full sun or not)

Believe it or not, I killed off a snake plant.. not real sure, but I think it was overwatering LOL! I've thought about doing the terrarium thing..have a mini garden going. But I'm really needing to figure out where to put stuff now

Better make myself some supper.. thanks for the ideas you've given me!

Spider plants and philos are beyond easy!

I do notice that there is a new variety of pothos on the market this year-(something like pearls and jade). Hope that is really a pothos or at least that's what the tag said. It looks kinda fussy so I didn't pick one up. I'd be interested to know if anyone else has tried it.

The Hoyas that you get at the big box stores are easy. Once you get into hoyas, tho, you're really setting yourself up for an addiction. :-)

Susan

I personally haven't seen 'Pearls & Jade' yet but I never pay much attention to Pothos when I'm at a nursery. From the looks of some of these photo's, it is a beauty! Anyone interested can see photo's by scrolling down these pages:

http://mrec.ifas.ufl.edu/rjh/n...

http://ffsp.net/pothos.html

http://www.morningdewtropical....

Thanks Lin.

I like that green genie that is now out of production.

The "pearls and jade" that I saw in Lowe's didn't look quite as robust as those pictures.

Susan

Hi, ya'll I am new to the group. Hippeastrums are easy...they only bloom once a year though in the spring.....but they are well worth the wait!
Sandra

Hi Sandra! I'll have to look into those plants you mention..I love finding blooming houseplants!

I seem to have "re-found" my own thread!

I now live in a different city in an apartment on the 3rd floor with a balcony still facing North but I get a lot more sun than I did a year ago :)

I now have roughly 50 houseplants- still doing the Philos, but have really gotten into Nephthytis. I have around 6 different varieties so far and always looking for more.

I also have a Swedish Ivy that I've had for about 3 years now and it wasn't very bushy- that is, until I put it out on the balcony in the full sun this summer. Holy Cow! It has easily doubled in size-I love it! I may have to re-pot it before winter even. But I do have a question- is there anything I need to do for it in order to make the transition back into being a houseplant for the winter? I've read that plants will sometimes lose a lot of leaves when they first come back into the house and I really would like to try to miss that.

thanks!

Glad you found yourself again!

Try to acclimatize it a little at a time...like you'd "harden off" a plant in the spring before kicking it outside full time. Bring it inside for a few hours a day for a week or so. You'll still maybe lose a few leaves but it'll rebound quickly!

I'm surprised ZZ-Plant (Zamioculcas zamiifolia) isn't here. This plant says ignore me and show no love, or I will die. It handles low light very well, but medium to bright light is best, as long as it is in the shade. I have two of these, one at home, and one in my office. Here is a picture of the one in my office. There is 'no' windows in this office area, so all it has ever gotten in the years I've owned it is fluorescent light. It is getting huge and will need repotted soon! I water mine every other week in the summer months, and once a month in the fall, spring, and winter. It literally thrives on neglect!

Um... I killed my ZZ plant

At least that was what I was told it was..but mine never had leaves

Hmmm..wondering if it was not zz plant. I've never seen a zzplant without leaves. What did it's main stems look like, any coloration or striping? ZZ Plants hate being over-watered. How often were you watering it. If you were watering every week, and had it indoors, that was way to much. Also, best to use a cactus soil, instead of regular potting soil for a ZZPlant.

Alan

The main stem was definitely zig-zag, but no striping that I remember. And I fibbed- it had maybe 4 or 6 leaves. A new set would start and the bottom set would fall off. Guess I thought that was normal (I'm cracking myself up here!)

Yes, it was inside and I probably did overwater it lol.. my method of watering is forget to do it for 2-3 weeks and then DROWN the plants when I do remember.. I've tried and tried to reform, really I have! The silly thing didn't look like a cactus/succulent..

ZZ plants are used as landscape plants in the southern part of the state but won't survive cold winters here. I used to see them at our Home Depot garden centers but I guess they must have lost popularity because I haven't seen them for sale around here in a couple of years. I had a large ZZ back a few years ago but lost it to the winter freeze last year. I had luck rooting the stems in water once. I put a stem in a glass/jar of water and after a few weeks thin roots appeared, then at some point the little rhizome formed. I had forgotten all about ZZ plant until I was out in the yard a few days ago. I was transplanting a few things and in the same pot as a dracaena was a little maybe 4" tall stem with two leaves. When I pulled it out of the soil I recognized that little plant ... a ZZ. I repotted it in it's own little container and will wait and see how it does. This photo is my ZZ plant on December 8, 2007:

It's beautiful Lin. The home depot's here still sell them. They usually show up here in the summer, when it is to darn hot to do much outside gardening. Wonderful shiny green plants. I just love them!! :)

Alan

For me, I find the following houseplants easy to grow:
Dracaena Marginata


Dracaena Sanderiana - commonly known as Lucky Bamboo


Golden Pothos



Moon Valley Pilea


Dieffenbachia - commonly known as Dumb Cane, just mind the sap, it may cause some unpleasant irritation and localized swelling.

Tarev, that Moon Valley Pilea is gorgeous!

I think I neeeeeed one of those now!

well, i am an outdoor gardener too, but this cold canadian winter (coming soon) lets me discover the houseplant corner.

Here are the ones that grow inside my house. low lights, just decent enough to keep them alive.
Location: top of bookshelf, top of kitchen shelf.

Crassula ovata (Jade Plant)



Prayer Plant in red veins ( Maranta leuconera var erytnroneura)



Coleus blumei (solenostemon) - Overwintered Cuttings, probably heirloom variety (Salmon lace & Velvet Lime)