Houseplants?

[viscousmemories]

People are always recommending houseplants, but until now I haven't been prepared to commit to adopting a living thing. Now that I am, I don't know what to get. I'd like something mostly green but with a bit of color that requires little or no sunlight - which is all this apartment gets. Any suggestions?

[The Lone Ranger]

How about a Jade Plant, say Crassula arborescens (http://www.richmond.edu/~jhayden/greenhouse&images/crassula.html)? They aren't the most showy plants in the world, but they tolerate low light conditions well, and they're practically impossible to kill.

Cheers,

Michael

[viscousmemories]

Ooo, that's a nice looking plant. Thanks TLR, that's definitely a contendah!

[The Lone Ranger]

Some species of Crassula are fairly colorful, too. Here's Crassula capitella, for example:

http://www.ubcbotanicalgarden.org/potd/crassula_capitella.jpg

[viscousmemories]

Wow, pretty.

[lisarea]

I like string of pearls for hanging plants. They're relatively easy to take care of, and trimmings root really easily, so you can make new ones if it starts acting like it's dying.

http://www.spacerad.com/rabbit/stringofbeads.jpg

Also, rubber plants are nice.

http://media.allrefer.com/s1/l/r0333300-rubber-plant.jpg

I really don't know anything about plants, but I know I suck at them, and these two kinds plus my jade tree are still alive anyway.

[Dingfod]

Dracaena Fragrans (http://www.puyallup.wsu.edu/Hort/Hort332/images/plantlist/corn%20plant.jpg), aka corn plant, is very hard to kill and thrives in indoor lighting conditions.

[viscousmemories]

The beads are cool. I've never seen a plant like that. I considered getting a rubber tree plant but I'm afraid an ant might steal it. That corn plant looks very cool. :yup:

[Dingfod]

We've got three corn plants in our control center, a room that never sees sunlight, not even indirectly. They get watered mainly by the remains in coffee cups and the melted ice from a cold drink. They require very little water, and apparently, very little sunlight.

[The Lone Ranger]

I like the really deep green foliage of "corn plants."

Another common house plant that does well in indoor lighting is the Spider Plant Chlorophytum comosum (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider_plant). I've had a few of them over the years, and if anything, the main problem is that they grow too fast. I swear, there have been times when I've almost been afraid to turn my back on the one in my office, for fear that it'd put on a sudden burst of growth when I wasn't looking and envelop me.

Cheers,

Michael

[Dingfod]

I think that is also known as the "airplane plant". If I'm right about that, they are very hearty.

[fragment]

As someone who seems to have lost what little green-ness my thumb used to have, I can second the spider plant. Only houseplant I haven't killed in the last 5 years.

Studies conducted by NASA have shown it to be particularly effective in absorbing formaldehyde, xylene, benzene, and carbon monoxide from the air in homes or offices.
This is a cool little factoid.

[Shelli]

I've found that philodendrons are extremely hard to kill, tolerate different light conditions and make attractive hanging plants. :greenthumb:

[livius drusus]

How about going for something edible? A lot of herbs require full sun, but you can get partial sun flat-leaf parsley, for instance, and that shit grows like a weed.

[inland wave]

I have a philodendron and it is still alive I seem to be able to keep spider plants healty as well. I have had each of the plants listed at some point or another in the last 30 years and have managed to kill akk of them except the two I just lsted. Sometimes I think is the lighting other is just not enough plant food or lack of water. I tend to forget about them until i see them start wilting. My outside plants do really well though.

[Dingfod]

How about going for something edible? A lot of herbs require full sun, but you can get partial sun flat-leaf parsley, for instance, and that shit grows like a weed.It is a weed.

[Plant Woman]

My favorite catalog, where I bought a Philodendron 'Pink Princess' from, is a great place to find all kinds of houseplants.

Glass Houseworks (http://www.glasshouseworks.com/onlinecatalog.html)