Need Another Plant Choice Suggestion

Okay, here I am again not knowing what houseplant to choose. I'm getting better, though, by atleast knowing what kinds of plants I'm buying. Most of my houseplant failures have been gifts that I knew nothing about how to grow.

So, this room has one large bay window facing South. The little table gets only indirect, but fairly bright light. The room stays around 68 degrees. Small children live here, so nothing should be highly toxic. Other than that, I'd add that I'm not a fan of wild, trailing plants and I really don't want anything overly high maintenance. I put a photo of a plant I already have in another room just to give an idea of the size I'm picturing.

So, anyone out there want to help me find the perfect plant??? Thanks!

To give an idea of the room/space

You can see the position in reference to the window. Table is on far right.

This is just an idea of what I'm sort of picturing. Pothos is from my bathroom, don't want to move it here, but I like its foliage.

I would personally go for something vertical to add some height and balance out the other corner. Sansevieria (mother in laws tongue) would be a good pick. Low maint, low light, low water, and not toxic (that i know of).
There are an number of nice cultivars and different forms:
http://www.theamateursdigest.com/sansevs.htm

Wow! That was fast Caron! Thanks so much for replying :)

Ummm...I'm a newbie at this houseplant stuff, and I think I need to take it a little slow. Someday I may love that plant, but right now it looks a little scary to me -- lol :) I'm kind of old-fashioned and homey in my decorating, and I guess in my houseplants too. Perhaps something a bit more welcoming? Less sharp (I assume that's why its called Mother-in-laws tongue???) LOL. Thanks for the link, very useful :) Your so sweet to take time for my question.

Hope to see you around DG more! -- Hugs :)

must have been posting the same time as you so
How about a christmas, thanskgiving or easter cactus??
Zygocactus, or Schlumbergera or Rhipsalidopsis
http://philadelphia.extension.psu.edu/Horticulture/images/cactus.jpg

check out this for rex begonias. Scroll down to see some of the choices.....
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/439855/

Another common name for Sansevieria is snake plant. They are quite hardy and easy to grow and maintain and are readily available in a wide variety of colors and patterns. I have several ranging from solid dark green to varigated with cream and yellow such as this one. http://www.desert-tropicals.com/Plants/Agavaceae/Sansevieria_trifasciata.html
They do quite well in low light areas and I like them for small tables or plant stands because their upright nature doesn't extend out beyond the size of the pot.

Another easy and hardy one that in fact prefers low light is Aspidistra elatior or cast iron plant http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/interiorscape/aspidistraelat.html

How about the 'rosette' type Sansevieria.....the 'plain old' S. trifasciata 'Hahnii'?



http://ol.scc.spokane.edu/Pshaw/courses/House_Plant/week_5/sansevieria_trifasciata_hahnii.htm

Got another idea....how about a nice full standard African Violet, or even a nice full AV with variegated leaves?
IMHO, would be the perfect spot for one.

I second the African Violet idea. I have several thriving in south-facing windows with very little maintenance. They come in a variety of flower colors and foliage (so you can find one that appeals to you), and many are prolific bloomers. Below is a link that shows pictures of some different varieties, or you may be able to visit the African Violet forum and find someone who has one to spare... :)

https://www.robsviolet.com/index.htm

DanaK

Intrigued by african violets. I thought they were tricky to grow (?), though. Is the general concensus that this is a low-light area? What about a fern? Too big? Asparagus fern?

Only if you hang if from the ceiling, LOL
Mine is abouyt 5' long and 4' across

Oh my word! Your asparagus fern??? Holy moly! Ummm, yes, that would qualify as too large ;)

Caron, thanks so much for helping me out with all of your suggestions. The light level list you left on my other post is really, really helpful!

Okay, so asparagus fern is out, are there any other ferns that might work here?? Or fern-like, pothos-like plants?

In my experience ferns have been tricky to grow! Maybe that's just not my green-thumb area, though.

As for African violets, I think that they are very easy. I don't do anything with mine except water them and pinch off the dying flowers. I've even had extremely good luck propagating them, once again, without doing anything special. Mine are all in south-facing windows, so I think you have a prime location for a thriving, low-maintenance AV. You can't go wrong giving one a try.

Another thought is peace lily, although I think they eventually get bigger. Mine is still about the same size after a year or two, though.

Where is the light level list? Could someone please post a link? I'm interested to see it, too.

--DanaK

Silly, but I don't know how to post the link. Caron posted it in the other thread I started alst night asking for a plant for a south facing bay window.

Thanks for the info. Maybe AV are the way to go!

Yes it is definitely a very low light location if the window on the left is the closest window and I think you would need additional intense florescent lighting hanging immediately above for AV if it is going to be on the table all the way on the right. An upright fern, something like a lady in red fern (Athyrium augustum) might be good but as caron said an asparagus fern would definitely be a wild trailer.

This message was edited Nov 19, 2004 9:52 PM

Oh, the FAR table... Yes, that is low light, especially for good blooming. Sorry!

Oh, the list was just something I copied from one of the extension service fact sheets on the internet as a guide.....

A rabbits foot fern might do well. They can take a little less humididty and water than some of the others and do fine.

I think the Begoina Family would work really well there. You also might want to consider the Prayer Plant. Another real eye-catcher is the Hemionitis Arifolio. It's really fun to grow and suffers neglect pretty well for a tropical. Personally I love the African Violets, but have had very limited luck with them - I'm afraid I'm a bit forgetful and don't give them the care they really need.

This is really fun! Let us know what you decide. It's a really lovely room you have there, vey warm and inviting!

Okay, from AV forum, it looks like Heart-leaf Philodendron may have won out for this space. Sounds hard to kill and not fussy at all. I can make all kinds of SASE cuttings by keeping it from trailing beyond my liking ;) Any takers? lol. I should probably buy the plant first, huh?

Also, if anyone has more info on heart-leaf philodendron (I already looked on PDB) please post :) I need to know about watering / fertilizing needs. Also, if anyone knows of a good reason why this plant would not work here, I'd really appreciate knowing :) Thanks so, so much!

It will work fine.
They can easily take the low light but as p'ville said lessen the water to fit the light needs (generally speaking more light=more water). They do not seem to mind a good 10-15 degree temp drop at night. I fetrilize each time I water with Superthrive and 1/2 strength fertilizer. Since yours will be easy to move give it a shower in the sink every few weeks to keep it looking good, flush the soil of salt buildups and dust from building up on the leaves.

Hey, Caron! Thanks for the tips! Care and feeding can get so complicated. What do you know about

know about what, lol??
Ok, enough coffee for you this morning 8^)

This message was edited Nov 21, 2004 10:14 AM

Or not nearly enough! I just got through telling the Secret Santa thread that my fingers are not working right this morning - oh, boy! Now I have proof!

Lucky Bamboo! I have some and it's turning yellow really bad! Looks awful and I don't know what to do about it. I mean - it's a water plant...what can I POSSIBLY be doing wrong?

My understanding is that it will only last so long in water and should be potted.
But, I don't grow it and our local chinese rest has some growing in a vase for what seems like forever (a few years at the least)
Maybe it's the quality of the water-some plants are sensitive to chlorine and other water purifying additives, as well as specific minerals.....
Or maybe the water must be changed at some regular interval?
Hoping someone else has more info for you!!

I guess I really need to go up on the Internet and do a little research on the "Care and Feeding" of my green pets! I just started getting into tropicals and cactus, too, so I guess I need to spend some time researching before I kill everything!

Thnaks for the help!

Oh yeah!! I've killed plenty of houseplants in my day (and still do from time to time), LOL.
Good luck!

Sequee....do yo have any sort of water softener attached to you household plumbing? If so, the problem could be the amount of salt in your water supply since most water softeners use some sort of sodium based chemical. Even if you don't have an add on water softener, there could still be a component of your water supply that is a problem for the plants. Most water companies have an water analysis on line. If not you should be able to contact them and ask for it.

I have a well, so I doubt the water is the problem.

Feel free to use this thread more! I'm off to buy a heart-leaf philodendron! Thanks for the tips!!! :)
--Hugs

post a picture when it's in place