I would love to buy some plants for decoration for inside a room. The only lighting I have is from ceiling lights (no windows) so I need a plant that is ok with that, and also is nice to look at. Flowering is a plus...what do you recommend?
i am pretty horrible with plants, but i love having them in the house. while i love going to the gardens and greenhouses for plants i've found some at home depot and target that really do well in low light (plus i don't feel so bad if they don't make it because they're cheaper than at the nursery) i think a general rule is the darker the leaves the less light the plant needs (someone correct me if i'm wrong on this), but if you pull up the little plastic marker in the pot it'll tell you the light requirements. look for one that says "low light" and give it a try. i don't have any specific recommendations, i just pick out whatever appeals to me. i don't know about flowering plants though... those usually a bit fussier and would require more light.
Philodendron plants are very hearty, lets put it this way, they're pretty much the only plant I haven't been able to kill, even when going a couple of months without watering. And they're a pretty dark green and get full very fast.
Here's pics of mine, I've had it for 7 years and keeping it in the small pot has helped maintain it's size, it would get larger if I repotted it.
I have the same plant FP does - mine grows in plain water, no soil, and has survived being drug around by the cat, moved cross country in a hot car (4 times), and torn down to a nib. It cascades, so when one branch starts to get too long, I pinch it off and stick the end in the water - it quickly roots and becomes it's own branch. Easy, easy, easy and takes most light conditions - the leaves just get lighter when exposed to more light and darker when exposed to less.
-- Edited by Elle at 14:40, 2006-08-24
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or i have a neat pot with several plants in it that someone sent for something to us several years ago including a Philodendron and two other types of plants and they look great all together. It also has some funky sticks that the florist put in there.
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