A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2004 NEED HOUSEPLANT SUGGESTIONS!

I'm pretty green -thumb challenged, and as such, and also due to the fact that I don't have alot of light, I'm looking for ideas for plants that would do well under these circumstances! My house has a very long rectangular living room with a window at each end (North and south), but they are not overly large, and surprisingly I don't seem to get a whole lot of light. My kitchen has large sliding glass doors that face north, but I don't have a whole lot of space there since our large family eats in there, and it's kind of a small space. Any tips on hardy plants that are not to complex to care for? I do not have any windows that face east or west.
thanks!
Michelle<><

A south window is sufficient. Try a Coleus or African Vilots. Robert

HHMM...THANKS FOR THE IDEAS...I'll have to look up the "Coleus" since I don't know what they are....as for the African Violets, I love them, but alweays thought they were tricky to get to bloom.? Oh well, no harm in trying right?
Thank you !
Michelle<><

michelle, you already have the right idea... peace lily, wandering jew, schefflera, draceana (janet craig and marginata - 2 very different looking plants, hard to believe they belong to the same family), spider plants, aloe, various cacti, ficus elastica and/or benjamina, gosh, the list is endless, african violets aren't bad, just have to keep an eye on the water...

African violets are great in a south exposure, just make sure you water them from underneath. Either buy african violet pots (they are 2 pieces, one inside the other) or place your vi's on a deep tray & pot them with a "wick" to take water from the tray. And there are SOOOO many varieties. Have fun!

So, African Violets it is! For now. Although my south window is at the front of my house, when you look out of it my garage sticks out from the right had side, a good 15 feet, so it kind of hinders alot of the light that would otherwise come into my house....I had to move my peace lily from there because it wasn't getting enough light. That is why I say, even though I have these 2 windows, I still don't have alot of light. But I'm gonna try those violets. My mom has some and they look like they are on steroids, they are so big!!! And they are always in bloom!! Thanx for the advice
Michelle<><

Michelle,

I hear what you are saying; your southern exposure is not providing as much light as expected. If you are not getting enough light for a peace lily, then most of the suggestions above, including African violet, would not get enough light to do well.

Here are my suggestions:

The ZZ plant is your best bet because it can survive for a very long time in very low light. It also thrives on neglect, needing only one watering per month.

Dracaena 'Janet Craig' and Dracaena 'Lisa' are good choices if you want taller plants.

Pothos and Chinese evergreen are good choices if you are looking for smaller plants.