Kimya, 'Plants do for us not because of what we do for them but in spite of what we do for them' (source unknown). There are a few things about growing plants in the office/mall or other commercial location that are different. It is true that plants require light but I have seen a healthy Chamaedorea seifrizii in an office where the only light is from a fluorescent desk lamp. Dark offices, lit by the computer screen(s) only are very much in vogue and they often have plants. Plants in these situations are treated as design features rather than horticultural specimens. The plants are carefully selected for size and shape and after installation they are maintained to the specs. of the interior designer. The technicians who maintain these plants must be some of the best horticulturists anywhere. Back to the plants in your office. Watering is the challenge. If the containers are free draining, be very careful of water spills; Murphy's first and second laws apply. If the containers do not drain, devise some way to determine if water is collecting in the bottom; Murphy's fifth law. Put a yellow sticky insect monitor into each plant to trap any bugs that find their way into the plants. If you are not into popularity contests, the presence of fungus gnats in your plants will guarantee that you are a non starter. Clean the plants regularly; the ubiquity of dust in what-are-supposed-to-be-dust-free environments will one day earn someone a PhD. Grow your plants out to the extent that they complement the rest of your office decor and maintain them to that standard ever after. Because if it does work out others will be encouraged to discard artificial plants in favor of the real thing. Now, that I believe, is a worthwhile endeavor.

I too am in 8b just up the road in the Hilton Head area. Depending upon what type of "winter" we have this year, my TCs will stay out unless we are expecting weather below freezing. I have moved all mine into the lanei and they are tucked under/around other plants that provide some warmth and protection. On the couple of nights that we did have frost warnings already, I threw light moving blankets over them. Now I will say that the younger ones that I ordered from Bill Smoley's site this fall will stay under my fluorescent lights along with all the other succulents. I also treat many of my orchids exactly the same. I will say though that my beds in the lanei are very packed and lush so lots of "body heat" is shared between the plants! Even my poinsettias are in their pots in these flower beds. In the summer mine are moved out into a flower bed that faces the west. They again are tucked in around other plants like ferns so that it's like an easter egg hunt come fall to locate them all so I guess they get dappled sunshine even though they are in a sunny area. This is what works for me and all of them bloomed (13) this fall. The largest one actually had over 200 blooms and has just made its return back outside yesterday. Hope this helps since we're essentially in the same area. We are about 6 miles to the ocean so I know that also keeps our temps moderated.

Lighting is everything in a basement. And white walls in any shade almost never work. Definite color...and it doesn't have to be dark...is almost always better. Yellow rarely adds sunlight...it actually looks best in sunlight...but if it is reflective and clear, and the light is very bright, it can work. Luminous pale blues can give the sense of sky, particularly if you also paint the ceiling...which you should do in any case to keep it from sitting down on top of you. Very clear light is key...some of the new florescent corkscrew bulbs give a wonderfully bright light, and without the heat that halogen generates. I would add big mirrors to crack the wall open visually wherever you would have a window, if you had them. You can even hang drapery to the sides to increase that illusion if you like. Lamps that are reflected in them them will throw the light around.

Supplemental lights only help when they are several inches away from the plant. But depending on the position of the area, you may provide some light with large mirror, placed to reflect sun that you get on your bed. Also, on sunny days you should get at least some sun around noon, when the sun is in the highest point and shadows are short.