Over the years I have had hundreds if not thousands of houseplants, most are no longer with me but among the faithful are ficus,spathiphyllum and dracaena. They do not mind less than ideal conditions in the winter and I must say they are flourishing. My ficus is six feet tall and would be taller if I didn't prune it back. I have two pots of spathiphyllum one of them twenty years old and they bloom like crazy. I also have three sorts of dracaenas whose names I do not know.Now that I think of it Christmas Cactus, Kalanchoe and Clivia are also doing well and bloom for me. Except for the peace lily (spathiphyllum) they are all tolerant of indifferent watering practices and low humidity in winter. In fact my variegated ficus grew within only a few years to a six foot height and pruning wasn't enough to contain it. I now water it only when the leaves wilt and that is rare. I think an important factor is to start with small plants and care for them well while they are young ,as they get older they become a lot more tolerant.I am not into growing under lights but if you are a small light unit will enable you to growing flowering plants like African Violets Good luck and welcome to Brooklyn.

Hi I live in Brooklyn as well and I am near the Greenwood cemetery which has opposite it the really great Shannon nursery that I cannot recommend more highly. It is on Fort Hamilton Parkway and you can take the F train towards Coney Island and get off at the Church street station and walk back to Fort Hamilton Parkway and up to the Nursery.
Their phone is 1-718-426-4521

Here is a link that might be useful: SVA Computer Arts Department

1-718-436 4521 I checked with phone listings. sorry about that.
Edgar

I live near Greenwood also. Sometimes I jog around it.

Happy Birthday, Anna Bananna.

If you get homesick, you can always try http://www.australiaplants.com/ I got some wattle seeds from them which are doing OK. On the patio right now, but will spend the winter on a windowsill.

Many herbs will grow on a sunny windowsill during winter, but they won't look their best, and any kind of basil will be covered with whiteflies before long. Try mints, chives, and any herbs you use regularly in cooking -- pick 'em up at the local Farmer's Market, and ask the grower for ideas for indoor plants. While you're there, you can get some potted plants cheap for a quick burst of color.

There a lots of great books on houseplants -- next time you're near a large bookstore with some time, check out the gardening section and browse through a couple. The Houseplant Expert, the Ortho and Sunset series will all have good info. There are many indoor plants that will do well in a big west window, your choices depend on what you can find and what kind of plants you want to grow. If you're willing to spend a little money, you can get almost any plant in the world via the Internet; some houseplant nurseries have great online catalogs.

It may not look like home, but it'll get you through the short days and long nights!

Jim

Take a field trip to the (world famous!) Brooklyn Botanic Garden. It's by Prospect Park - you aren't far from it. In addition to outdoor gardens, conservatories, a wonderful Bonsai collection, and a horticultural library they also sell houseplants.

WW

Here is a link that might be useful: Brooklyn Botanic Garden