Update and pictures. indoor plant by east facing window
typeandrun
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
I am notorious for killing plants, though probably due to picking the wrong plant for a space. So I am looking for a plant to go on a pedestal, behind a chair, in front of an east facing window.
Please send me any winners!
I took your advice and stopped in at a local garden center. They were so helpful. I really like this little corner!
before and after pics
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Comments (13)
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Window direction vs. distance: sunlight for indoor plants
Comments (11)Morning All, Michael, The problem is, 6' from an east window is low light..Probably lower than your north bay. I surely wouldn't' hang a curtain...sheer or not. Sorry Pupkineater. :) How close/far are outside obstructions from your windows? Being on the second floor is advantageous. My second floor plants get a lot more sun than those on the main floor. Of course, 2nd floor is closer to the sun... :) j/k. What color are your walls? I paint with white, semi-gloss. The brighter the better. Semi-gloss washes off easily, too. Plus, brighter walls dissuade insects. I'm not saying painting your walls white will prevent bugs, but most insects dislike light colors...brightness certainly helps. Ficus need bright light. Lyrata's are slow-growers to begin with,...in less light, it'd probably grow even slower. And 'possibly spindly.' Don't know anything about Boxwood. If Boxwoods are garden plants, used as hedges outdoors, I'd imagine they'd need full sun. I'll have to research Boxwoods, though. Have you considered artificial lights? There's many types to choose from...inexpensive to expensive. Heck, I even use, cool white, white warm, fluorescents in back where many plants go. Including succulents. But, plants are near windows, too..not that it matters, IL is usually cloudy during winter, so artificial lights does help. I also use Gro-Lights..bulbs are about 20.00 each. There's all sorts of light tricks. Good luck, Toni...See MoreWest Facing Window Plants
Comments (14)The amount of light you describe is about as high as anyone can have inside, aside from having skylights or a sunroom/conservatory. Does the window condensation freeze? Plants are going to want to lean toward the window, so it's very tricky to put leafy tropicals on a windowsill without having leaves touching the window. Rotating often would help, but most of them simply have a 'wingspan' of much more than a few inches. The fact that the roots will likely go well below room temp is your biggest limitation, from what I can tell of what we know at this point. I couldn't think of any plant from that realm that you wouldn't have trouble preventing from making contact with the glass. Secure trellises to the trough instead of the windows? Not all vines are as fast/vigorous as others. IDK how Hoyas feel about colder roots, but those are slow growers, so would otherwise do well as far as not getting out of control quickly. If you can finagle a trellis that can work in that spot, plants of the hanging basket realm that wouldn't mind the colder roots would be ones I'd consider. About anything that dangles can also be grown upward, with a little guidance from you. Callisia repens is interesting grown that way. Anything that dangles below the sill level will be in the dark anyway. Here are some plants that have done well for me in similar conditions, living on cold windowsills in rooms that dip down around 50 some mornings, some that are still alive after spending last winter (one of the harshest/coldest on record for most places) outside in various mini gardens, and some that are hardy here. wax Begonias, bloom all winter Kalanchoe x houghtonii, blooms all of late winter & spring Sedum clavatum Aloe vera Crassula tetragona (mini pine tree) various Haworthias like cooperi, retusa, reinwardtii Lithops (living rock) Graptopetalum paraguayense (ghost plant) Sedum rubrotinctum (jellybean plant) bulb type Oxalis, like O. crassipes Cyclamen Pilea microphylla (artillery plant) Fenestraria (baby toes) Delosperma sutherlandii (ice plant) Kleinia repens (blue chalk sticks) Sagina subulata (Irish moss) Alternanthera ficoidea (calico plant, several cultivars out there) Kalanchoe millotii Crassula muscosa (watch chain plant) Asparagus 'Sprengeri' (A. fern)...See MoreRhodies for East facing foundation bed
Comments (3)You probably want lower plants under the windows. Both hydrangeas and rhododendrons like acidic soil. I am guessing your soil is not very acidic. The easiest way to make the bed would be to use a raised bed. This will accomplish two things. It will allow you to build up the grade so that water drains away from the house and your new plants. It will also allow you to bring in neutral or acidic soil and mix powdered sulfur and conifer (pine) bark fines with the soil to make it acidic. Rhododendrons have shallow roots so building it up 6 to 8 inches is adequate though 10 is better since there may be some settling. One word of warning, hydrangeas need a lot of water and rhododendrons don't like too much water. Hydrangeas are the first to wilt in hot dry weather and will tolerate fairly wet conditions. It looks like you have a very small swale between the two windows on the left. That would be the better place for a hydrangea. Rhododendrons like slightly moist soil but will die of root rot if the roots are kept wet, especially in hot weather. Some people recommend using aluminum sulfate on hydrangeas to make the bloom blue as opposed to pink, but aluminum sulfate will eventually kill many other plants like rhododendrons and azaleas. Whatever you do, mulch the soil with 2 to 3 inches of oak leaves, pine bark or some other organic material. The article below recommends wood chips, but they have the nasty habit of harboring a "artillery fungus" that shoots tar like balls onto your house that are nearly impossible to remove. A mulch conserves moisture, and keeps the roots cool in summer and warm in winter. Most azaleas that do well in your area are deciduous so you probably want the evergreen rhododendrons. The shorter, 2' to 3', rhododendrons would be better under the windows. I recommend: English Roseum, rose pink, 6' in 10 years. Haaga, pink, 3' in 10 years. Nova Zembla, red, 5' in 10 years. PJM, lavender-pink, 3' in 10 years. Purple Gem, purple, 2' in 10 years. Ramapo, purple 3' in 10 years. Roseum Elegans, rose-lilac, 6' in 10 years. Hydrangeas are deciduous, so they are good for summer color, but not for winter foliage. For hydrangeas, the oak leaf hydrangeas get very large and need a lot of pruning. An exception is "Pee Wee" which gets 4' tall. A couple of hydrangeas that bloom all summer are "All Summer Beauty" and "Endless Summer". Pee Wee All Summer Beauty Endless Summer Good Luck! Here is a link that might be useful: Growing Rhododendron and Azaleas in Illinois...See MoreUpdated picture of large indoor ensete bananas
Comments (37)Kevin, thanks for the offer but I don't really have anything to haul it in. I did call Alpine gardens and they told me they were not going to have the red one but they did say they would have a lime green one and a green one with red splotches on it. It was a kid I was talking to so I am not sure if it is the Abyssinian Banana or maybe I different type. I plan on going up there sometime in April to see what they have. I would love some more of your cannas if you can spare a few. Thanks Linda...See Moretypeandrun
3 years agotypeandrun
3 years ago
PROPatricia Colwell Consulting
3 years agolast modified: 3 years ago
Rebecca/N. IN/z6A
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoHere’s my pot of Oxalis (shamrock plant). Pic loaded upside down for some reason, unable to fix it.
typeandrun thanked Rebecca/N. IN/z6A
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Rebecca/N. IN/z6A