I've had good luck with the larger cultivars of peace lily, personally -- I've had one for a few years, and it's been pretty reasonable. The smaller ones seem to have more issues with dry air. Palms and I aren't really speaking to each other anymore, and I wouldn't really recommend them, but it's not impossible. Lady palms (Rhapis excelsa) are supposed to be nice. If you're set on a big plant for both spots, there are some larger Aglaonemas (Chinese evergreen) that are very nice, and Ags are generally tolerant of everything except cold and full sun. I have a large Dieffenbachia that's been with me a while too, which I am very fond of: they're less patient than Aglaonemas, and need a bit more watering, but even so. The Dracaenas -- D. fragrans (corn plant) and D. deremensis ('Warneckii,' 'Lemon-Lime,' 'Janet Craig') are all very tolerant of neglect and dry air, and some get to be big. Overwatering is a concern. More or less the same thing goes for snake plants (Sansevieria trifasciata). I'm also a big fan of the long-leaf fig (Ficus binnendijkii), which I have found to be just fine with almost everything I've tried to do with it. Yucca elephantipes and Zamioculcas zamiifolia can both deal with pretty long periods of neglect, though both are slow growers (ZZ more so than Yucca) and will rot if overwatered. The Yucca might prefer more light than you have in those spots, but they're very adaptable. Bird of paradise (Strelitzia nicolae, S. reginae) are a lot easier than they're given credit for, and I have mine (all four of them) in a west window. Watering is trickier with small plants than with large. Probably not the best choice, but if you like them, it could work out. Rubber plant (Ficus elastica) and fiddle-leaf fig (Ficus lyrata) are both nice plants. A little moody, perhaps, but pretty tolerant of neglect and dry air, and both are great-looking if they're well taken care of. Schefflera actinophylla (umbrella tree) is also probably possible, but I'm hesitant to recommend those because they're so easily devoured by spider mites, especially in dry air.

dirtslinger2, I have a man made natural pond that is at the deepest about 6 feet deep (should be at least 10 feet but has years of build up on the bottom) my water level can also drop considerably, but during the summer when we do not get much rain. I have many water lilies in my pond some I added last year some the year before. I would suggest that maybe you could either get a cheap water lily like the ones that you can get at walmart, lowes or home depot. By us these places usually sell water lilies for around $5. The year before last I bought a $5 walmart water lily and it is my favorite. Below I linked a thread from last year about them. Down toward the bottom somewhat you can read what I posted about these water lilies and I also posted a picture of mine. Anyhow if you get one of these you can always experiment without spending or wasting too much money. Another suggestion would be you could always put a water lily in a pot and if the water level drops too far you could move it out deeper, just for the winter. But if you are too do this I would suggest you should get a nice pair of boots for wading in water. I think we have used ours more for the pond than for fishing. I am not sure how deep mine are but I think I may have one that is around 3 or 4 feet deep. So you may be ok if you put one as shallow as possible, but deep enough so that it does not surface in the winter. bradley, Is your water lily in the sun? If it is in shade that may be why it is not blooming for you, most water lilies need sun in order to bloom. In fact the flower on my walmart water lily will close as soon as it is in the shade. I don't think it should hurt it to be 12 inches deep. I have had one bloom when it was around that deep. I do have one that has not bloomed for me yet. I bought it around the same time I got my first walmart lily. I got it from my local garden center. Last year it grew really well with lots of leaves but not one flower. It is right next to my walmart lily so it is not a sun problem. The only thing that I can think of is maybe it is too deep. The one that has not flowered yet is the one that is the deepest in the pond. Here is a link that might be useful: walmart water lily thread

Hi Was hoping someone had a magic formula lol have experimented for years but greatest success was with Aethiopica hybrids the aquatic giant types . They would grow and flower for about 5 years but were easily over run by other plants . Most of the colored ones come from Z, elliottii hybrids , had to replace these every year though occasionally would flower the second year .. They need a rest period probably dry and warm like a lot of S, African plants . They grow them by the gazillions in Calif. in fact they are a "noxious weed"" Good luck with them gary

Aloha all, my surgery went very well, so TY very much if you prayed for me. :) The surgical staff were only expecting one problem and they found 2. They did a great job, everything considered. I am still healing up and sore in spots, but despite this I already feel tons better than I did before I had the operation. :) I'm very grateful my health is turning around. About water chestnuts- I don't have a water garden (or water chestnuts) right now but I used to grow them when I lived in Calif. Some large cities such as San Francisco, CA and Houston, TX have a Chinatown. In Chinatown there are Asian veggie markets that sell fresh, unpeeled water chestnuts when they are in season. If you put an unpeeled fresh water chestnut in a water garden it can grow and multiply. Also, water chestnut is sold by a website that specializes in water plants. If you want the specific info please email me, so I can avoid spamming everyone with a merchant URL.