Nice idea Kait. However I would not used recycled cans -- they will corrode. Dollar stores, Goodwill/Salvation Army stores often have cheap pots. You might even inquire at a Lowes/HD or similar store and see if they have cheap pots they're throwing out [perhaps from their "deathrow" plants].

Additional plant suggestions: Coleus, while not beautiful bloomers have some wonderful foliage. African voilets can be inexpensive and pretty when in bloom. Petunias are usually quite durable though they would need pruning now and then.

For a childrens' hosp. or orphanage, how bout seeing if any of the kids want to help you do the planting?

I concur with Paul, coleus is a good choice! I think a seletion of variegated foliage plants would be nice since they retain their color and beauty after flowers fade. Polka dot plant and rhizomitous begonias would be some more recommendations.

I think it's a really geat project that you're taking on Kait. Good luck!

I was planning to use recycled coke cans, that way they wouldn't corrode as bad. I was thinking I could paint them or something, to further keep them from corroding.
(Just an idea, but I will check for pots too! :D )

Also, I had thought of coleus, but I thought they required quite a bit of work as a houseplant? Don't they get leggy and need quite a bit of light?

Also: I am growing violets right now for this project-- but I'm not sure they're good for everyone, because of their particular care needs (not wetting the leaves, in particular!), so I wanted to grow some easier 'care' plants too.

Thanks for these ideas, I appreciate them both! :D

I think gardening is one of the joys of the natural world. However, as a scientist I must caution you about the possibility, albeit low, of potentially getting immunocompromised patients a lot sicker. "C dif" or clinical jargon for a speces of bacteria commonly found in the soil, Clostridium dificile; is associated with the elderly, and is usually the culprit with antibiotic-induced colitis as it is ubiquitous. Having patients on chemotherapy, concurrent infections (influenze/pneumonia), and elderly migh make for a disaster in terms of their health. Be sure to have all planting and plant care outside of any room where food and medicines could be. A designated plant room, would be ideal. Also insist all patients wash their hands after working with the plants since "C. dif" infections are quite common and problematic in these areas. I would seriously consider children with cancer undergoing chemotherapy for this project, might be risky; an many wards do not even allow plants in the rooms for this reason.

I don't want to discourage you, only remind you that this population of patients has the abiity to get real sick form something very common. The infection control officer at the nursing home/ hospital would/should have already thought about this. I just want you informed.Good luck with a great project, as many of these patients need some form of occupying all their hours day to day.

There is one more factor to consider - who's going to take care of the plants? As someone who's been in a similar situation, the nurses get stuck having to do it, and don't (so plants die). Why not find out if there's a good bunch of volunteers around to do it on an ongoing basis?

I own an assisted living facility and the who is going to take care of the plant part is a big issue. You could do a terrarium project.
I think flowering plants interest my folks the most. Geraniums are always a big hit.
One year on may day I was fortunate to have a huge patch of johny jump ups growing in my yard. I went to a resale shop and bought tea cups for really cheap. I put a little clump of johny jump ups in the cup. The plants lived for a while and then the cups were appreciated.

I think african violets can be simple to grow if you have the right light. You will need to write out instructions about how to care for the plant.
How about little jade plants-very easy keepers if you stress not to over water

Toots, I love your ideas. Geraniums, Jade, and AV's are ideal..A terrarium would be interesting too.

Coleus are toxic...leaves/seeds are eaten to get 'high.'..hallucinagenic..
If an elderly person w/an aging disease happened to eat a leaf, this person w/could hallucinate and/or develop digestive problems. I'd research before buying plants.

Brad's concerns are something to think about also.

My mother's in a nursing home..they have a few hanging plants: Pothos. There's also caged birds and aquariums. I don't know what plants/pets are kept on other floors.

Impatiens are annual garden plants..indoors they're high-maintenance...they also mite magnets, especially in winter.
Begonias can be fussy, but if you buy the type sold as annuals in spring/summer, surprisingly they do well indoors..including flower throughout the year..If they're given enough light they'll live many years..
This type of begonia is far less expensive buying at a garden center or hardware store in spring/summer..they come in two leaf colors..green and purple..flowers are pink or white.

Are you looking to grow plants strickly indoors or is there an outdoor garden as well?

I think it's a great idea bringing plants to brighten the days of the elderly and sick. Your heart is in the right place.

Would you tend to the plants? Water? Repot?
Pots can be found at garage sales as low as .10-1.00. There's also online sites like freecycle.com...You should see the stuff people give away..they have no use for an item, so they post online..the only price is picking the items up youself...they don't deliver..LOL...I wish you the best of luck..It's really nice of you to care..most people are apathetic. Toni

I must not have had much of a "misspent youth" -- never tried nibbling on a coleus. :)

I've always heard of freecycle having free stuff but the times I've checked, never found anything for free.

LOL Paul..Ppl find/do the weirdest things to get high..I don't know if you heard of the case in Fl where teens were licking spit off a certain frog to get 'high.' LOL..I'd be interested to know what prompted them to lick spit off a frog to begin with...
Actually, I knew someone who injested Coleus tea brewed from the seeds and NO, it wasn't me..heck no.. LOL..
There's an online site where ppl discuss things to take to find that perfect high..several ppl mentioned Coleus and a few other plants..
Jimsim Weed is another and very dangerous..too much and you're disabled for life..I don't understand why anyone would chance it..

Paul, you never found anything free??? I'm pretty sure everything's free...are we talking the same site?
Someone from GW told me about freecycle..she got 2, 5-6' tall Ficus trees, and a Dieff..I think she found pots, too.
I signed up mainly for plants/pots..so far, neither..only baby/kids clothes..Unless I start dressing my plants, it's useless..but you never know what you'll find..
Are you sure you're not thinking of Craigslist? Toni

I would think it might be necessary to tailor the plants to the person or situation. Someone in a sunny room who's interested in doing the care for themselves would take quite a different type of plant than someone who's bed-ridden and in a room without good light. When my dad was in the hospital for the last time he couldn't do anything, but I brought him an amaryllis with a bud and he enjoyed watching it develop, and as I was there every day it was no bother taking care of it myself. And of course there's all kinds of situations in between, and 'common rooms' where a number of people are. Great project!

Nope, Toni, not Craig's List. It was free cycle. Haven't found anything "free" there.

One of my favorite residents used to save her geraniums year after year by cutting them apart and sticking each shoot in a tin can. She would set them on a window sill and eventually have flowers in the winter and wonderful plants to set outside each spring.

What ever you do, make sure you have something underneath to protect the furniture

This is just a suggestion, but you may want to check out the website of the American Horticultural Therapy Association. I cruise their website every once in a while and they've got lots of great links. Perhaps there's something that can help there. Just a thought :-)

Here is a link that might be useful: American Horticultural Therapy Association

I applaud your intentions but second Stokes' suggestion. There are prob./ considerations at play that may not be obvious. A friend of mine does Pet Therapy at Nursing Homes: it often boils down in part to who will care for the plants/animals? That's a big, serious commitment & folks need to be responsible in taking it on or not volunteering for it casually.

Could be a good idea. I know this place I frequent (Rusk Rehabilitative Institute GreenHouse) is part of the sanctioned plant therapy done w/ serious burn victims.

I go there periodically to browse their greenhouse, sometimes buy a couple of cheap things on special, or even donate spare plants once in a while; I always enjoy a visit there!

Here's a good link about the toxicity of various plants. This is a real concern - I'm doing a proposal right now for the dementia unit of an assisted living facility, and they are very concerned that we avoid any poisonous plants.

And do think about who will be caring for these plants - they will need care at least weekly, maybe more often. Nothing is more depressing than half dead plants.

Here is a link that might be useful: toxic plants

Paul, that's weird..I thought it was called, 'Free' Cycle, because stuff is free..LOL..Ppl here are glad to give away stuff that has accumulated over the years..Mostly baby clothes, but one person had a cd and dvd player in good condition..another person had so much stuff it'd probably would have cost him/her a fortune renting a dumpster, so he/she posted on Free Cycle..the stuff was taken fast. I joined after someone here told me she got free plants..You never know what you'll find, maybe something rare..so far, no plants, no pots..just baby clothes, but no baby..lol..Toni

Wow, I didn't think I would get this much response. I really appreciate everyone's concerns and suggestions. I will keep all these things in mind when I begin constructing a plan to carry out my idea. Please, if you have anymore concerns or ideas, feel free to post them! There is no such thing as "too much information," when we are learning.
Once again, thank you all very, very, very much! Your contributions mean a lot to me.

Note:
I will probably end up taking care of the plants-- part of my plans is to go weekly to the nursing home.

Toots' suggestion as to a terrarium might be a good one -- they can be made to be very low maintainence.