Plant Wishlist

16 years ago

I've looked through some of the older posts to discover that none of you can name a favorite plant, just that you can name some of your least favorite, so I've done some homework to make up my wishlist. I'm going plant shopping next weekend, and I'm focusing on lower light plants, since I have plenty of available indirect and low-light space, and less direct light space. Here's my immediate list (the whole thing is much longer), and I'd love to hear your opinions on my list, as well as corrections if I'm off on the light requirements for anything.

Aglaonema

Bromeliad (particularly Neoregelia Cookie if I can find it)

Janet Craig Dracaena

Sweetheart Hoya

With the Aglaonema, if I wanted to grow it with another plant in the same pot, are there any recommendations?

Are there any Bromeliads that are easy to find that are your favorites in particular?

I'd like to put the Sweetheart Hoya in my upstairs landing that has no windows but gets light from the living room downstairs, so I'm hoping that's all it will need.

Also, I'd love to have a flowering plant inside that doesn't need a lot of light if that's at all possible. I know the Sweetheart Hoya blooms, but are there any others I should consider adding to my wishlist?

Thanks so much!

Chandres

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Comments (6)

buyorsell888
16 years ago
There are tons of Aglaonemas, why not put more than one together if you want a mixed planting? Their leaves do vary widely.

They are some of my favorite houseplants but I rarely see any of the good ones here.
mr_subjunctive
16 years ago
The bromeliads and Hoya are iffy for me, but I don't know for sure that they couldn't be done. These are the eleven plants I think of as being good low-light plants:

1. Aglaonema spp.
2. Aspidistra elatior / A. lurida
3. Chamaedorea elegans
4. Dracaena deremensis cvv. ('Warneckii,' 'Lemon-Lime,' 'Janet Craig,' 'Rikki')
5. Dracaena fragrans
6. Epipremnum aureum
7. Monstera deliciosa
8. Philodendron hederaceum (sometimes P. oxycardium or P. scandens)
9. Sansevieria trifasciata
1. Spathiphyllum spp.
2. Zamioculcas zamiifolia
Some of those are better choices than others (I'm iffy on #3 and #7), but they should all be workable.

I am not a fan of group plantings as a rule, and advise against them, but if you really want to grow an Aglaonema with something, in a low-light spot, you could probably combine them with most of the plants on the list. Spathiphyllum wouldn't be my first choice (it likes it too wet), nor Sansevieria and Zamioculcas (like it too dry) but there's some common ground with the others.

Spathiphyllum is the only flowering plant I think could work, and in low light, they are less inclined to flower.
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bihai
16 years ago
I think your Hoya will need more direct light than you are describing.

Most bromeliads that are worth growing for color are not low light plants, they are high light plants. The Guzmanias, which are the "standard Box Store" bromeliad with the colorful inflo that looks like a big star and comes out the center, will take lower light for a while, but even they eventually want some very bright light.

Neoregelias and Billbergias will lose all their colors in too little light. Also, you have to be careful with Neos,,,,many are green almost year round and only get color at antithesis when they are about to bloom, so they can be boring unless you specifically look for plants that keep color year round.
amccour
16 years ago
"Are there any Bromeliads that are easy to find that are your favorites in particular?"

Pineapples might work. They need a lot of sun to grow fast, but if you can put it outside during the summer, it should be okay in lower light conditions in the winter. They get huge, though.
pepperomia
16 years ago
Regarding the plant to be paired with an Aglaonema - I might use pothos as an underplanting if I had a tall variety of Ag (or a sparse one that hadn't been getting enough light.) Watering preferences would probably be compatible for those two.

As far as the indoor blooming plant - do you have any orchids? Phalaenopsis are GREAT, and I'm saying that now because 2 out of 3 of mine are in bloom currently, with the third to be joining in soon!
sahm2ae
Original Author
16 years ago
Well, I didn't make it to next weekend, but I'm still going to the nursery with my MIL (love her discount). My husband needed to go to Lowe's to get a few things, and I spent my time there looking for various plants, and I did really well! I got to go through shipments they hadn't unpacked yet, which is where I found my Philodendron. I found a little Dracaena marginata, and a 3' tall Dracaena fragans (for $5). There were 3 of the size I got and then some really big ones, and when I circled back around, someone had taken all of them, so I'm glad I grabbed mine when I did. I saw other plants I wanted, but hey, I have to have something to shop for next weekend!

Thank you all so much for commenting on my list and helping me to add to it (I was especially excited over the Dracaena fragans, and knew I had to have it). I appreciate the updated info on some of the plants I had on my list, and I think for the Hoya, if and when I find one, I have a brighter spot I can place it.

Chandres