*************************************************************
INDOOR
PLANTS FOR THE NORTH WINDOW
BY GLADYS JEURINK
This article is about indoor plants that
like low light. There are a number of plants that grow under trees or on
the north side of tall plants that will enjoy a north window.
Agloanea species is one of
these. You will find them in
restaurants and in store corners where they may remain low and very slow
growing. Under more light
they can get as tall as 3 feet.
They are also known as
Chinese evergreens that prefer to have their roots crowded
but not exposed to drafts or very cold places.
They like damp, never entirely dry soil, in which they may stay
for several years with fertilizer only during summer months, unless
under artificial light.
Thus, they will fit into windowless areas. There are any number of leaf
patterns to liven up a dark area. Blooms appear occasionally that
resemble those of a
Peace Lily. They cannot tolerate cold air below 50 degrees
F.
PEACE LILY
(Spathiphylum)
probably is one of the easiest plants to grow inside. It may get over 2
feet tall as it widens its clump. During the summer I have it on the
east side of the house where it grows fairly fast and does most of its
blooming. Blooms are creamy white
hoods which are sharp 3 inch pointed bracts around a hood shaped flower
spike. The plant is also called
WHITE
BOSTON FERN and
SWORD FERN (Nephiolepsis exalta) can be very big hanging plants.
I have grown them in various windows and for me a north window
has worked best. It happens
to be a wide window with no curtains.
I usually have a number of other plants growing lower which
probably keeps the humidity high as some authors recommend daily
misting. New plants grow from the outside of the clump so more plants
can be started. As they get too large and develop some brown leaves, I
either start new ones or cut everything off even with the top of the pot
and it soon regrows better than ever. They do not like to be dried out
and can be fertilized year round but not at full strength.
PONY TAIL
A vining plant
that does its best in moderate light, or under fluorescent light, and
will also do well in a north window, is a plant most people know as
POTHOS (Pothos
aureus). It is also known as
DEVIL’S IVY but now its official name is
Epipdremnum aureus whose stems
may reach 8 feet. It goes
well in a hanging container or if you like to curl it around and around
on a table, that is ok. I have also seen it encouraged to grow upward on
a stake near a window where it will go up one side, across the top, and
begin down the other side. I
have used stretchy green tape to fasten it in place. There is also a
Velcro green tape in a roll you can cut to fit.
POTHOS is usually
called the easiest plant to grow.
Several tips can be trimmed off to start a new plant or it can be
cut back even with the top of its pot and it will immediately start
over. It does not like wet
feet. There are several
variegated forms and it is on a list of plants that removes contaminants
from the air. I have never
seen one in bloom. Copyright 2016 |