i need some houseplants and potted plants- help? (1 Viewer)

[Vince Maskeeper]

Let me start off by saying that this type of question is why I've grown to truly love the home theater forum over the years. While we all come here due to our love of film, hometheater and/or DVD-- such an interest brings a HUGE cross section of people with an amazing variety of interests.

I have personally learned more about finance, law, nutrition, health, sports, russian brides, shop vacs, merchant agreements, hand lotion, fried turkeys, 1500 calorie hamburgers, and silica packets than I ever thought possible.

So, I thought I would seek some advice from the more green-thumbed of my associates in my newest persuit...

This topic has come up on the HTF before once or twice, but I thought- since it's been several months- it might be time to try again.

I now live in LA, where it is warm year round. I have a balcony on my new apt that is basically so small that it is worthless for about anything other than greenery. So, I'm thinking about getting some plants-- several for outside on the balcony and a couple for inside.

Not just a few plants for outside, mind you- I'm guessing it will take 20-30 to cover the space I've got in mind. So I absolutely need your help.

My only requests are:

I'd rather find things that need to be watered once every couple days as I know I'll be unable to find the time daily (and it doesn't rain in Socal, lol). Stuff that will thrive in the year-round-warm and sun of LA would be wonderful too. High maint stuff that will need to be repotted often or watered hourly are out.

Stuff on the smaller end- no trees or bushes-- stuff that will fit in a small to medium pot and can essentially sit on a window sill. I like green and hangy...

I'd prefer not grow ugly plants that flower for 2 days at the end of august-- I'd rather grow non-flowering plants that look interesting over plants that only bloom for a few days.

Any suggestions you have would be greatly appreciated. And if Ted and Pamela have any updates on their progress with the suggestions they got- I am all ears.

 

[Elinor]

Do you have any pets? That can affect recommendations ....

 

[Pamela]

I have a ficus, which is out on my patio and is doing pretty well in the L.A. weather. You can get miniature ones. I water that once a week. Also have a bleeding heart, which is growing like weeds. Frankly, I'm sick of it, and ready to toss it. Pregnant onion and plumaria also doing great (water once a week) and are small. Both are definitely interesting looking. During the warmer months I get color bowls at Home Depot and the like. They are filled with all different*kinds of colorful annuals and are gorgeous.

In the spring, you might want to get yourself a potted tomato plant (OSH has nice ones). My landlord wouldn't let me plant tomatoes in the backyard, so I did the potted ones on the patio. They did really well and I got lots of tomatoes from them. You do have to water them frequently, but the resulting fruit is well worth it!

I have learned so much about plants this summer, including the fact that plants can be as demanding as pets (in terms of maintenance)!

P.S. I use Miracle Grow on my plants regularly. Really seems to help.

 

[Jack Briggs]

Good grief, man, but last week was cold.

 

[Kevin Hewell]

You might want to get some herbs. They're pretty and functional. Rosemary would probably do very well in that climate as would basil but that would probably need a little more watering. Every couple of days should be enough. I found some very hardy herb plants at the local Whole Foods that have done very well on my balcony.

 

[Greg_R]

Bamboo fills up the corner of a room and is almost impossible to kill...

 

[Kevin Hewell]

BTW, how much sun do you get on your balcony? Is it a southern exposure? Knowing this would help to know which plants to get as some do better in full sunlight and others do better in partial.

 

[Vince Maskeeper]

Well the balcony faces East and so is open on the north, east and south sides (with the building taking up the western edge). I am the 2nd story of the 2 story building-- and while there are a few shade trees right in front of the building-- I would say that 1/3rd of the areaq gets direct sunlight pretty much all morning and afternoon, 1/3rd gets a mix of sun and shade throughout the day, and 1/3 is in a mixed/shady area.

-V

 

[Ted Lee]

hey vince, i posted a similar question a while ago. i have it in my faves, so here ya go:

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...threadid=38434

 

[Trey Fletcher]

This was going to be my recommendation as well, especially if you do any sort of cooking. I would list rosemary, chives, mint, thyme, and oregano as the easiest to grow, while also being attractive and useful. Of these five, rosemary will require the largest pot (medium size should do) while the others can be grown in pots as small or large as you see fit. The plant will grow accordingly. Best of all, they like sun, and resent over-watering.

Other herbs, like basil and parsley, are equally useful (if not more so), but they require more attention and are annuals/bi-annuals, meaning they only last a year or two.

Finally, there are many different varieties of the herbs I mentioned, so look around. There are both regular and garlic chives. Mint comes in dozens of varieties, from spearmint, to chocolate mint, to pineapple mint. You can find lemon thyme (great for fish), or traditional english/french that is great on roasted potatos or used to flavor soups, stocks, and sauces. The varieties are almost limitless.

Most of all, have fun.