Flower questions

[dvandom]

I suspect at least a few of the people reading my LJ have some experience with growing flowers or other plants in an apartment (okay, I know for sure at least one does), and I figured I'd solicit some advice behind the cut.


Lately, Target's occasionally had plant starter kits in their Dollar Spot as a seasonal thing...romantic flowers in February, clover in March, etc. And I've had some small success in keeping them alive on my windowsill (okay, the fir seedling died after a strange fungus took over the pot), but would like to poke around at some other varieties in slightly larger (and therefore less likely to get blown over when I leave my windows open in spring and fall) pots.

I don't have a garden I can relocate things into, so we're talking annuals or perennials that can be happy in a pint of dirt (making the fir seedling a bad idea in the first place) with semi-regular watering and plantfood. So nothing finicky. Low centers of gravity are probably a good idea, given the wind gusts I can get through my windows...my sprawling Nigella damascena has done pretty well on that count, but as an annual it's reaching the end of its lifespan (and I started another...I grabbed several starter pots of that since I decided years ago that the N.damascena was the Nobilis-style flower for Acton Lord, although the blooms are a lot smaller than I'd thought they were). I've considered bamboo, but it seems to want more space even in dwarf form than I want to give it at the moment.

I also don't really want something with a strong smell (in case it clashes with food...the relevant window is in my kitchen) and I definitely don't want something with serious chemical or physical defenses like setae or thorns. Other than that, though, weird is good. I like the N.damascena in part because some of the bizarre symmetries involved in the flowering sections, for instance. And seeds are preferred to something I'd need to buy already potted, if only because I don't wanna invoke Murphy too much in getting the thing home. :) That's part of why I haven't bothered with a cactus, for instance.

Lighting is moderate, I wouldn't need a shade-preferring species but something that has to have loads of direct sunlight won't be happy in the summer thanks to a slight overhang above the window. It'll be right next to a window, so anything that can't handle cold-but-not-freezing temps would probably die in the winter.

Any suggestions?

And now back to reading my comics.

Comments

[grant-p.livejournal.com]

I like Venus flytraps. They're easy if you have a lot of strong light and a fishbowl. Forget all the funny mixes and just go straight peat, and keep it moist at all times with the top of the bowl open, and they're fine. The biggest I ever grew like that was about the size of an african violet with the little traps about the size of one of those tiny keychain swiss army knives. Not huge, true, but by REAL non-little-shop venus flytrap standards that's enormous.

[grant-p.livejournal.com]

Oh, yeah, they do die back in winter, but you can then plastic-wrap the fishbowl and winter them in the fridge or just put them outside.

[z-gryphon.livejournal.com]

I have a Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera truncata, which, despite its common name, is not a true cactus, but rather a succulent) which I inherited with my current house six years ago and have not managed to kill, despite my complete ineptitude at plant care. It just sits on the kitchen windowsill, in much the same sort of position you describe above, and gets watered now and then, and flowers very prettily (http://www.eyrie-productions.com/G-GFX/2004-cactusbloom.jpg) in December. Come to think of it, it could probably stand to be repotted; I had just done that when I took that picture, and I hadn't realized until just now how long ago that was.

[moonscream.livejournal.com]

In the kitchen I'd go for herbs, like oregano or a small thyme, something that you like to use a lot of and will keep trimmed. Rosemary and dill would be bad choices, tho, since they like more root space and get tall. You could also try celery. No, I'm not kidding, you can plant the center of your latest (preferably organic so there are no chemicals or radiation applied that would keep it from rooting) bunch, that little bitty center with the leaves. Tho you might get it to start producing roots by sitting it in a jar of water for a while first like I did last year. You can also get celery seeds or seedlings.

IMO half the fun of gardening in ground or in pots is experimenting, and getting fun surprises like my sweet potato. :D And despite my fears of it getting too big for the pot, my nicotiana (aka flowering tobacco) is staying small, so that might be one to try as well.

[dvandom.livejournal.com]

I do have an oregano in a little pot, actually. I don't use it for cooking (so I only trim the bits that have died, and those aren't usable), but I like the look.

[grant-p.livejournal.com]

You know, I have a LOT of very tolerant succulent-types that can live anywhere, and some of them look a little odd. If you'd like, I could easily pop off a few pieces and send them your way. You just poke the stem ends in dirt and ignore them, they'll root and grow.

[aardy.livejournal.com]

I was been very lucky with marigolds (relatively hardy, as long as it doesn't get too dry) until we got some sort of tiny insect infestation with some other plant that kills them off as fast as I can get new ones to sprout.

When I was growing up, we always had an aloe or two around. They aren't all that much to look at except when they flower, but they're incredibly hard to kill unless you actually work at it (my father has a black thumb and even he managed to keep one alive for a while), and they're also useful as a source for instant treatment for burns and the like--just break off the tip of a leaf and spread the juice on the burn.