domesticdiva
Full Member
Posts: 41
Joined: Sat May 16, 2009 10:54 am
Location: Eastern NC

Whats a good indoor topiary? (Very low light)

I want a plant on both sides of my kitchen sink. The window in front of the kitchen sink faces our car port so the light is very limited!

I had two precious eugenia topiaries there and they struggled to the point that I moved them outside. Then I put a small rosemary tree on either side which was great because I could just reach over and pull off some while I was cooking. Unfortunately, they are all brown now.

I guess there just isnt enough sunlight. This makes me sad.

I did try to grow my own herbs in the window sill but had a fruit fly issue. I think I over watered them. I like the look of the trees better.

Are there any tiny topiaries or pretty plants for this spot? Thanks for any suggestions!

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Kisal
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Posts: 7646
Joined: Tue Jun 24, 2008 1:04 am
Location: Oregon

For a topiary, an ivy would probably be your best bet in conditions such as you describe.

I have 3 plants that do very nicely on my kitchen counter, pushed back in the corner, underneath the cabinets and away from the window. Calathea roseo-picta is probably my favorite one, because it's so colorful. They are sensitive to fluoridated water, though, so if your water supply contains a lot of fluoride, you'd want to use distilled water on it.

There is also a small Spathiphyllum (Peace Plant) there, but it doesn't bloom. That might be because it needs to be transplanted, or it might be too little light for it. It's just being stored there temporarily, so I haven't decided just what it's problem is yet.

Another plant that does well there is my little Chamaedorea palm. In fact, it's absolutely thriving there.

I have a window in my garage that looks out into my carport, and without measuring the light levels with a meter, I would "guestimate" that the two areas (kitchen counter and garage window) are pretty close to the same.

If you want a 'treelike' plant, I have heard that Lucky Bamboo (Dracaena sanderiana) will grow in very low light levels. I have no hands-on experience with that, though.

One thing to remember is that the less light a plant receives, the less water it needs, because growth is very slow under such conditions.

Have you considered the possibility of adding supplemental lighting?



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