I am looking for suggestions for large scale plants for an alaskan university library space, they can get 15 ft easily, but must be student friendly, The sanseverias seem to be getting too floppy in the cafe areas, in the more neglected zones they prosper, but I would like something more dramatic How about bamboos, or some type of citrus, how about a hybiscus Davelll
Citrus and hibiscus can be quite problematic, try searching forums here (and elsewhere) for more discussion. Bamboos can be OK if already growing indoors, although their littering could get old. I have seen exceptionally lovely Chusquea coronalis growing on a shelf in an office, so apparently that one can be tough. Otherwise one would expect something like a Bambusa to be used.
Do you have large shopping centres with plants growing inside. Might be worth a look to see what they do. How much natural light is there?? I used to grow umbrella trees, Monstera deliciosa and Philodendron type plants at my univ library years ago. But this was in front of a huge floor to ceiling (2 story) window. My next library position I grew a Monstera up the outside of a staircase but again lots of light. I still have this plant it now live in my garden and it is getting on for 30 years old. I also had groupings of Spathiphyllum wallisii- Peace Lilly in the actual work room. Liz
Lots of things to consider such as what is the light level? Will the plants have something to climb and cling on for support? Will someone be dedicated to their care? What is the humidity level? What is the light level? Will people be prone to touch and handle the plants? Many aroids such as Philodendron and large Anthurium will work, but will prefer high humidity. They don't need high light however. I can suggest plants that will grow leaves 2 meters long! Plants such as Bird of Paradise and banana plants grow large (6 meters) but will need high light to prosper. Some Alocasia such as Alocasia odora will grow to 4 meters, but also need high humidity and frequent water. Monstera deliciosa (Swiss Cheese) could work, but that one will not grow much taller than 1.5 meters without support to climb. It also needs high humidity and water to prosper since it lives on the banks of rivers and streams in southern Mexico and Central America. Tell us more about your conditions and I'm sure someone can make suggestions that will work.
Egan Library, Juneau? I'd expect you can use any number of indoor plants that work well in coastal BC's rather dark winters, when indoor lighting never matches a summer day. It could be worthwhile to find some reliable indoor palms--Rhapis (lady palm), Howea ("Kentia"), Chamaedorea alternans, tepejilote, metallica, oblongata ; Adonidia merrillii; Dypsis decaryi (Madagascar triangle palm), or some others.
yes, Egan library, Juneau AK, dry interior, 20 ft windows, well lit by human user standards, various locations, and since manyof the students come from rural alaskan locales they have never seen actual bamboos or any other subtropical stuff. There are no local malls with large plants to check out, and sources of supply are all distant. We do have an airport though, and any location is just a flight away. The Chusquea mentioned looks very atttractive, does anyone have experience with the more upright forms? I do not want to add to the janitors already fulllist of tasks by introducing something that will drop leaves a lot, but a managable level would be OK David
Looks like plenty of options. The American Bamboo Society website calls Chusquea coronalis "A clumping bamboo with numerous tiny leaves on branchlets that completely encircle the culms. Possibly the most beautiful bamboo in cultivation." What incredible praise. http://www.americanbamboo.org/SpeciesSourceListPages/SpeciesTableC.html On the other hand, a colleague has a handsome clump of young red mangroves, collected locally, in his rather dark office. I imagine they'd do well, although there's no telling when they might start growing prop roots!
Any progress? We'll probably have a couple of good bamboo vendors at a local plant sale on Saturday and I could at least ask about good indoor species. Beside, I got to see some nice indoor-sized bamboos in Chagres National Park, Panama a week ago. Lovely.
It's sooo winter here now that I am not doing anything, but I have looked at the site you sent, and they are truely lovely. Please do ask about some indoor species, I think they would be ideal in a large atrium space. Did you take any photos in Panama? David
The bamboos were almost impossible to take photos of. So here's three photos from Chagres National Park: Bursera simaruba tree (called gumbo limbo here in Florida, where it lives in coastal areas). The shiny, peeling bark is utterly distinctive. Not that there weren't even more interesting-looking big trees in the area. A little Zamia cycad with its cone. We were wandering around a large population. Dr. Alberto Taylor of the University of Panama with students and park ranger--and Zamia leaves. This forest, on limestone with only thin soil had essentially no fallen trees and few vines, so it was easy to get around. I didn't suffer a single insect bite. Come to think of it, these tropical understory zamias might make good indoor plants. They put up with dry conditions very well and live in the shade. These might not like 70 degree temperatures, though.
