What type of plant should I get?

I am fairly recent to the word of gardening. I'm in 3rd year university and just discovered that gardening is a great way to avoid studying :P

Right now I have a spider plant, an aloe vera, an ivy, a hibiscus and random leafy plant that I got at a grocery store.

I was looking for some suggestions of what plants I could add to my collection. My apartment gets lots of sunlight in the afternoon and all the plants get moved outside in the summer.

I dont mind if the plant is a little high maintenance. Ive actually been enjoying taking care of my rather tempermental hibiscus.

Thanks!

 

african violets are pretty easy care and like lots of sunlight.

jade plants are SUPER easy care and love sunlight. actually anything in the crassula family would be good and there are hundreds to choose from. also the kalanchoe family - easy care and a huge variety to choose from.

the wandering jews (tradescantia family) would be good - quite a few different types also.

 

Would those be types of plants that I could get at this time of year? Or would I be better to wait until spring time?

Also, where would I be able to find them? Obviously, I would like to avoid walmart and grocery stores since the plants arent always healthy.

 

Orchids!

 

You have a nice sellection already, but some sort of palm, a pothos, and a bromeliad are good additions.

 

someone in your area would be able to suggest greenhouses to go to. buying from home depot or lowes is okay - you just need to find out when they get their shipments in and make sure you go there within a couple days of delivery and the plants should be in decent shape (not there long enough to be overwatered yet).

orchids and bromileads would be good and like lots of sun. pothos and philodendrons don't need direct sun.

 

i wouldn't recommend buying plants when it's very cold out (anything lower than 50 degrees farenheit, sorry don't know what's comparable in celsius) - the temp changes can be a problem.

if you do find something you really don't want to wait to get, make sure that the plant is covered well before you take it outside. i've had them put a bag overtop of the plant and then put that inside another bag - so the plant is completely protected from cold winds and will retain a bit of ambient heat during transport to the car and then i keep it in the front seat (and depending on the type of plant, on the floor) so it's close to the heater.

if outside temps are freezing, don't buy any plants.

 

I second that opinion.

 

Thanks for all the responses!
I think I already have a pothos plant back home that hasnt made it to ottawa yet with me. I just didnt realize what type of plant it was until greenthumb suggested it. I looked into orchids and bromeliads and they seem like they would be nice additions to my collection.

Thanks for the tips Joclyn! I think I might need to hold off on buying plants until spring since the temperatures outside are already below freezing. If I wait until sping I should be able to get some good plants in downtown Ottawa.... the whole market is full of vendors selling all kinds of different types of plants.

 

Say, if you have an agriculture department at your University they often have a greenhouse or arboretum. Now I'm not suggesting that you nick any cuttings from there ;) but you could visit and enjoy the plants and humidity. Make yourself know in the Ag. dept. or take an elective just for sh!tz and giggles, and you might get offered some cuttings. I know what it's like to be on a budget with school and all. OR, join a local plant group. They have sales with plants going for cheap. Pre-sales to members are often cheaper.

 

Thats a good idea Chester, I had never even thought of that before. Ive seen a greenhouse on top of one of the buildings, but I think its just for the bio students.
I also dont think I would have time for an elective with all my nursing classes I need to do :(
I should try and make friends with the bio students though so I can get an insider to steal me cuttings ;)

 

Hey Pinkhibiscus! I'm at uni too....and just got the growing bug....I only have a cordyline and an aeonium (and thats currentely in bits:() atm :'(. Unfortunately there's only really a Homebase near us which doesn't have a very good selection - I can't wait to go home at Christmas and get my Parents to take me to all the garden centres (and hopefully buy me things..).

And just to stay on topic....I think you should try your hand at caring for a Bromeliad, some varieties are quite easy to look after and can be quite spectacular - Dyckia, Aechma and Cryptanthus for e.g. Not sure what would be best for your climate though.

There's loads of information on the different types and how to look after them on this website if you're interested:
How to look after them
Different types

They're currentely on my 'list of plants that I want'!

Good luck with everything

 

JenRi - You should add a cyclamen to your list of plants you want. They flower all winter, and then go dormant in the summer...Which is nice for us university students. We get the flowers while we are away at school, and then they are dormant when we are at home for summer so we dont have to worry about them dying while we are gone.

Once winter is finally over Im going to go on a hunt for Bromeliads..... I have never seen one around here before though...

 

Ahhh...I think Cyclamens are quite common house plants here in the UK as I've definitely heard the name quite a bit - I bet they might even have them at Homebase!

I shall consider it.....i bet they are easier to get my hands on...and cheaper:-) If I see any I may well get one.

I think bromeliads are sold mostly when they're blooming (despite the fact the main plant dies afterwards....leaving pups!) because they probably really grab people walking past as they're so striking. I've seen them in the local Garden centre back home - the tillandsia cynea I think it was - i thought the flowers were fake they were so unusual!

 

Streptocarpus (Cape Primroses) are pretty easy indoors and you can propagate them really easily from leaf cuttings.
Cyclamen are easy plants but there are varieties which are only really reliable indoors. The bigger the flowers the less hardy they are generally. You could try Cyclamen coum or Cyclamen hederifolium in pots outside. We have them planted outside in the UK, commonly under trees. They grow from a corm (similar to a bulb) and do become dormant for some of the year. They are the toughest ones I know of. The larger, more showy varieties usually struggle with winter damp and cold and I've found in the past that they rot quite easily if put outside.
Cacti are pretty easy too. You hardly have to water them at all during the winter.

 

If you've got good light available, I highly recommend a ZZ plant, Zamioculcas Zamiifolia.
When they're grown in abundant light they really thrive, and grow like crazy!
They really are so 'prehistoric' looking and 'architecturally interesting'.

I have to say that this time of year I buy a lot of plants, and I live in a cold zone 4.....obtaining new plants get me through the winter doldrums.
If temps are above freezing outside, and the vendor wraps the plant well, your vehicle is sufficiently warm and you take it directly to your vehicle...there's virtually never any problems.

Good luck on your quest!

 

I used to put my plants under my coat when I lived on the prairies. Straight to a heated car and no problemo.

 

where do you get your plants at this time of year Namawa?
Im not sure if I would have enough light for it or not. when the sun actually shines my apartment gets plenty of light but now Im lucky to get an hour of sun once a week (stupid snow!)
Im thinking about getting a growing light of some kind to keep my hibiscus happy. I dont need anything fancy.... just something to help keep the leaves on the plant instead of on my floor!

 

I use clamp-on lamps---y'know, the kind with the silver bell-shaped reflector around the bulb. Got my most recent one at Meijer; previous at my local Ace Hardware store. Put a gro-bulb (available in incandescent or fluorescent) in it and away you go. (Or, grow.) Inexpensive, easy to install and adjust, and does the job. Be sure to use a bulb of appropriate wattage.

 

Pinkhibiscus, during the spring and summer the Byward and parkdale markets are great places to find some really nice plants. Also, you can try local florist ( i work at one) to find some more interesting and unusal plants. Since you are in Ottawa, i always have way more plants than i need and do not mind giving some of them away, or giving out cuttings. One of my favourite flowering plants is the Euphorbia milli ( crown of thorns), I have had mine for 4-5 years now and it has never not had flowers on it. Some nice plants for this time of year are Christmas cactus,Amaryllis, Paperwhites, Cyclamen, Goldcrest Cypress, Azaleas, Zebra plant, and the list goes on. If you need some more good spot to buy/ aquire plants in Ottawa just let me know.

 

I just happen to have an extra clip on lamp laying around the apartment. Would I be able to find a grow bulb at walmart? Would you suggest incandescent or fluorescent.... does it make a big difference?

Im excited to check out the market in the spring....Iit was my first time going last spring and I was amazed by it. I would love to hear some good spots in Ottawa. I live near Ottawa U so anything in the market/downtown would be great!
Thanks

 

Hey PinkHibiscus! There was a christmas fayre thingy on in my town this weekend and guess what plants they had on sale............?

Cyclamens! So now I have a lovely christmassy red cyclamen sitting on my desk:D

Thanks very much for recommending them to me - I would never thought to look for them otherwise!

 

Lamp-wise, fluorescent uses less energy. Also, I think that they don't get as HOT as incandescent. ---I daresay that Wal-mart probably would have either or both.

Your cyclamen is gorgeous!

 

Thankyou - it needs repotting already though!

I wasn't going to post it in this thread as its off the current topic but for some reason i can't send images in PM's:-( so i figured I had to post the images somewhere lol

 

wow, yours is much nicer then mine! I stole mine off the table when I was at a banquet (haha!) and it didnt like the cold taxi ride home too much. Mine needs repotting too, but I dont have a pot for it right now so it will have to do without.