let's see...

there is my peacelilly at peace sitting in an east window looking real good.
then there is my aloe, not getting any sunlight at all throwing off pups.
then there is the very easy philodendrons hanging far from any window growing remarkably well.
Oh yes, did I mention ZZ plant that barely requires any attention at all?

It nice to see plants grow so well despite lack of the best conditions....For me, I would also attribute much of my success to the soil mixes I use too..

Mike

oops Forgot the dracenea spike I carted in from the summer pot and the ponytail palm. Would add AVs but they aren't blooming so just put them under lights. Have had Peace Lilys do well also in the past. Have had philos and pothos do ok but don't have any right now.

Tree or split leaf Philodendron (Philodendron bipinnatifidum) is likely my most abused and certainly my oldest plant at 35 years of age.

tj

After living my whole life in the south,a few years ago I moved to Minnesota,..which has taken some adjusting to. All my plants are survivors of one sort or another but to say which is best(which I interpret to mean easiest to care for),..well,..lets's just say I laughed out loud when Mike started out with peace lilies. I've always rated them as easiest because they are so very communicative about their water needs. Pretty sure you all know what I mean.

Hey TJ,..
You wouldn't happen to have a pic of your philo bip,would you? Sure would be cool to see it if you wouldn't mind. :)

Wow- from down South to Minnesota- that is a BIG adjustment. There must have been tons of house plants that even flowered for you in the winter down South with just window light ! So what is growing well for you in the MInnesota winter? I think this winter is worse for you so far then we have been getting here.Your below zero has been double to mine. Funny thing was out with some friends that super freeze day and a car with a Minnesota plate was getting gas ahead of us.It was about -24 here and we were joking that he must have come to balmy NH to get away from -40 and below temps.
I had to yank every windowsill plant off the sill and put some under lights which kind of made me appreciate what plants have actually lived in this house and are still
without doing that. Not that they were actually really getting any sun per se on the sill. The color of winter here is white and grey-maybe a bit of green from the pines. Curious as to other plants that I may not have tried that would be as hardy that others might have tried.
I'd love to see a pic of the 35 y.o philo too.
The spaths do tend to swoon a bit when they are thirsty.

To Mike,
Right, your the guy that grows the citrus? I wouldn't even attempt a little citrus tree though I love lemons and limes.Just not enough southern exposure in the house for the winter.
What mix do you use for your plants-have been reading about Al's gritty mix and thinking of switching to something like that- the idea of the soil being compacted and no air to the roots makes sense to me esp.since I've recently have forayed into a few orchids which basically use bark as a medium .

Caro,
At the moment,..much of what I have is doing the winter blues semi dormancy thing(reduced watering,etc.),so vigorous growth isn't really something that I expect from them right now...however...there IS this new leaf on my philo erubescens that's coming along nicely. Really hope it stays consistent in size with(or surpasses)the last few...I'm training it up a stake and so far so good.
Another philo that's still going faster than I'd have suspected is my prince of orange,which is a tiny thing I've grown from an even tinier division. It's so much more full now when compared to it's original condition,and a lot of that has been winter growth.

A few of my spaths have put on new growth as well,come to think of it...and are blooming to boot! :)

This is a pic of the prince of orange taken last summer(try to imagine it with a few more leaves lol).

Caro, if you would be able to add a pic of your Rhipsalis, I'd love to see it!

Plants that I didn't manage to kill over many dreary OH winters... Aglaonema modestum, parlor palm (Chamaedorea elegans,) Sans, Pothos, heart-leaf Philo, spider plant, Callisia repens, Ficus elastica (rubber tree,) Hemigraphis alternata, AV's, Dracaena marginata, come to mind.

I would think if you're able to keep Aloe, Kalanchoe (any idea which one?,) and Geranium alive, your light is probably better than you think. One good thing about winter is the angle of the sun, it's much more sideways, so reaches into windows better/farther while plants are inside.

How long have you had the ivies?

Orchids, cacti/succulents, Hoya, my one combo pot of Dracaena and Chamaedorea elegans, broms ......

And yes if conditions are right, your phal will bloom again. Keep in mind that phals tend to need a 10-15 degree (in Fahrenheit) drop in temperature between day and night temps to stimulate spiking.

I live in southern NH, and my several different types of Jades all do well by the window in winter, most are actively growing now, and I have an Aloe actually blooming as well. My Euphorbia lactea is actually choosing now to grow, including my little 'White Ghost'.

Christopher

Purpleinopp,
Son has my camera but this is the Rhipsalis Mycanthra plant I have. Mine is a little larger and fuller. Guess it's other name is Mistletoe cactus. Suppose to get tiny white flowers followed by red berries but needs night temp of 50-55 to do it .I probably should stick this one in a cold window .LOL.
http://www.exoticangel.com/plant-library/species/rhipsalis/item/524-micrantha
The Kalanchoes are Blossomfeldia (?sp) Just checked them and the lil stinkers have some buds and flowers!!
The variegated ivy for a year.The dark green (?English) I got as a cutting from a friend and have had about 11/2 yr.I've got them in a very cool East window near the kitchen sink so I can rinse the foliage freq.So far no buggy problems.
Asleep- what a different colored philo.Really cute-will have to look around for that one. Funny-I seem to grow Pothos ok but not much luck with that old standby green viney Philo-which is suppose to be the easiest plant for anyone to grow!
Paul- the two phals stopped blooming around Thanksgiving so I cut the spikes off. Have to look up how long before trying to rebloom unless you know-I definitely can give them a drop in temp easily.
Kaktustris- TG you mentioned Jade- I have one that I moved to a sunnier spot and forgot about- just checked it and is alive and well.This was next to the glass with the -24
temps.Jades definitely seem to fit into a Northern house ok.
Funny but the succulents seem to do fine inside in the winter without full sun and tolerating chill just fine.

I really like the color of prince of orange as well. The new growth will eventually change to green but by then there's already a new leaf coming on to distract you from that.

Here's a shot of it that's a bit earlier in it's progress. When first acquired,it was one leaf(the one with the holes in it)with the just the inkling of a root attached. Next thing I knew ,it had three little leaves...it's really come a long way in a year or so since this began.

Forgive the quality(webcam shot).

and a sideview of the the way it looks today.

Central NH here...

I've had great luck with the most common easy care plants... peace lily and "devil's ivy" seem impossible to kill. I also have a large Gold Capella Schefflera, and large Arboricola, and very large philodendron selloum. All are somewhat newer than my peace lilies and devil's ivy, which are years and years old. But, they all seem to be doing fine. All are in rooms which gets significant light most of the day.

I just got a fiddle leaf fig and so far it's fine - new growth - but I've had it for such a short period of time that I can't tell whether it will really last or not.

Oh, for a couple winters I (surprisingly) had good success overwintering three 5' majesty palms which were outdoor deck plants in the warmer months. Last winter I didn't water them so alas, they died.

Caro, that's cool, my Kalanchoe blossfeldiana are blooming too. Do you know what color you have? You knew why I asked how long you've had the ivy, huh? LOL, yep! Good to hear yours isn't having pest problems (knocking wood.) The shower technique sounds like a good one, well done! Proactive.

Your Rhipsalis link clickable. I love that! Never seen it before.

Asleep, good point. The only plants I have in a north window here are Philos - and a Scindapsus. It's a small window that looks onto porch, which has a roof over it, only a couple mins of direct light very early & late. Persian shield got stuck there last year, but I didn't bring any inside this year, not even a cutting. (If any survived that cold in the yard, I'll never fail to bring one inside again - what a jinx'ish action, or failure thereof to be specific!) Not that I'm suggesting putting PS in a north window - quite the opposite if you want to try to keep it looking nice inside for winter. If you're fine with the semi-dormant look I've never had the light space to avoid with this plant, a north window's enough to keep it alive. It'll pop back to life again outside. What a cute little Philo plant you have there!

Your kalanchoe is prob. big time bloom-mine have a few -maybe that so. window gets more light then I think. Anyhow hope they will put on a bigger show once outside again.