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| There's a corner of our living room where I want to place a tree. It would not be directly in front of a window, but the room is lit up brightly all day long because our living room has so many windows.
I want a tree that grows at least 6 feet tall, and one that doesn't mind being warm 5 months out of the year. In the winter we heat with a pellet stove which is located in the kitchen just off the living room. It is usually 75 degrees downstairs during the winter. Any tree ideas? I definitely would buy a humidifier if needed. Thanks! |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by strobiculate none (My Page) on Tue, Aug 28, 12 at 20:02
| Mass. Cane Ficus? Philodendron...selloum or staked. I'd go staked...my selloum is about seven feet in diameter...not bad outside, but it takes up a lot of room inside. Aralia. I'm sure you sre no where near...but there's a guy just outside Kingston, NY who just doesn't know how to throw things away and can't stop himself from propagating yet more...he has 6' aralia in 20g containers for some ridiculous price like $75. |
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- Posted by mad_gallica Z5 Eastern NY (My Page) on Tue, Aug 28, 12 at 20:08
| The problem with a 6 ft tree is going to be moving the pot. Most things will do much better with a summer outside, winter inside sort of schedule. If you can handle that, bay is a nice one. |
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| I have a Norfolk Island pine. I got it last Christmas. They have them every year at Walmart in the winter. They put a few ornaments on them and put them near the entrance/exits. They grow slowly to about 6-8 ft indoors. They grow outdoors in zone 9+. I've seen them full size in Florida outside and they look so different outdoors. Anyway, they are soft and airy when indoors, just don't overwater, I killed one doing that. I also have a "Parlor palm", they don't need alot of light. |
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| Ficus are great as interior trees and here, the choice is determined by the size of the leaf you prefer. In my opinion, smaller leaves look more tree like than large. My favorite is Ficus macrophylla. It resembles F. Elastica except it does not drop its leaves if you look at it the wrong way. Ficus alii is also good. There is also Schefflera (of which there is dwarf variety), and Podocarpus (a tropical conifer--very treelike) |
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| I meant to say, F. Macrophylla resembles F. Benjamina. |
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Wed, Aug 29, 12 at 8:31
| trees live outdoors ... you know that ... you are looking for tropical.. and sub tropical plants .. that we call HOUSEPLANTS.. that look like trees ... yes.. yes.. technically some are trees in their native location ... but if you go to the nursery.. and ask for trees.. they will take you outside ... so ask for large houseplants that look like trees ... as you know.. words mean things.. so i simply offer the above to aid in your search ... besides.. heat .. humidity and light.. big pots have a bigger potential to leak and ruin flooring ... so think that part out to avoid such ... and i doubt you will significantly change house humidity in an open floor plan house [which you must have to some extent with the heat system] .. with some little floor model .. so we need to find a plant that can deal with what you provide ... IMHO finally.. if it were me.. i would go small .. nothing over 1 foot .... and volume.. perhaps 3 to 5 .. one foot plants ... and experiment.. to find which thrives with the least fuss.. in your circ's.. and if 4 die .... etc... i have seen jade plants as big as 3 or 4 feet ... and they are nearly treated as cactus ... but they are ssslllooowwww ... if a small one thrives.. you might later invest in a bigger one ... ken
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Here is a link that might be useful: link
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- Posted by ilovemytrees 6a Western NY (My Page) on Wed, Aug 29, 12 at 20:32
| "you are looking for tropical.. and sub tropical plants .. that we call HOUSEPLANTS.. that look like trees ...yes.. yes.. technically some are trees in their native location ... but if you go to the nursery.. and ask for trees.. they will take you outside ... so ask for large houseplants that look like trees ...as you know.. words mean things.. so i simply offer the above to aid in your search ."" As usual, Ken, you are spot on correct. I should have said tall houseplants. I agree words mean things and I'm glad you mentioned that. Thank you, everyone, for all of your houseplant/tree suggestions. I have looked all of them up online to see what they look like, and I love all of them. The Aralia is GORGEOUS! So is the Ficus. I fell in love with the Jade tree and the Norfolk Island Pine is definitely airy and beautiful. I think I've got my list. I may actually get all of them and start placing them in different rooms in our home. My love of outdoor trees is now turning into a desire to have a home full of houseplants to beautify and create even more of a relaxing atmosphere. I can already picture my bedroom, even the bathroom with plants. Yes, Ken, I will definitely heed your suggestion and start with smaller plants. I'm glad you advised that as I NEVER would have even considered doing it that way. lol When i get an idea in my head it is full steam ahead. lol Oh, and yes, our home circulates the heart surpisingly well. We have a 2600 sq ft home, and one pellet stove heats it all perfectly. The only time it is a pain is if the power goes out, which is extremely rare, but we have a generator..My daughter's room is directly over the kitchen/pellet stove and she keeps her vent closed all year round, and even then her room is warm in the winter. I can't thank you all enough for your suggestions. It means a lot to me. |
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| I strongly suggest that you visit the Houseplant Forum. If you ask some good questions in there, you're bound to end up with plenty of good information. Do you have any idea what the humidity level of your home is with that kind of heating? A low humidity can be a real problem for several of the plants that have been mentioned. Do your homework FIRST before buying the plants. You'll need to make some decisions about potting medium, type of containers, and humidifiers. |
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