Windowsill gardening indoors

[Hristo]

Yes, and 'nastravay'

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Great set up Chris ! All plants seem quite happy ! 

Don't know why, but somehow this makes me think of the Van Morrison hit from way back :"Cleaning Windows" .... 

[cohan]

Cohan, we have adult H.albifloss here and they seem very happy with quite low light levels on an East facing window, also have another unidentified Haemanthus species that seems equally happy. As you say the form may not be quite right but then if we were really all about that we'd be bringing in sucking insects and grazing animals to help develop a true leaf form!!

hah! luckily not too many sucking insects just now, and certainly no plans to allow grazers or browsers in the house! that authentic i dont need to be...lol
i do have some south windowsills which are bright except for midwinter when a row of trees shades just barely to the house part of the day; once the sun is a bit higher, things are better, so my best times for light indoors spring and fall; however, most of my best light spots are occupied (year round) by cacti and succulents, which pre-date the foray into bulbs.....luckily, i have a lot of haworthia and gasteria which are fine with second tier light, so they are on benches behind the windowsills..oh yes, i also installed  a shelf across the middle of the large living room window..lol

[Robert G]

Chris,

Love this strand! I like to see how other people grow their plants. Thank you for showing us your set up.

[Hristo]

Luc, long tradition with windowsill growing, in Aberdeen we had one large South facing window which was ( like Cohans window ) obscured by a stack of shelves made from bricks and planks!

Cohan, come on then post some windowsill pics, I kind of hope that others will show they are every bit as sad, ummmm dedicated  to the notion of burying themselves Pharaoe like, under plants!

A pleasure Robert, I find it's a good way to get ideas and failing that you can always play spot the species!

[David Nicholson]

Chris, I showed your window sill pics to the boss today. Her response was "don't even think about it"!!

[Hristo]

David, is there no way you could sweeten the deal? Conservatory maybe?

[David Nicholson]

Chris, I'm a Yorkshireman, that would cost me serious money!

[cohan]

Cohan, come on then post some windowsill pics, I kind of hope that others will show they are every bit as sad, ummmm dedicated  to the notion of burying themselves Pharaoe like, under plants!

i'll round up some shots--i maybe should make a new thread though, since there will be few if any bulbs in sight..

[Maggi Young]

i'll round up some shots--i maybe should make a new thread though, since there will be few if any bulbs in sight..

 But the windowsills could still be "bulbous" from bulging with your selection of plants, Cohan!

[Lesley Cox]

Chris, I'm a Yorkshireman, that would cost me serious money!

Your mistake was a fundamental one David, and probably made many years ago. You allowed Maureen to think she was the boss. A gardener should NEVER do this. There are always so many things (new, different, unusual or even downright outrageous) that need to be done and one can't afford to be told "no."

[Hristo]

Cohan, stick the pics in this thread, maybe Maggi can rename it for us, 'Windowsill gardening indoors' maybe?
Only called it Bulbous as a kind of throw away title but looks like the idea may have a little more mileage yet!

David, can you build false windows for the Mrs and you could have the real ones?

[Maggi Young]

David, can you build false windows for the Mrs and you could have the real ones?

Now that is a cunning plan : install your plant pots and hanging strings of seed pots in the windowsill then cover up, from inside the room, with trompe l'oeil painting of delighful view(backed onto reflective surface to allow maximum light back to plants ) to satisfy spouse........ yes, verrrrrrry cunning.....it'd never work though..... you'd probably blow it by painting fake view of Tuscany which will never fool anyone in Britain. 

[Hristo]

Thanks for the move Maggi.

My Christmas presies arrived yesterday,5 Masdevallias, 2 Ascofinetias and 1 Neofinetia and Siderea japonica. All are cool growing orchids and should hopefully cope with growing conditions. I moss mounted the Ascofinetias and neofinetias on Oak stobs in a grit sand tray moistened to give a good humid atmosphere. The Masdevallias are similarly sat in a moistened grit sand tray with the addition of a 5v dc fan running off a canabilised 4.5v transformer!  
All to be hand sprayed with rain water morning and evening.

[cohan]

maggi, as you will see, bulge they do!

chris--congrats on the new orchids! i have had some in the past (now have one Brassavola in total...lol) but i just have tended not to be a consistent enough waterer for many..i might be a bit better now, but then orchids or so much more expensive than other plants i am into, and i'm not techy enough to grow them from seed...lol

here are a few shots of my main growing areas (not from today)--these shots are all in the main 'living/dining' area, which has one large window with a smaller one to each side (no overview shots, too much junk! this house was full of stuff left by my mom -who now lives next door-as this was her house, and my sister who lived here for a while, and figuring out what to do with it all is something i am not coping well with 

this window set is all south exposure, i will use right/ leftdirection you are looking within the house, straight ahead would be looking out the windows...
pic 1 shows the main windowsill of the large window, looking right,continuing to one of  the side windows,with mainly cacti; just behind  you see the wooden benches with mainly haworthias (sansevieria down at the end)
pic 2 shows the haworthia benches looking the same way, right
pic 3 haworthia benches looking the other way, left
pic 4 farther the other way,left, in front of the other side window, the benches continue, mainly gasterias on this bench
pic 5 the cacti in front of the right hand side window, main level
pic 6 a very small shelf for very small cacti, halfway up the righthand side window