Large indoor plant for cold room?

[Catname]

Can anyone recommend a tall, easy to grow plant they’ve had success with in a room that’s normally between 12-16 degrees in winter? The room is light with indirect light and not in a draught. I have googled but personal recommendations are more helpful.

I’ve got a Kentia Palm in the same room and would like a different look but similar size plant if possible.

A Bird of Paradise or a rubber plant should cope ina cool room, and an aspidistra would thrive but possibly not tall enough for you.

Thanks for those suggestions ODFOx 😊 I’d never have considered the Bird of Paradise as I’d automatically thought of the flowers but the foliage is impressive. I have the Aspidistra in mind for a darker place.

Clivia are beautiful and actually need a cool overwinter room in order to flower. I have several; they are very easy to grow, like to be pot bound and reward you with fabulous flowers at this time of year. Their leaves are also beautiful for the rest of the year.

I have a big parlour palm in our badly insulted conservatory over winter. We move it to the living room in summer when the conservatory turns into an oven but it survives winter just fine.

Another two to look out for, thank you!

Fatsia japonica

That will definitely withstand the cold! And I just happen to have a Spiders Web that I found in the clearance section of the garden centre. Thank you 😊

Rubber plant for sure 👌 also dracena

Now, I was looking at the labels on Dracena (which I love) in a garden centre and it said a warm room. Google is all very well, but there is so much conflicting information about. It may not be the ideal conditions but I’d far rather start off knowing that I’m not going to kill the plant —very sadly discounting a fiddle leaf fig—

I used to kill orchids which always say bright indirect light. My colleague told me to just stick it on my sunniest windowsill and forget about it for a few weeks at a time. She was right. I have two that are almost constantly in flower now.

Sainsburys is a good place to look. They don't often label plants correctly (think: green houseplant) but I've seen some large Dracena's for £20 that would be closer to £60 in most shops.

I don’t grow my orchids the way you’re supposed to either and they flower regularly 😊. Plants do what they want to do - maybe sometimes in spite of us!

I’m not near a big Sainsburys but will have a look next time I am. I’ve found Morrisons good in that respect too.

Peace lilies can grow to be enormous, and they like cool shady rooms, avoiding direct sunlight.

I'm onto my second Peace Lily. This one is in the hall but quite high up near the radiator so possibly too warm. It looks healthy enough but isn't growing much so I might do a bit of rearranging and see if it responds.

Keep it well watered, and mist spray it now and then too. They like moisture!

Fatsia Japonica - would be pretty big a meter by a meter after several years. I had one in the house, it got some direct sun through a window but the room was cool. It is now in the garden in a big tub, too heavy to move far, seems to survive our not too severe winters - unfortunately the deer, or something have eaten all the leaves but it will come back next summer.

I think I may have overwatered the first Peace Lily Babdoc It kept wilting so I watered it every time it did but I think it was wilting because I’d watered it too much. Have been far more circumspect with my current one but it may not be in the right place.

I’ve bought a Bird of Paradise, a Boston Fern, and an Aspidistra. I’ve also had a bit of a plant move around and am debating whether to buy a humidifier.

I expect your Fatsia will do fine outside Polyanthus but it’s a shame it is being eaten. I’d only considered them as outdoor plants before. They can get huge. I have a Fatsia Spiders Web (a variegated one) waiting to be planted in the garden and am still wondering whether to bring it inside but it’s such a bright evergreen for a dark border that I’m torn.