I'm new to gardening in general, but I have what I see as a problem. My husband is in the Army (Fort Bragg) and we decided that, since we won't be here more than a couple of years, we're going to stay in an apartment. That's my problem. We have a small patio on the ground level of our building, but it doesn't get direct sunlight.

These are my two questions:

1. What plants thrive without direct sunlight that can be potted for the duration of their lives?

2. What are some good indoor plants that also don't need direct sunlight? I suffer from SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) and winter is really hard to get through, so I want to try filling my apartment with plants so I can fake spring until it actually arrives.

Thanks y'all!

Welcome to Garden Web and this is as good a place as any to ask though this forum is pretty slow.

1. What plants thrive without direct sunlight that can be potted for the duration of their lives?
Hosta immediately come to mind, in all sizes and foliage color combinations!

What are some good indoor plants that also don't need direct sunlight?
Check out the links below.

Low-Light Plants for Indoors. if you get to know some of your neighbors, possibly they would have cuttings to share that you could try rooting this winter.

For other ideas, you might try checking out and reading some of the posts at
Gardening in Shade Forum. You might get other ideas there for some shade loving plants for containers outside.

Also check out...The Houseplant Forum

maybe others...All The Garden Web Forums

What about putting out a bird feeder or two, and doing some winter Bird watching. If you try that I'd suggest getting a Field Guide to North American Birds, as well as a pair of binoculars.

Good luck. Spring is right around the corner. The spring thaw usually happens here in IN sometime in Feb.

Sue