I have a single bedroom in an apartment I share with two girls. It is a rather small room, about 11x11, with a smallish sliding window that offers no support for a hanging flower box.

Three limitations constrain me: first, the flowers I plant cannot overpower my apartment out of consideration for my roommates; second, they should grow well indoors with little light; and finally, they should thrive in pots.

I would like something ethereal, otherworldly, and ancient. I have been inspired by the works of Tolkien (I have not yet seen the movies) and by ancient Greece. I thought to place a stone column in each corner of my room, the base potted in ivy and the tendrils winding up the length, and topping each column with a stone pot. My signature colours are blue, silver, and white, but I wouldn’t mind pastel purples, mauves, and other "dreamy" colours inspired by dreams, imagination, and the night sky.

In my reading, I have come across names like calla lilies, sweet peas, night-blooming jasmine, moonflowers, lavender, and night-blooming stock (matthiola bicornis), but in reading several posts on this forum, some of these flowers might be too strong for the effect I want to create and may overpower my roommates.

Do any of you have suggestions that might help me?

My sincerest thanks in advance.

Your idea sounds lovely! And peaceful. I like it!

You might consider ferns to start with - many can be grown indoors, low light suits many of them, and they have a suitable Tolkienesque woodland "feel." There are some summer shade annuals that do well as indoors plants - white impatiens (or the very palest pinks and lavenders) are quite lovely. Coleus is also tolerant of shade - the green and white cultivars really stand out in shady conditions. I can't think of any reason why you couldn't grow a white variegated Hosta indoors either. I've never heard of columbine as an indoor plant, but it might be worth the experiment - the flowers are graceful, and the foliage is lovely. Lilies of the Valley can also be grown indoors - dainty white bells, delicious fragrance. Jasmine can be grown indoors, but I'm not sure of its sun requirements (it can be bought from White Flower Farm, but it's pricey - you can probably find a cheaper source).

Don't be afraid to try a few things from the garden center - indoors and outdoors plants. Get one of something you like, and if it does well you can get more; if it doesn't work, it was a cheap experiment. Check out plants from local florists or greenhouses - quite a few houseplants have amazing foliage or flowers and will tolerate low light conditions. (In my limited experience, low humidity is more of a problem for many plants than low light - a little room humidifier might be a good investment if your apartment gets really dry in the winter.)

I'm still hunting for a good approximation of elanor, niphredil, and simbelmyne for my own garden - let me know if you find some!

Laurelin

Thank you so much! I am so very excited now; I cannot wait to get started. So much time passed before anyone answered that I thought I'd been misperceived as a forum troll but I am so happy to find that I have a kindred spirit out there. Good things come to those that wait.

I will keep my eye out and if I find anything (obviously nephedril is of utmost importance in this sort of garden) I will rush back here to let you know.

I don't know if you've ever tried forcing bulbs, and I don't know if these are an easy forcer or not, but there's a lovely daffodil called "Lothlorien." It's an elegant white variety with a pale green eye, if I remember correctly. You could also force white crocuses over the winter, or white muscari (grape hyacinths), or white amaryllis. There are many possibilities!

I did find out that the jasmine requires full sun. Pity - its flowers are so delicate and fragrant.

Someday I would love to have a bit of land (not a basic suburban lot), where I could plant a grove of aspens, and a cluster of silver-barked beech trees. What a vision - underplanted with ferns, trillium, daffodils, white azaleas, and other woodland plants. . . . I am blessed to have a line of mature hemlock trees, and I'm creating a woodland garden underneath them, so the vision isn't all for the future. Make the best of what the Lord has gifted you with, in imagination, talent, and resources!

Laurelin