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3 Tips for choosing the right houseplant

By Jessica Damiano

January 30, 2008

Dracaena Limelight (Martin Viette Nurseries, Newsday / January 30, 2008)

Before buying an indoor plant, it's important to determine whether it's right for your home:

1. The most important criterion is its light requirement, which will be noted on the plant tag. Think about where your windows are. Do you have the right light levels available for the plant? To find out, start by noting which direction the main part of your house faces. A Southern exposure offers the brightest light. Eastern and Western exposures will provide medium light, while Northern exposures likely will produce lots of shadows and, therefore, low-light situations. Where are your windows? For every foot away from a window you distance a plant, the available light drops drastically. It's also important to consider whether there are a lot of trees outside that cut down on available light indoors.

2. Dodge the draft. Drafts are bad. If windows aren't well insulated, or if there's an air-conditioning unit installed nearby, plant foliage will suffer. Leaves might blacken or drop. And some plants, like gardenias, will drop their buds in drafty locations.

3. Get your hands on a good reference book. One recommendation: the 2005 book "Tempting Tropicals: 175 Irresistible Indoor Plants," by Ellen Zachos (Timber Press, $29.95).