Question
Hi. I have a 3 season room addition on my house.  I live in Westchester, NY.  I wanted to put some nice, tall (but not too full) plants in the room to brighten it up a bit and add some 'warmth' The room gets cold over night when we close the door to the rest of the house, but I do have a heat/ac unit in the room I run during the day, and I keep the Sliding Glass door open to the rest of the house (my dogs and cats like to hang out in there)

Any suggestion on WHAT plants I should get for the room?  I would like something with a burst of color.  I don't mind anything with some maintenance, but not TOO much.

Thanks for your help
Carolyn

P.S. I am also trying an indoor herb garden in there. I bought a small indoor 'greenhouse' (A shelf unit with a thick plastic cover over it)  Any suggestions on that?  

Answer
Carolyn,

No tropical house plant will survive if the temperature drops in the the low 40's.  Plants that will survive into the lower 50's and high 40's are Bay laurel trees (with leaves for soups or roasts), ficus trees, hibiscus, most Bromeliads, most blooming plants that come from bulbs like tulips and hyacinths, begonia plants, lantana,azalea, gardenia, fatsia japonica, citrus trees, fatsheedera lizei, spider plant, coffee tree, asparagus fern, cordyline terminalis, dracaena marginata, dracaena fragrens massangeana, and most cacti. If you see something that you love and wonder if it would survive you are welcome to email me and ask and I will let you know. Chances are it will. As long as it doesn't drop below 45 degrees at night most plants can handle it. I would be more concerned about the cats digging in the plants.

As for you herb greenhouse you will have the problem of most herbs quickly outgrowing it. They will do fine in the cool nights along with the other plants. Just be very careful not to overwater with the cool nights or root rot will begin very quickly in cold soil. Keep your plants on the dry side during the winter months. Water them half of what you would give them during the summer months then let them go 1-2 weeks before watering again. Do not water until they are dry. They will go semi dormant in the cool temperatures and not use water so fast so you need to cut back to prevent root rot. Write again if you have more questions. Good luck.

Darlene