Potted palms can lend a touch of the tropics to almost any interior landscape. And a healthy, full specimen can be very beautiful, as long as it's well-maintained.

Not all palms are created equal. Some thrive only in a brightly lit sunny location, while others tolerate the lower light levels that are more typical of most Minnesota homes, especially in winter. Since a well-grown palm is not inexpensive, regardless of size, it pays to choose carefully, keeping light levels in its ultimate destination in mind as you shop.

If you're thinking of a dimly lit corner, forget it! Even the so-called "shade-tolerant" palms need fairly bright indirect light most of the day. Without adequate light your plant will lose all its lower fronds and look like a stick -- or series of sticks -- with a few leaves on top.

Houseplants Help Clean Indoor Air

Our space program has led the way to a fascinating and important discovery about the role of houseplants indoors. NASA has been researching methods of cleansing the atmosphere in future space stations to keep them fit for human habitation over extended periods of time. They've found that many common houseplants and blooming potted plants help fight pollution indoors. They're reportedly able to scrub significant amounts of harmful gases out of the air, through the everyday processes of photosynthesis. Some pollutants are also absorbed and rendered harmless in the soil.

Plant physiologists already knew that plants absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen as part of the photosynthetic process. Now researchers have found many common houseplants absorb benzene, formaldehyde and trichloroethylene, as well.