No matter where you live, there will be seasons either too hot or too cold for extensive outdoor gardening. In southern climates, we solve that problem by populating our gardens with cacti, agaves, aloes, and stonecrops. But what if you want to be surrounded by your garden, no matter the time of year or the weather outside?

The Victorians had the answer, and now we can follow their gracious lead. There are so many varieties of plants that can be grown indoors, but today we're going to focus on just a few, the palms. These are plants that should be placed in east-west or southern-facing windows, as they generally like strong indirect light; direct light will tend to brown the edges of the leaves. They take in carbon dioxide, which we exhale, and emit oxygen, thus clearing the air. When grouped by size, their impact is that of entering an old-fashioned conservatory.

The Howea fosteriana, or Kentia palm, is one of the most elegant and durable of all indoor palms. It has a remarkable record of surviving low light, dust, central heating, drought and general neglect. As it is rather large, 5 to 12 feet indoors, place this palm in the focal position to provide the perfect backdrop to your frond forest. Surround it with the areca palm, also known as Chrysalidocarpus lutescens, which will grow 6 to 7 feet tall indoors, with long, feather-shaped, arching narrow leaflets.

The Chamaedorea elegans, or ‘Bella' is a miniature palm that ranges in height from 18” to 3 to 4 feet, making it the perfect “border” palm for your frond grouping. These three choices are somewhat similar in appearance, so for that extra added “pop” why not hang a Boston fern, or Nephrolepsis exaltata Bostoniensis, above them? There are numerous varieties, most with frilly or lacy fronds.

All of these palms are easy to care for; they like cool temperatures of 65 degrees to 70 degrees at night, and easily tolerate daytime temperatures of up to 80 degrees. Keep them clean and fresh-looking by periodically taking a soft cloth dampened with water and wiping both the tops and bottoms of the leaves. Keep an eye out for spider mites and mealy bugs while doing this. An alternative method is to put your frond family in the bathtub and giving them a gentle shower.

Fertilize with a complete fertilizer, one that contains nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, water-soluble being the preferred kind so that any potential for fertilizer burn is reduced.

When temperate weather once again arrives, you may move your palms outside, being careful not to shock them by exposing them to conditions that are drastically different from what they've become accustomed to. Start them in an area that as nearly as possible duplicates their indoor abode, and allow them to gradually adjust to the warmer temperatures and the brighter sun. If you move them out to your porch or sunroom at the same time as your outdoor furniture, you will have created a delightful outdoor room that carries the gardens inside. And just as with the Victorians, the elegance of these graceful guardians of a bygone era will woo you with their beauty.