Plant suggestions for indoor gardening

Get some halogen lights. Don't touch the bulbs. The oil on your skin will cause them to crack when heated. I did this same thing once. Grew some great pot. Be careful.

I personally think air plants are great , they do need some bright light but they are easy to handle.

A word of caution.  Most if not all trees and shrubs are outdoor plants that need to experience the cold/warmth and the light/dark that outdoors present.  I learned this the hard way by killing a wonderful evergreen bonsai that was given to me several years ago. 

A successful indoor garden might consist of tropicals and plants that can tolerate the "dim" light of indoors and the "shock" of air conditioning and heating.  There are several flowering plants which, given the right conditions would do well indoors, these might be cyclamens (that you mentioned), violets, desert plants, and the more popular plants such as palms, ficus (a nice tree is among this species), and pothos, etc.

I have a very old mother-in-laws tongue (aka snake plant) that puts out a spikey white flower every once in a while.

Orchids are a very nice indoor plant. Vandas and Dendrobiums do nicely. A light mist every day and indirect sunlight. They flower once or twice a year. Crotons for color, Ti plants for height and color, Jade plants look amazing. Virigated Spyder plants, the Christmas cactus which will bloom at christmas. Hope this helps....

Here is a list of ten houseplants.  It is not as though these ten houseplants are the only easy houseplants.  It’s just that are easy to care for and are also among the most popular.
 
1. AFRICAN VIOLETS- This is one of the most popular indoor plants and also among one of the easy houseplants to grow. When the flower blooms it lasts up to several weeks.
 
2. CAST-IRON PLANT- The good side of this plant is, it tolerates low light conditions, extreme temperatures, and sporadic watering.   It is perfect for those with a busy life style and who would never entertain the idea of a houseplant.   It is slow growing but lives a long long time.
 
3. CHINESE EVERGREEN- This is another excellent choice.  It is another low light plant.
 
4. Croton Plant- This beautiful plant provides you with some attractive foliage if kept in brighter spots. The foliage on this plant has gold, pink and orange tones. The growing conditions for this plant include bright light, a temperature of 60-75 degrees F and allowing the soil surface to dry between watering.
 
5. JADE PLANTS- This is another popular choice. These plants are very hardy and easy to grow.  Placing them in a container as well as warm and dry conditions is good for them.
 
6. BRAIDED MONEY TREE- It is not only beautiful but is certainly an unusual specimen.
 
7. NORFOLK PINE- Bright light is necessary for planting this pine, but not full sun. It would be best to locate the pine within four feet of a large window.
 
8. PITCHER PLANT- There are hundreds of species of carnivorous plants and the tropical pitcher plant is one of them.
 
9. SNAKE PLANT- They are very easy to grow and care for properly. The other advantage with these plants is their ability to do well in low light areas.
 
10. SPIDER PLANT- They are seemingly much more tolerant of over or under watering than some of the other plants on this list.
 

Source: http://www.gardenersgardening.com/easyhouseplants.html

Herbs and spices are easy to maintain in the winter