Set an alarm on your phone or mark your calendar with the days your plants need to be watered. If keeping tabs on plant thirst isn’t your cup of tea, opt for houseplants that don’t mind a dry spell. A larger leaf variety, Pilea peperomioides or the Chinese money plant (pictured here), has glossy, fleshy leaves and is equally low-maintenance. It’s often seen in Scandinavian interiors. Look for a sunnier spot to keep your plant. South and west-facing windows get the most sunlight, while north and east-facing windows get the least. Cacti and succulents have the ability to store water in their leaves or stems and prefer bright, sunny spots. Make sure the compost is free-draining to prevent water-logging. You can add grit to the compost for cacti and succulents if you feel the plant would benefit; it’s worth doing, especially if you’re repotting. You can also buy a specially formulated cacti compost in most garden centres. For succulents, adding sand to the mix will help with drainage.

The Cuisinart grind & brew single-serve coffee maker serves up a cup that's just as fresh as my local coffee shop — from bean to cup in under two minutes. If you're the second type of person and the failure was a fluke. Learn from it and move on. We all make mistakes and it's not worth beating yourself up about it. Further Reading Follow the watering instructions for your plant. If the problem persists, it could be a soil issue — add sand to the soil to promote better drainage.Water between April and September and less in the winter months. Always allow the compost to dry out between waterings. Problems with cacti and succulents mostly occur around watering. Overwatering will cause the plants to rot and go limp. If possible, use rainwater rather than tap water, as tap water contains many minerals and salts, which may affect vitality and growth. Read more Tip #3: Use Just Enough Water If you care for your houseplants properly, they will grow and thrive. (Photo: CC0 Public Domain / Pixabay – Suju) Another tip for when you go on vacation: remove the saucers from under the potted plants and place them on a wet towel in the sink or in the bathtub. This way, the plants can pull up the moisture they need when they need it. Tip #7: The Proper Soil Many houseplants have strong air-filtering effects. (Photo: CC0 Public Domain / Pixabay – FreePhotos) Top tip: Introduce a little greenery to every room with our guide to the best houseplants for your bathroom . Choose the right houseplant potting mix I once bought home a species of cane begonia and in no time the bushy potful of leaves became an unsightly specimen. It was embarrassing because cane begonias are pretty resilient. Before it completely died, I took leaf cuttings and propagated the plant. I was unsure about the experiment because the plant had perished so rapidly but when the new plants grew, I found that they were robust, sturdy, and prolific. There’s only one reason for this – the new plants knew only one environment and one type of care, mine, and thus they adapted to the new conditions.

So why on earth why did you think leaving your houseplant outside or in that unheated conservatory when Winter crept up was a good idea? Perhaps it was simple forgetfulness or some bizarre science experiment to see "what would happen" who knows. Either way, you've gone and killed it now. The Easy Fix

Killing Houseplants (by accident)

As much as we dislike pests when you own houseplants, they often come hand in hand. Always inspect plants before purchasing -especially from big box stores, which are notorious for housing spider mites, fungus gnats, and thrips. If you do notice pests, you can use an insecticidal soap and there are products to also treat any larvae that may be living in the soil. Inspect and clean your plants regularly and quarantine new plants for at least two weeks to ensure any hitchhikers don’t spread to your other plants. 10. Keep trying Buy Plants with pots for indoors. Inspiring and quality assured houseplants, indoor plant pots & planters for modern living. Stylish planters, delivered direct to your home or office. Simply unbox and enjoy! If you’re not sure how to re-pot a houseplant, you’ll need a bigger houseplant pot to ensure that there’s space for more roots to grow. Place a handful of fresh houseplant compost into the base and place the root ball of your plant on top. Gently fill the edges with compost, and you’re good to go!

Composting involves recycling items such as food scraps into nutrient-rich fertilizer. But where do you start? Read our guide. Keep pests away Pests like spider mites, mealybugs, and scale insects can wreak havoc on your plants. Regularly inspect your plants for signs of pests, and take action if you spot any. Read more about how to get rid of houseplant pests here What prompted you to write this book? When did you start planning it, writing it, and who did you have in mind as your primary reader?

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Of course, as a good attentive host, the last thing you want is for your houseplants to become thirsty! But the problem is you keep on watering until you drown the roots. The soil is sodden and if you tilt the pot over a glass you can pour yourself a smelly brown colored drink. Not good for you, and lethal to the plant. The Easy Fix The second type of person is someone who is normally good with plants but something random has gone wrong. Perhaps the temperature has got really warm without you noticing, or you've gone on holiday and the houseplant sitter has messed up. The Easy Fix The bad news is they have a variety of different needs and we all have different growing environments. This means you can do any number of the "mistakes" listed in our article which can all end in disaster. Farrow & Ball Dulux Cuprinol Homebase Crown Dulux Heritage Ronseal Craig & Rose Sandtex Laura Ashley Elle Decoration Rust-oleum Annie Sloan Zinsser Country Living House Beautiful Mother in law’s tongue: Scary name, strong plant. Mother in law’s tongue doesn’t need a ton of light or water to thrive — just plop ‘er in a shady corner and give her a drink every couple of weeks.