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, including African violets, cane-stemmed begonias, coleus, cyperus, impatiens, ivy, rubber plants and verbena.More on growing and caring for house plantsTaking stem cuttings from dracaena house plantsGrowing cactus plants from seedGrowing indoor amarylis

Growing tomatoes with ring-culture pots involves surrounding the crop with a bottomless ring and adding layers of compost at 10-14 day intervals. This encourages the tomato to root from the stem so it can take up more water and nutrients than

with a thin layer of soil. Sow from March to August for regular pickings.Water well to help germination – lots of moisture is needed by this fast-growing crop, which should appear in 2-3 days.Thin out emerging seedlings to leave plants about 2-4cm apart

Lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis) is a woodland plant, much valued for its fragrant summer flowers. Its low, spreading habit also makes it ideal for growing as a ground cover plant. Convallaria thrives in a moist, shaded spot, and gradually

If I had a shiny new pound for every person who has said to me, “Remember last year? We were all swanning around in shorts in March” I would be well on my way towards buying myself a very handsome dinner. This March, I look out of my window and there are flurries of snow whipping...

There's a lot more to a great salad than lettuce. Apart from a nice assortment of colourful leaves and a slight crunch if they're fresh, I'm not convinced that lettuce adds much more to salad than bulk!I prefer to grow salad leaves with real flavour

The most famous member of the bromeliad family is the pineapple (Ananas comosus). But there's a wide range of different types of bromeliad available, in florists and garden centres – and they’re extremely easy to grow. Follow our simple tips and you

to read the signs you'll know whether you plant is thirsty once you’ve mastered watering, don’t be surprised when your house plants grow and bloom more vigorously.Plants rely on their cells being full of water to provide support. When water is in short

and July. Choose strong, current season’s shoots, as they have the potential to root quickly and rapidly grow into new plants. The hydrangea shoots (pictured above) are perfect.Taking cuttings is simple and easy, and a cost effective method of filling gaps

is that no weeds can grow taller than a few centimetres, her garden plants won’t have to compete with them for water and nutrients, and there will be fewer weed seeds dispersed around the garden. Everything, she hopes, will look beautiful.But one of the most common