Autumn gardening - House plants

Many houseplants need a rest over the winter which is a time when they need little or no feeding and a reduction in watering to trigger their dormancy In autumn you should slowly reduce your watering regime until the compost is almost dry between watering and you need to stop feeding entirely, except where plants are growing vigorously or in flower.

Winter temperatures often fluctuate when central heating is used during the day and switched off at night - causing temperatures to drop wildly. It's better to try and keep temperatures as even as possible with only a slight drop in temperature at night. If you can't do this, it may be better to move plants to little-used rooms, which are not as overheated during the day In addition, central heating causes water to evaporate from the foliage, so try not to place plants near radiators or heaters and remember that setting groups of plants together will increase humidity by creating a small eco-system. Also you can stand them on a tray of damp gravel.

Light levels are lower in the winter which means that tropical or highland plants that need high levels of light should be moved nearer a window as long as they are not in a draught and won't get chilled on very cold nights.

Cyclamen -need to be kept cool - they are the perfect flowering house plant for a cool room, that is not draughty. Despite their preference for coolness, they need reasonable light so an east or west-facing windowsill, porch or conservatory is ideal Water sparingly from below by adding water to the saucer.

Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera x buckleyi) is a stunning flowering house plant which does best in a cool room. When the plant is not in flower, mist the leaves regularly and if possible. To water the plant, used a lime-free water rainwater to keep the plant moist. Above all, once buds appear, never move the plant as this can cause buds to drop.

House plant photograph by gail548, used under a creative commons attribution licence