Keeping a Poinsettia Alive Indoors
How to pick a healthy poinsettia at the shop, get it home without a chill, and keep its leaves through the holidays: light, temperature, drafts, watering through the foil sleeve, and what it takes to make it colour up again next year.
Getting a Christmas Cactus to Bloom
Holiday cacti set buds when nights get long and cool, so early autumn is when you decide whether yours flowers. How to give it darkness, what makes buds drop, and how to tell a Thanksgiving cactus from a Christmas cactus.
Why Houseplants Slow Down In Autumn
Autumn growth stalls because indoor light collapses far faster than the temperature does. Here is what to change, what to leave alone, and how to tell a slowdown from a problem.
Moving Houseplants Back Indoors
Bring summer holiday plants in before nights hit 10-12C, and do it over 10-14 days rather than in one afternoon. Here is the pest check, the light step-down, and why leaves drop anyway.