8 simple tricks to keep your houseplants happy

Houseplants respond beautifully to the right level of light, humidity and temperature, and all plants have their preferences. Read on for tricks to ensure yours look and do their best.

Light levels range from the dimness of a north-facing window to a conservatory awash in sunlight. If no location in your house is bright enough for a favourite plant, invest in a lighted plant stand.

Increasing the humidity can be as easy as filling a tray with pebbles, pouring water in, and placing your potted houseplants on top. As the moisture evaporates, it will humidify the air around the plants.

Be aware of temperature differences around your home and place plants accordingly. Close the door of a spare room in winter to create a cooler environment or set up a mini-greenhouse for plants that like very moist, warm conditions.

• Two things to avoid with all plants are heating registers in winter and drafty locations any time of year.

Remember that some plants can't set flowers without long nights or cooler temperatures at night, meaning you may have to move them daily or otherwise to accommodate their particular needs.

Many houseplants do just fine if they get the same care year in and year out, but others need a regular period of rest or dormancy:

• Poinsettias, for example, leaf out and flower, but then want cutting back and some "time off."
• Cyclamen and gloxinia are other common houseplants that appreciate an annual vacation.

Most houseplants aren't that particular, but if you want them to last a long time, learn your plants' unique growth cycles.

It's possible to give your houseplants too much care.

• More die from overwatering than underwatering. Likewise, overfeeding can burn delicate plant roots, and giving a dormant plant food forces growth at the wrong time of year.

Of course, a lack of water and food is also bad. Excesses of both kinds stress plants, leaving them prone to pest and disease infestation and increasing mortality.

• To keep houseplants thriving year after year, try to strike the right balance between smothering and neglect.

While a few plants, such as the magnificent Clivia, actually like to be potted bound, most plants don't.

• If you can see roots growing out the bottom of a pot or if a mat of roots is forming on the soil surface, it's time to repot.
• Make a "root review" part of your regular inspection of your houseplants. Look out for pests and other problems.
• After increasing pot size a few times, plants that are small today can become spectacular specimens.

That's right, container plants should be liberally pinched, pushed, pulled, prodded and pruned to keep them the size and shape you want. Don't let the fast-growers overshadow the laggards, and avoid having heavy stems snap by using stakes and twine as needed.

• Containers, much more so than in-ground gardens, are little compositions where proportion is of paramount importance.

Turn to these tried-and-true tricks and you'll be sure to create a healthy environment in which your houseplants can thrive.