Garden Work

This being such a busy season in the garden, it's easy to overlook our house plants

This being such a busy season in the garden, it's easy to overlook our house plants. Those that have become pot-bound or that are in tired compost should be repotted now, while they are still active, allowing them some time to settle down before winter. When re-homing them in a bigger pot, choose a size only slightly larger. Most indoor plants are happy in a John Innes number 3 potting compost, or in a proprietary house plant mix. To repot a plant, water it first if it is dry, and let it stand an hour or two to absorb the moisture.

Gently tap it out of the pot and remove the outer layer of old compost. Prune out any old and damaged roots and repot in fresh compost. Top with a mulch of grit, decorative stones or "hydroleca"(water-retaining clay aggregate).