SO this is summer, the time to lounge around on the patio and reap the rewards of a year of gardening effort. The time to gently potter around in the warm midday sun and cool evening breezes among luxuriant foliage and brilliant blossoms. At least, that's the theory. Trouble is, tomorrow it rains. And if it doesn't, they'll probably impose a hosepipe ban.

The only thing certain about the British weather is its consistent uncertainty. The calendar tells us one thing and the climate tells us another. Quite often, the weather forecasters tell us something else again. Remember Michael Fish - he of quiet confidence and loud clothes - scoffing the prediction that a massive storm was looming? The next morning the gardeners at Kew Botanics must have wondered how calm weather had caused so much damage.

His forecast turned out to be about as accurate as those made by Norman Lamont - he of quiet clothes and loud confidence - on Black Wednesday. To be fair to Mr Fish, his mess was cleared up first.

Meteorologists, like politicians, make predictions which affect our everyday lives. Maybe we should elect them. It might not improve the weather, but I bet we would get a better class of promises. Instead of parliamentary candidates pledging to take a penny off our income tax, we would have weather forecasters vowing to cut an inch from our rainfall!

In the safe and certain knowledge that the weathermen - and weather women - will get it wrong before long, I have devoted this column to the pleasures of indoor gardening. Now, we've just got to pray that a sudden freeze doesn't cause the pipes to burst on top of your pot plants.

Q I love pot plants, but I live alone and my job means that I have to travel a lot. Any ideas how I could brighten up my flat with some plants which don't need much attention?

A The Golden Rule is to remember that nature never produced such a thing as an indoor plant. They all thrive outdoors in their own habitats. The secret of success, therefore, is to create a climate which emulates those habitats. Short of regulating the conditions in our homes to suit the comfort of the plants rather than ourselves, we can make a mini-climate for them using glass. Terrariums not only achieve this, but provide a decorative centrepiece for any room in the house. Call me old fashioned, but I prefer the bottle garden to the more elaborate, ornamental and expensive structures available on the commercial market. They are the horticultural equivalent of the ship-in-a-bottle. They can be a wee bit finicky to make, but that's half the fun. Involve the children in making them and you might just get them hooked on gardening for life, and there are worse things for them to be hooked on.

The first step is to buy a ``carboy'', which is a sort of bulbous bottle originally used to hold chemicals. Make sure that it is new, though, just in case it actually has held a chemical which could kill the plants. Choose a green-tinted type, as this will provide shade. These are commonly available from garden centres and department stores. Also buy some proper potting compost as garden soil just won't do.

Make a funnel by bending some stiffish cardboard into a cone, and pour in 2'' of gravel into the bottom of the bottle. Choose something decorative, like golden pebble. Next, add a layer of potting compost thick enough to take the roots of the plants. Your next task is to firm the compost using a home-made tamper, which is nothing more complicated than a thread-bobbin on the end of a bamboo cane. Now you can begin to plant, using a fork and a spoon tied to bamboo canes. Use the tamper again to firm the compost around the neck of each plant. Now the plants need to be watered in. Get someone to hold the carboy at an angle, and trickle a steam of water down the glass. Anyone who can pour a pint of beer with a head on it should be good at this job. Err on the side of under-watering, as too much watering at this stage will cause a problem in the future.

Now insert the stopper and you have created a micro-climate for your plants. The water which transpires or perspires from the leaves, and evaporates from the compost will simply keep on recirculating. If condensation builds up, remove the stopper until it disappears. You should never have to water your bottle garden again.

Try to be imaginative in your design. Create a little landscape. Contrast the shapes, forms and foliage colours of the plants.

Q My rubber plant is now quite old and has become quite leggy. The bottom of the stems are now bare and the plant doesn't look very attractive. Can I prune it?

A It might be worth a try, but the problem with pruning is that if it doesn't work the plant will be lost. Increase your chances of success by air-layering. Take out a ring section of bark about half-an-inch wide from a strong, green stem. Dust the wounded area with rooting hormone. Cover this with a bundle of damp sphagnum moss wrapped in polythene. Cling-film will do, but make sure that the moss is tied firmly. In a couple of months' time, new roots should have grown and the new plant can be severed and potted up. The old plant should make new branches and may be worth keeping too. This technique works not only with rubber plants (Ficus elastica) but also with Swiss Cheese plants (Monstera deliciosa).

Q What advice do you give about buying house plants?

A First, check the plant for pests and diseases. It is never worth buying an infected plant. If it is being bought for its flowers, check that it has some buds which are all ready to burst. Like most forms of life, plants can take a little time to get used to a new home. If you buy from a supermarket, the plant will be used to warm conditions, whereas if it is bought from a market stall, it will tend to be used to a colder, breezier climate. Put the plant in the place you have chosen, and let it acclimatise itself. Don't worry if it looks sickly for a little time and, above all, don't keep moving it around. If all else fails, read the label.

n Gordon McMaster regrets he cannot enter into personal correspondence. Write to him at Common Question Time, Features Department, The Herald, 195 Albion Street, Glasgow G1 1QP.