Things not quite blooming? Jennifer Davis advises on where to plant the greenery to best effect
AS the summer days lengthen, doors and windows are thrown open to introduce some refreshing breezes. This has the added bonus, especially if you have patio doors, of blurring the border between house and garden. The greenery on the outside merges with the flowers and plants inside, highlighting their soothing and colourful qualities.
Some people have a knack with plants. They are so fabulously green-fingered that they are able, at the drop of a watering can, to produce acres of flowering geraniums and glossy foliage. Others, myself included, find their plants are no sooner over the threshold than the leaves begin to go brown at the edges.
The secret is to buy easy-care plants. Fill your home with Begonias for long lasting colour at minimal effort, say the experts at the Findlay Clark Garden Centre in Milngavie and at Marks & Spencer.
Jean Crichton, of Findlay Clark, said: ''Begonias are our best selling plant at this time of the year because they can flower for weeks and have the advantage of keeping their leaves. They're also very easy to look after. As with all plants, the golden rules are firstly, don't overwater them, and secondly, feed from the Easter weekend until the September weekend.''
As well as Begonias, Jane Manning, at Marks & Spencer, nominated large hyndrangeas as popular. ''They're just a bit more difficult to care for, but their marvellous large blooms more than make up for the effort. They can also go indoors or out, and as they love moisture, they could look really stunning in a bathroom.''
For plants which can go out into the garden as well as indoors, try the Kalanchoe. ''Its bright flowers are the main reason it's so popular,'' said Crichton, ''It gives value because it can be used as a bedding plant.''
Direct sunlight can be the enemy of some plants. So how can conservatories be turned into lush paradises without having the blinds down most of the time? Crichton recommends Bougainvillaea and citrus plants. ''Bougainvillaea can take the full heat of the sun without any real problem, and is relatively easy to care for. Citrus trees are more tricky. Make sure they're not put beside any flowering plants because that can adversely affect pollination.
Manning's choice for the conservatory is a Chinese Money Tree. ''It's an easy-care plant, which is very comfortable in the sun. It's said to be a symbol of good luck.''
The secret of a sumptuous display of greenery is to think big. Whether you buy tall or small plants, or a mixture of both, they will always look better displayed in a group.
From an easy-care point of view, Crichton advises the Ficus and the Yucca. Both are available at different heights and thicknesses, so no matter how large or small your display, there should be one to suit. Both are ideal for a lounge, hall, or bathroom. But make sure they have plenty of light, although not direct sunlight.
But if you turn out in the end to be truly not green fingered, or you don't have the time to care for plants, buy a couple of vases and brighten things up with some ready arranged bouquets of flowers.
They're the ideal thing for those of us who never quite got round to that evening class in flower arranging.
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