Continuing the theme on houseplants over Christmas, it has come to my attention that I missed out a few that seem to be popular as gifts.

Pot azaleas for one. These normally flower in spring and will have been forced into flowering earlier than their norm by the growers.

These are usually azalea indica and are not truly hardy, so are not for outdoors in the winter; although they can go outside once any danger of frost is over.

They will have masses of flowers and buds on them when bought, but all too frequently these drop off as soon as they hit the wall of warmth in a house.

To keep them going, place them in a light position but not in sun and not over a radiator. They like a temperature of about 13C and should never be allowed to dry out. That does not mean you should stand the plant in water; instead, water every other day using rainwater. They dislike tap water that is too chalky but appreciate the occasional rain spray to keep the humidity up.

Deadhead regularly and use an ericaceous feed every fortnight if you want to keep them going all year.

Another one that can prove tricky is the gardenia. The scent is fabulous, resembling jasmine. Again, they have been forced into flower early and the buds often drop off before they have opened.

They need plenty of light, but not direct sunlight, and like a high temperature with high humidity. A heated conservatory is ideal.

They need watering well, again with rainwater not tap, and a misting will go down well, but not directly on to the flowers.

Use an ericaceous feed every fortnight during flowering and keep them away from draughts.

Stephanotis floribunda, the Madagascar jasmine, is popular grown on hoops, like jasminum polyanthum mentioned last week.

Once again, rainwater is the key and they too will have been forced into flower. They need good light, humidity and no draughts. They do best in a conservatory.

At this time of year, you may well be looking for a bit of colour for outdoor pots. Along with pansies, polyanthus and mini bulbs, heathers will do the trick. However, some won’t like ordinary multi-purpose compost and must have ericaceous. These are mostly from the calluna genus, also known as Scottish ling. They like full sun and grow in peaty soil, disliking chalk. More amenable are the ericas which grow in almost any type of soil. The ones likely to do best will be cultivars of erica x darleyensis and erica carnea.

It is wise to read labels on heathers to check which you have. They will flower all the way through winter. Once they start to lose their colour, shear them right back and they will put on new growth.

Next week, I will be setting you a Latin test.