The iconic poinsettia is native to Mexico and must be kept in a reasonably warm room, the temperature not dropping much day or night. Most living rooms can easily achieve this. Avoid buying plants that have been left out in the cold, as they are practically certain to drop their leaves.

Right through to next Christmas

Keep the compost just nicely moist, not wet, and do not leave the pot standing in a saucer of water, as this can cause the roots to rot. Poinsettia will flower again next year if trimmed lightly in spring and watered and fed in a bright spot all summer.

To induce flowering, place it in a reasonably warm room that gets only natural daylight, no artificial light, or cover it with a black bag each night in September.

Christmas azalea

The Christmas azalea is native to China and Japan, though often called Indian azalea. It is a small evergreen rhododendron and it is an excellent, long-lasting house plant. It does not need as much warmth as the poinsettia and can be grown successfully indoors.

It has very fine roots and it is very prone to wilting if too dry. It hates to be waterlogged as the fine roots die off. Keep it in a fairly cool room and put it outdoors for summer to set flower buds, but take it in before frost arrives.

Cyclamen

Native to the Middle East, cyclamen likes a fairly cool location indoors. The small-flowered kinds are hardy enough to be used outdoors and are popular autumn and winter bedding plants. However, the large-flowered kinds need to be kept indoors, but get lanky if there is too much warmth.

Cyclamen reacts badly to drying out, the leaves collapsing immediately.

The compost should be just moist and never wet, and the pot should never stand in a saucer of water because the roots will quickly rot. After flowering it can be brought to a greenhouse, cool conservatory or porch and, quite often, it will flower again the following year.

Winter cherry

Winter cherry likes a cool room, as it is almost hardy, being grown outdoors year-round in gardens in very mild areas. It can be grown as a small shrub in an unheated greenhouse. It has round, bright red cherry-like fruits. Easy to look after, it is cared for in the same way as the azalea.

Hyacinths

Hyacinths are forced for Christmas using specially heat-treated bulbs. These can be purchased in-flower. They are frost-resistant and can be used in containers outdoors as well as inside. The flowers are sweetly scented.

Choose a fairly cool spot in the house with plenty of bright daylight, or they become drawn and flop over. After flowering, the bulbs will not flower anymore in the pot, but plant them into the open soil outdoors to flower again. Watch for slug damage.

Christmas cactus

Christmas cactus is usually grown on a windowsill indoors, and flowered early this year. Plants purchased in flower at this time of year need to be kept just moist, not wet, in a bright place. It does not need a warm room, but flowers more reliably if the room is fairly warm. Keep it in a room that gets natural daylight only, because artificial light can interfere with flowering.

Chrysanthemums

Chrysanthemums sold in pots as pot-mums are very easy plants to care for. These are usually kept only as long as they are in flower, and are then discarded, but the plants can be planted out in the garden and many kinds will flower naturally in late autumn in future years.

If you got some of these plants as gifts, or bought them, follow these guidelines to ensure they last longer than a few days.

Working on the compost heap

If you could do with a little exercise during the festive period, it is worthwhile to turn the compost heap. Every garden generates plant waste in the form of grass mowings, fallen leaves, hedge clippings and over-mature vegetables. All or any of this material can be composted to rot down and the organic material used on the vegetable area or when planting, or as moisture-retaining mulch.

If you could do with a little exercise after the festive period, it is worthwhile to turn the compost heap.

Compost-making is a simple process, simply pile up the plant material, and try, as much as possible to mix green and brown material as they complement each other. The centre of a heap rots more quickly, generating heat. By turning the whole heap, the un-composted material is mixed with the more rotted material. Turning opens up the heap and allows more oxygen to penetrate and speed up the process.

Trees, shrubs and roses

There has been a good deal of cold frosty weather, with snow and rain – the sort of weather that makes ground conditions and planting very messy. If trees have been bought, it might be better to heel them in in a trench until the soil dries. Rose bushes and repeat-flowering climbers can be pruned, especially in mild areas.

Flowers

Bedding plants for spring colour should have been planted by now, but wallflowers, primroses, pansies and bachelor’s buttons can still be planted, especially if they are available in pots. Perennial flowers can be divided in the ground if not too sticky. Cover dahlias, canna and gladioli in cold localities to prevent damage.

Fruit and vegetables

Prune fruit trees and bushes now, such as apple and pear trees, and blackcurrant bushes and raspberries, if not pruned earlier. If possible, dig over vegetable ground, removing old crops. Control weeds over areas of ground that will be dug over later. Spread compost before digging it in. Plant new fruit trees and bushes.

Lawn

Ensure that all fallen leaves are taken off a lawn as leaf fall was very late this year. Stay off a soggy lawn to avoid soil compaction, but if there is a period of good dry weather and the ground is firm, consider a run-over with the lawnmower to tidy the lawn and encourage denser growth of grass as sunlight can reach the stems.

Greenhouse and house plants

Water house plants enough to keep them just moist, even a little towards dry, but not standing in water. In the greenhouse, water very little to reduce the risk of grey mould disease. A greenhouse frost protection heater will save tender plants, such as geraniums or fuchsias, on a frosty night. Remove all debris and dead plants.

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