Houseplants

There is no doubt that most herb plants enjoy being outside in the sunshine and fresh air for some of the time during the Summer but many are more than happy to grace your home as a pot plant. In fact, some prefer the great indoors!.  Cuban Oregano, Four Seasons Tarragon (Tagetes lucida) and Aloe Vera for instance.  Or Stevia, tender Basils and even the Mushroom Plant (Rungia).   Lemon Grass and the Salvia elegans series (Pineapple or Tangerine Sage) can look and smell fantastic in large floor pots in the conservatory and Balm of Gilead with its heady balsam scent can help to deter mosquitos etc.  Vietnamese Coriander is another, delicious culinary plant for a large pot.  Scented Pelargoniums are a great choice for an aromatic, flowering houseplant.  Have some outside in the Summer as well so you can ring the changes. All the plants mentioned here will not survive Winter outside but if you are concerned that they are growing too large, many are relatively easy to start off again from cuttings taken in the Summer. For example, a tip cutting from Vietnamese Coriander will root in a jar of water! Many keen cooks and lovers of country kitchens enjoy having a row of small growing, ‘cut and come again’ herbs such as Thyme in attractive pots along the kitchen windowsill. They certainly look (and taste!) lovely and can a real boon for those without a garden or living in a flat. Some herbaceous herbs which die back in the Autumn outside can also be added on the sill  to ‘force’ during the Winter. Try Chives or small sections of Mint, for example.   Grow indoor plants in as large a pot as possible and, during the cold months of the year, provide as much natural daylight and sunshine as you can.  During the Summer, try to keep roots cool, shaded and moist especially when growing in a peat-free compost. If you are out at work all day, conservatories and south facing windowsills can get just a wee bit hot!