I get more queries about house plant cultivation than any othert type of gardening. In fact, house plants are not difficult, providing you understand a few simple points.

House plants are not a special plant family. They are generally plants that cannot withstand cold tempertatures, so in a cooler climate, they must be grown indoors. They must, however, be given conditions as near to those where they grow in the wild, and are not primarily inanimate ornaments. 

No houseplant will survive indefinitely in a dark corner; many cannot stand hot, dry, stuffy rooms, and most will be killed in a short time if they are overwatered, although many can be revived if they have become short of water.   Light levels are always lower indoors than outside, so give your houseplant the lightest spot you can find, although many will not take to direct south or west sun in summer; if this is the case, move them out of the sun until the autumn.

Buy a good house plant book, preferably one that gives the country of origin and describes the conditions where the plant can be found in its native environment. Once you have bought your plant, find the position in your home that matches these conditions as nearly as possible. This will help your purchase to re-establish as quickly as it can. Always buy from a reputable source - generally this is not a garage forecourt or a dark shelf in an ironmonger's shop.

Some garden centres have better facilities for displaying house plants than others - ideally they should have areas with differing temperatures and light levels where the plants will be reasonably happy until they are sold. 

Check that the compost is not bone dry or soggy, and that smaller plants do not need immediate repotting. If the plants have clear plastic sleeves, try to inspect all the foliage, which can soon rot if bunched too tightly together. Never buy a plant which is not at its best; yellow, brown or falling leaves can indicate this.

Repotting

Repotting is not a routine job for many house plants, and many will survive for some time completely pot bound if they are well fed and watered. 

Resist the temptation to repot a brand new acquisition; let it settle down for a few weeks first. The obvious indication that a plant needs repotting is when the new growth starts to become stunted. Repotting should only take place in spring and early summer so the roots have a chance to become re-established beforw winter. Choose a pot no more than one or two sizes larger so there are no large pockets of compost which can become sour before the roots grow into them. A multi-purpose compost is suitable for smaller specimens, although a soil based John Innes type is better for large plants which may only need further repotting after several years.

A newly repotted flowering plant will start making fresh foliage first, and can stop flowering until the roots have reached the sides of the pot again. For this reason, it is best only to repot flowering houseplants when they stop flowering even when regularly fed.

Feeding

This is the time of year to begin feeding again after the winter rest. Any liquid or soluble plant food is better than none at all, but a balanced feed (such as Baby Bio) is more suited to foliage house plants, while flowering ones will perform better with a high potash feed such as Phostrogen or a specific tomato fertilizer.