Here are top plant care tips for amateurs

Winter is perhaps the harshest season on plants and flowers. With cold temperatures and bad weather, it becomes difficult for the flora to survive.

Here are tips on how to encourage winter plant survival and it could be a lifesaver!

Outdoor plants need more attention in winter as the colder temperature and bad weather takes its toll.

Firstly, one needs to clear away the debris. Most summer plants will begin to die away or go into a sort of hibernation. One needs to help them by clearing away debris and covering delicate plants to shield them from cold.

Secondly, annual flowers, plants and vegetables should be pruned and blackened foliage removed to prevent them from harbouring disease.

Thirdly, spreading a new layer of mulch is highly recommended in winter and will feed your plants in the coming seasons.

Apart from these, here are few other tips which might help in general.

• Do not tip tea and coffee into plant containers as the sugar left in compost makes it an ideal place for flies to breed and ruin plants.
• Trough planters reduce noise and help in creating barriers.
• Do not over water, it kills plants. If in doubt, leave watering for a day.
• Keep the blinds open and the thermostat up if you have indoor plants.
• Variegated plants need more light than their green cousins. Keep them nearer to a window so that they can get all the light that they need.
• Plants acclimatise slowly to different surroundings by changing their leaf orientation and structure. If you can, try not to move them around, as they may not adapt as easily as you think.
• Regularly prune your plants to stop them becoming 'leggy'. Once they've lost the foliage on their lower branches, it's very difficult to get it to return.