World of interiors: Houseplants add colour all winter long – and can even thrive on neglect

November is never much good for gardening but this year it’s an absolute stinker. Soils are drowned, lawns are like marshes and late flowers are wet and wind-bashed.

In the house, it’s a different story. Winter can be a glorious season for indoor plants, especially if you grow an interesting selection.

Near our French windows, a big fleshy-leaved Echeveria ‘Sahara’ has seldom looked prettier. The broad, grey-green leaves have developed undertones of violet, pink and aquamarine.

Scented pelargoniums come into the house each winter, too. Varieties such as Lemon Fancy and Ardwick Cinnamon provide fragrance and greenery all winter. Paperwhite narcissus bring a stronger perfume — but only for a few weeks.

Permanent foliage plants should be in good shape, too. If fed through summer, they’ll have the full complement of fresh leaves.

Indoor greenery helps to create a pleasant environment. But for extra joy you need flowering plants. Some, such as indoor cyclamen will flower for ages. Others, including dwarf chrysanthemums or poinsettias give cheerful colour for a few weeks.

Phalaenopsis orchids, Britain’s most popular houseplants, carry gorgeous flowers for months. What’s more, they will do so in poor light and even when neglected.

FLORAL GLORY

If you don’t raise your own flowering houseplants, try a ready-grown one. They can be expensive but will look beautiful from the moment you get them home. Pot plants make delightful gifts, too and last a lot longer than cut flowers.

Stores such as Waitrose or M&S offer indoor cyclamen or Christmas cactus in ceramic planters from about £12 upwards. But garden centres and nurseries will probably have a wider range.

Wherever you buy, always check for quality. Any sale plant should look perky and fresh. Cyclamen should have erect flower stems, lush foliage and plenty of buds.

With care and regular watering, cyclamen should flower until spring. They’re perennial and could flower again next year if you keep the tubers. With a greenhouse, you can grow your own from seed. You can also collect seed from purchased pot plants and try growing those. If left attached, seed pods will ripen and rupture by spring. When they do, gather seeds and sow them into a pot filled with fast-draining compost. Cover with a thin layer of coarse grit.

OLD STYLE BEAUTIES

Less well-known, Primula obconica is an outstanding winter houseplant. Clusters of primrose-shaped flowers are carried on slender stems. Colours run through soft blues and mauves through pinks to white. Flowering continues through spring and you can divide these as you would perennials.

There’s a catch, though. In old varieties of P. obconica, an allergen called primin caused contact dermatitis with some people. Modern varieties don’t contain primin but if you have sensitive skin, primulas are probably best avoided.

A gorgeous winter oldie, Pericallis is a bushy plant smothered with colourful daisy flowers. Plain or bicoloured, they include vivid blues, pinks, purples and white. Formerly known as cinerarias, they’re superb conservatory plants, usually grown through summer to flower from autumn onwards.

Of all houseplants though, Indian azaleas are undisputed queens. Long-lived, evergreens with neat leaves, they’re covered with flowers from winter to early spring. Colours can be pink, near-red or white, often with striking two-tone petals.