Cheese plant

It’s grey today and not overly warm. There’s not much gardening going on, and not much growing – although the snow drops have come up early due to the odd winter weather we have been having. Plenty of people are getting itchy green fingers and starting to sow seeds, but if you’re worried that it may be too early (what would you do with leggy seedlings in the event of a late frost?) then you may prefer to turn your attentions to houseplants instead.

In episode 65 of the Alternative Kitchen Garden Show I talked about growing your own fresh air – using houseplants to clean up your indoor environment and help prevent ‘sick building syndrome’ that can lead to all kinds of niggling health complaints.

And the Flower Council of Holland have created a new website called Me and My Plant where you can take a quick test and discover which houseplant would be your perfect partner. It’s a bit of fun for a grey afternoon, and I got paired with ‘Peter the Phalaenopsis’, which tickled Pete no end. They’re also giving away copies of the ‘Me and My Plant’ houseplant handbook, which is great if you don’t have the greenest fingers.

It also looks as if you can create an account on the website and be notified when it’s time to water your plant – a handy reminder for people like me who are rubbish at watering. Unfortunately my sign up hasn’t quite gone according to plan, so I can’t let you know how it works at the moment! I am sure it will be fixed soon….

If you do have a look at the site and take the test, do come back and share which plant you have been partnered with! I have been given a Kalanchoe to give away, so I will enter everyone who leaves a comment (and who is a UK resident) into a prize draw at the end of the month. Don’t forget to leave your email address if you want to be in with a chance of winning!