Your indoor plants need love too

Armed with a few tips and patience, anyone can care for a variety of plants that will help enliven any living space. And remember: plants add levity to any room.

Plants bring atmosphere into your home. When choosing a plant, consider carefully where you're going to put it in order to enhance your decor and ensure its survival.

Plants are not only beautiful, they increase the humidity level of a room. That's good for the overall climate and, ultimately, for your health. This is especially important in winter, when the heat is often on and can be very drying.

• Bear in mind that big plants, like gum trees, produce more humidity than smaller ones.
• Select plants that are particularly effective for counteracting offgassing chemicals and contributing to balanced internal humidity. Among those plants are: areca palms, dwarf date palms, Boston ferns, rubber plants and peace lilies. Plants kept in water (such as bamboo), with no need for dirt, can increase this effect.
• Don't fill your bedroom with plants, as they use up oxygen and produce carbon dioxide at night.

Cutting plants back regularly is important for both controlling and encouraging growth. Careful pruning can help your plants grow strong and it's a good way to shape certain plants.

• Prune plants once a year, but exactly when depends on the type of plant. Learn each of your plants' best pruning times first.
• Increase the number of shoots and blooms by pruning the main shoot. This will cause it to sprout new shoots.
• Make the cut straight, no matter why or where you prune.
• Cut plants that spend the summer on a balcony or patio downward at a 45-degree angle to allow rainwater to flow off.

With a little TLC, your plants will reward you with healthy foliage and lush blooms. It's not hard to keep your plants healthy.

• Check new plants thoroughly for pests before buying. Indoor plants can be susceptible to spider mites, aphids and other troublesome creatures that spread easily.
• Carefully dust your plants from time to time to let the leaves breathe.
• Wipe plants with larger leaves with diluted beer to make them shine.
• Immediately remove wilted blooms and leaves to keep them from attracting bugs.
• Prevent a harmful accumulation of water by occasionally loosening the soil. Repotting your plants? Make sure that the new pots' drain holes are clear. Line the bottoms with seashells or slightly curved shards from broken clay pots to keep the holes open to provide drainage, but keep the dirt from flowing out.
• Pay attention to your potting soil: a mixture of strained compost, garden soil and sand is a good bet. Also, eggshells (for calcium), coffee grounds and black tea make an excellent natural fertilizer. If you have some tea left in the pot, give a little to your plants.
• Avoid moving or turning your plants around: even a slight change in position causes many houseplants to shed their leaves.
• Move them away from heating registers or drafty windows; leaving them directly exposed to either one is the equivalent of leaving outdoor plants unprotected from the elements.
• Water plants more sparingly during the cold months, as winter is a time of rest for most plants. Also, keep them in rooms with cooler temperatures, if possible.