Houseplants make good Christmas gifts but many require special care. Spray azaleas and winter cherries often with tepid water for extra humidity; cyclamens need a moist atmosphere, but water them from the bottom to avoid rotting the corm; and place poinsettias in a sunny window and water well.
Protect autumn-planted evergreen shrubs from being withered by drying east winds. Drape a sheet of thin polythene, supported by two or three bamboo canes, round the young plants.
