GARDENS

Springtime trends: from house plants to evergreens

Green up your home’s interiors with cacti or aloe vera, while outside you need to start pruning
Buddleia needs pruning now; leave it and it will be vast by the end of the year
Buddleia needs pruning now; leave it and it will be vast by the end of the year
JANE LEGATE/GETTY IMAGES

It’s still cold outside but the snow has gone from most areas, which means that your garden requires your attention as part of a spring makeover. Follow these tips for horticultural chic, indoors and out.

House plants, for so long seen as outdated, are a growing trend thanks to social media, where people are sharing images of cacti and aloe vera. Sales of cacti are up 18 per cent at Wyevale garden centres, spurred by demand from millennials who want to personalise a small space in a shared flat.

The passion for house plants is even creeping into literature. I have just read the bestseller Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, winner of the 2017 Costa first novel award. The socially awkward heroine’s best friend