I am not much of a houseplant person and I blame this on an old flatmate from 40 years ago. She used to cram them into our freezing garret and then ignore them.

Whilst we put on duffle coats with the hoods up, the plants shivered and then died. Nothing is more miserable than being surrounded by dead house plants. On one occasion a previously handsome rubber plant shed all its leaves within ten days. The prospect of a visit from its (kindly?) donor led my friend to fix the leaves back on with dressmakers’ pins. It was a tricky operation that took two of us. Ouch! Was this early plant acupuncture? If it was, it failed! However I now grow streptocarpus, those large-leaved plants with airy wands of flower. I have one right by the kitchen sink and I’ve never needed it more than this March, penned in by freezing weather for the whole month. My simple blue ‘strep’ was a gift from Sibylle Kreutzberger, ex-Sissinghurst, and it nearly makes washing-up a pleasure. It spends the cooler months on a south-facing windowsill, but in summer it’s moved to an east or west-facing window away from full sun. In the wild, streptocarpus are found in shady rocky crevices in mountains, so they’ve evolved in coolish, dappled shade in well-drained soil. Dibleys, a family-run nursery from Ruthin in North Wales, specialise in streptocarpus and begonias. They were exhibiting at the Vincent Square show last week, winning a Silver Gilt medal. Their key advice is to water carefully because both over-watering and under-watering result in wilting foliage. It would be easy to spot floppy leaves and assume your streptocarpus was dry, when it isn’t. The best method of checking is to plunge your finger into the compost and feel for moisture. If still in doubt, lift the pot and feel the weight. A light pot needs water. Most of these houseplants are raised from species found in the ravines and valleys of the Drakensburg Mountains of Southern Africa. This had given rise to the common name of Cape Primrose and the large leaves are primrose-like, although the five-petalled flowers are not. The first to be introduced into this country was Streptocarpus rexii in 1826, a bluish-flowered species. Many others followed and deliberate crosses were made resulting in the hybrids found in many present-day seed mixes.

The very first of the modern named hybrids was ‘Constant Nymph’, bred at the John Innes Institute in 1946. Their compost recipes were developed to help professional growers. In 1969, the institute produced more crosses to offer the free-flowering varieties in several colours. These now form the basis of Dibleys’ range. The nursery has continued to breed and holds the best selection of named hybrids in the world.

Give these airy beauties a high potash feed in the growing season between spring and autumn. Dibleys sell tablets, prescribed at one a month, or you can water on tomato feed every three weeks. When potting or dividing, don’t put them into too large a pot. This will prevent flower. Old flowers also need to be removed. The sky-blue ‘Bethan’ and the free-flowering, ink-blue ‘Katie’ are both excellent. So if you have a west or east-facing windowsill try one. Dibleys sells plugs and full-sized plants by mail order, or you can visit. Dibleys – 01978 790677 or dibleys.com