Q. My family and friends know that I adore plants and are in the habit of presenting me with new ones on my birthday in early January. Amongst the gorgeous ones I received this time is a stunning orchid which is in full bloom and has two shoots, very long ones, with buds on them. I understand that it is a Cymbidium but have no idea how best to care for it. Please guide me. I reside in Karachi.

A. Cymbidiums, like all orchids, really are beautiful and your concern is understandable. It’s best to place in an east facing window or on a very sheltered east facing wall outdoors, where they get the necessary early morning light that encourages them to flower. This ‘Epiphyte’ orchid grows on rocks and trees in its natural habitat and obtains nourishment through its leaves and aerial roots. When in flower, spray daily, with warm water, to maintain humidity but be careful not to overwater the actual ‘growing’ pot: this must be well drained to avoid development of fungal rot. Provide support to long shoots, carefully tying them in as they are brittle, to prevent them from breaking off. Re-pot, after flowering, every other year. Use a soil-less growing medium consisting of approximately two parts well rotted leaf mould, coconut husk, fully rotted bark to one part of pure wood charcoal and clean bone chips. An occasional foliar feed — organic is preferable — will help maintain general plant health.

Have you been presented with an unfamiliar plant? Seek Zahrah Nasir’s

help for tips on how best to take care of it

Q. My son gave me a ‘Christmas cacti’ two years ago but, while the plant looks healthy enough, it failed to flower in winter. What can be the reason for this and what should I do to ensure flowers next season?

A. Schlumbergera x buckleyi, otherwise known as ‘Christmas or Easter cacti’ depending on when the plant is expected to flower, can be very temperamental and, over time, develop a mind of their own about coming into bloom. There are, however, various facts to consider: the plants need partial shade not full sun; rich, well-draining, soil conditions are essential; they have a habit of coming into bloom in the same month, of the following year, that they were originally propagated from seed or from cuttings. Look after your plant well and towards next Christmas, take a few cuttings to, hopefully, ensure flowers the following December.

Cyclamen

Q. My husband kindly gifted me a pot of Cyclamen a few weeks ago. The flowers, there were many of them over a few weeks, are dying back. How best to conserve the plant so we can enjoy it when it blooms again and how can it be multiplied?

A. Keep your pots of Cyclamen in a shady, well-ventilated, spot and allow the flowers to fully die back when, if you are lucky, you may find that they have set a few seeds. If so, wrap the seeds in foil, put in a sealed container and place in the freezer — not fridge — until the end of August when they can be sown, just under the surface of top class, organic compost, in pots, in the shade. Keep the pots moist — not wet — and germination should occur, sporadically, over the following three months. Transplant the seedlings into individual pots when large enough to handle and grow on in dappled shade. Once your existing plants have died back, withhold water for three months, and then begin watering again. Alternatively, transfer the corms into a well-drained, shady, garden spot and give them a chance to naturalise and they will multiply if happy.

Christmas cacti

Q. We purchased a lovely selection of Coleus, in pots, from a nursery in Pattoki and really enjoy their colourful leaves brightening up the outdoor veranda where we like to have tea each evening. They were small and compact at first but have got tall and thin with spikes of blue flowers. Should we leave the flowers to form seeds or can the plants be increased by root division and how to stop them getting too tall?

A. Nip the outgrowing tips and flower spikes as they form to keep ‘Coleus’ compact. They can be multiplied from collected seed but it is easier and faster to do so from cuttings. These should be taken from the strongest stems of the parent plant, be three to four inches long and planted to one third of their length in good, well-draining, compost. Keep the cuttings watered, not soaking wet, and they will grow rapidly.

Q. I have a nice collection of succulents growing in assorted clay pots in my rooftop garden in Rawalpindi. The roof gets too hot for other plants in summer but succulents are happy. The problem is that they are dull in colour. It would be nice to have something bright. Suggestions please?

A. The perfect solution and imaginative ‘quick fix’ is to mix up food colouring and inject it, just beneath the leaf surface, into your existing succulents. It takes a few days for the dye to circulate but the long lasting result can be incredible!

Q. Is it okay to use kitchen water on my assorted houseplants? I reside in Nazimabad, Karachi and our area is often short of water. I need to find a solution but I do not want to spoil my plants.

A. Yes. Perfectly okay as long as the water does not contain noxious cleaning agents, cooking oil, etc. and is strained to remove any bits of food debris which would smell or attract ants, cockroaches or worse!

Please continue sending your gardening queries to zahrahnasir@hotmail.com. Remember to include your location. The writer will not respond directly by email. Emails with attachments will not be opened.

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, February 22nd, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play