Get a little green in your life with our guide to the hardiest houseplants

Meet the hardy houseplants you really won’t kill. Promise

If you’re as likely to be found down the garden centre as Gwyneth is at Greggs, we’ve called on gardening hotties Harry and David Rich to tell us how to introduce some greenery into your life. The brothers are the youngest gold medallists at the celeb-packed Chelsea Flower Show, which is on this week, so if anyone knows their pot plants from their perennials, it’s them.

The one that talks

Need a plant that’ll holler when it’s ready for a drink? Then the Jade Plant is the housemate for you. “Succulents are quite easy to read,” says David. “You can tell from the plumpness of their leaves if they’re thirsty. I just put mine in the bath for a showering every couple of weeks.”

Best for dark places

Like Johnny Depp in his eyeliner days, Ivy loves hanging around in dark spaces. “It looks great in a hanging basket, or trailing off a shelf,” says Harry. “It’s fast growing and really easy to look after.”

The new ‘It’ plant

The cheese plant used to be an icon of the ’80s, but it’s now so 2017, it’s got its own Insta account (@cheese_plant). “It’s perfect if you want something that looks good, but don’t have the time to care for a flowering plant,” says Harry. “It has open leaves that get holes in them as they get bigger.”

The ‘forget about it’ fig

David says his Rubber Fig Tree is like the opposite of a needy girlfriend – he can forget about it for ages and it’s still happy. “The more mature the plant, the hardier it will be. I just stick my finger into the soil – if it’s dry about an inch down, I’ll water it.”