FIVE LOVELY PLANTS

1. ALOE VERA (Barbados aloe): a very undemanding desert plant, above, with sharp spiky leaves and tubular flowers. Can withstand both direct sunlight and damp and humid conditions. 2. CHINESE MONEY PLANT ( Pilea peperomiodes): can be tricky to find but worth the search. Its lily-pad shaped leaves on long stems have a white spot in their centre.

3. MONEY PLANT ( Crassula ovata): a bringer of fortune. It needs little attention but is happiest in direct light. 4. PURPLE LEAF FALSE SHAMROCK ( Oxalis triangular is subsp. papilionacea): each stem has three butterfly-shaped leaves that fold up at night. Pretty pink flowers in spring.

5. STRING OF BEADS ( Senecio rowleyanus): trails prettily from a hanging planter. It looks delicate but is hardy and requires infrequent watering.