With the recent warm weather, here are some essential hot strep tips.

Streptocarpus species flourish best in the dappled sunlight found in Southern Africa's mountainous forests. Recreate these ideal conditions and your plants will thrive too.

During the warmer summer months, Streptocarpus plants can exhibit signs of wilting during the hottest part of the day. Don't overwater in response to this temporary condition. The plants will pick up once it cools down in the evening.

Watering: Treat each plant as an individual - and there are no hard and fast rules. Because one plant needs watering it doesn't necessarily follow that others do. Plants with a large leaf area will use much more water than those with a small leaf area. You can tell whether a plant needs watering by feeling the weight of the pot and by feeling the top 1cm of the compost - it needs to be light and dry. It doesn't matter whether you water from above or below, the most important thing is not to over-water. A good tip is to water last thing at night or first thing in the morning. Another method to decide whether you need to water is to use a moisture meter.

When going away on holiday, many try relying on friends and neighbours, only to find their green treasures drowned and destroyed! It's often better to put your plants somewhere dull and cool. Your plants should be fine for a fortnight, even up to three weeks.

For your houseplants, you could try using perlite or clay pebbles in a drip tray which will help with drainage, creating humidy and preventing overwatering. Other useful items to try are self-watering trays, plant misters and plant watering devices such as our Self Watering Flute, Nelly and Birdy. These do the "work" with the help of the easy-to-fill body and the clay cone placed in the compost, which gradually releases the water to the plants. These extend watering by several days.