I HAVE often said that in gardening, sometimes ignorance can be bliss.

Those who learn their horticultural craft on their own, through hands-on practical experience, as opposed to professional training or guided apprenticeship, often blunder blissfully through the do's and don'ts of gardening.

If you do not appreciate how difficult it is to transplant a Daphne, and boldly carry out the procedure unknowingly undaunted, you probably have far more chance of succeeding than if you do it with a nervous apprehension.

Such is the attitude of one of my colleagues. I have never had much success with poinsettias (in fact I don't do very well with indoor plants at all), managing to get them to just about hang in through the 12 days of Christmas, but my friend had managed to keep hers going for over nine years.

I remarked on her green touch, and filled her in on the technical difficulties of keeping the plant hidden away for long periods, drought and feeding times. Wrong.

For the following year, the plant died.

She had been made aware that what she was doing was difficult.

Despite this, the poinsettia, or euphorbia pulcherrima, is the UK's best selling house plant for Christmas. We have officially made it to the month of December so I feel as though I can talk abut Christmas now. I can start to get excited and immerse myself in the festive spirit.

The poinsettia was named after an American ambassador to Mexico (1825-29) who was a keen botanist and gardener. In Mexico, it is now classed as a weed. Mr Poinsett fell out of favour too, becoming renowned for his intrusive policies, akin to the plant's behaviour in its native land where it can reach 15 or 20 feet high.

It is a member of the Euphorbia family, along with a wide range of other 'spurges', many of which survive well in our cool climate. The Christmas one, however, does not fare well here, even in a centrally heated environment.

Much more reliable might be a hyacinth bulb or two. The blooms of this plant are almost guaranteed to fill every room of your house with an intoxicating floral perfume. They like a cool but bright spot in the house and can be planted out in the garden once they have finished flowering.

Cyclamens are another seasonal favourite, and in particular the indoor cyclamen, cyclamen persicum.

This delicate plant is fine on a cool windowsill, but prefers to be watered from underneath, on a saucer. This prevents the corm from getting waterlogged and going rotten. To keep them flowering, cut off spent blooms.

Most basket gifts contain an azalea.

These are more often than not the Indian azalea, or rhododendron simsii. They usually have bright pink or purple flowers, and if kept deadheaded will provide a stunning centrepiece for up to two months.

They prefer a cooler room, and little watering. Rain water works best, and if you want to indulge them, treat them to a mug of cold, black tea.

Finally, Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without the Christmas cactus. Schlumbergera x buckleyi does well in a house warmed by central heating and doesn't need to be in direct light to flower well. It is a low maintenance plant, needing only an occasional misting to keep it bright and perky.

Even I should be able to liven up my living room with these winter beauties. If I try and pretend that I don't know how to look after them, them perhaps they stand a chance of lasting past February.

READER'S QUESTION

WHILST we are on the Christmas theme, I have had a letter from Phyllis who is getting her Christmas tree this weekend.

She knows that it is early, but she believes that if a tree is being cut down, then she may as well enjoy it for as long as possible. She wants to know what she can do to make sure that it looks good for as long as possible.

THE first thing that you have to do is ease the transition from outdoor to indoor, by storing the tree in a midway house, such as a garage or cool greenhouse for a few days. The trunk should be standing in a bucket of water. If you can, use rain water.

Next, make sure that when it is placed in its Christmas position that it is not too near a radiator, nor in a cool draught. Direct sunshine is not good either.

The base needs to be able to draw upon a constant source of water, so a big watertight pot would be ideal.

Custom made tree stands often come with a hidden reservoir. You do have to remember to keep these topped up every day. Again, rainwater, or stored water is best.

A daily spray with a water mister also prevents needle drop. If all else fails, you can cheat and go over the branches with a strong hair spray.

JOBS THIS MONTH

CHECK for suckers growing out from the base of ornamental cherry trees. They will be gathering strength for next spring's spurt, so do not want to waste anything by growing the ugly little side shoots.

Cut, or pull them off as close to the trunk as possible.

CHECK the health of dahlia and gladioli corms in the greenhouse.

Any that are showing signs of mould or damp should be discarded.

GIVE all your houseplants a treat by wiping the leaves with a damp cloth.