Jo Malone London

With their exotic elegance and sculptural intricacy, orchids are the queens of indoor plants. They are also the star of our new Cattleya Flower Body Mist. But as one might expect of royalty, they can be extremely demanding and are known for their unpredictable behaviour.

• Here is how to tame yours:  
   
  • They like to face north. If you put them in sunlight coming from any other direction,  they sulk and their leaves go limp. 
   
• • Stare at them. They like attention. Flatter them. They prefer it when you speak to  them in French though – quelle horreur!  
   
• • Their watering requirements is not for the faint-hearted. They should be watered  regularly (in the morning, and avoiding the leaves) but definitely not soaked, and  should sometimes be left to dry out a little before re-watering. Follow the rule of:  weekly, but weakly. Oh, and they prefer bottled water.
   
• • Don’t let them sit in temperatures below 16.5°C. If you do, they will drop their flowers  to punish you. 
   
• • Use an orchid fertiliser bi-monthly, except between October to February – a period of  quiet contemplation for them when they don’t like to be disturbed.
   
• • Keep the stems pinned to sticks in their pots. Orchids are extremely tidy plants and  respond well to order. Left to grow without direction, they completely unravel and  their stems grow in chaotic, tangled circles. 
   
• • When it comes to pruning, don’t be shy. Be sure to cut diagonally and snip the stem  off just above the node. They’re fussy creatures and will initially mope but then bloom  when you least expect it. 
   
• • Put an orchid in a draught at your peril. They will have the plant version of a tantrum  and then will die dramatically just to have the last word.