Hardy Greens

• Firstly, opt for plants that do not require too much maintenance. Cactii and succulent plants i.e. ones with fleshy leaves retain water for much longer. Hence, they need to be watered once in four to five days.
  
  
• Water plants are another great option. Try dancing or spiral bamboos (Feng Shui or good luck plants) and money plants. All you need to do is fill up the pot completely with water.
  
  
• If you prefer flowering plants, opt for plants like bougainvilleas or champa. They do not require much care.

Keep 'em Damp

• Buy large plant trays for your potted plants. Fill them up with water. This way the soil will remain damp from bottom up.
  
  
• Use a cocopeat potting mixture. It absorbs thrice the amount of moisture than normal soil. But if you don't want to bother re-potting the plants, just fill in a layer of cocopeat above the existing soil.
  
  
• Crystallized gel absorbs water and keeps the soil moist. You can buy this from your local plant nursery.

Sunny Side

Lastly, don't forget to place the plants next to the window and keep the curtains open. The sunlight that streams in should be sufficient.

Extended Vacation?

Just in case you are going out of town for more than a week, here's what you can do.

• If you have a trustworthy neighbour, leave your house keys with her. Ask her to water your plants once in two days.
  
  
• Leave your potted plants out in the garden and ask the gardener to water them for you. If the plants need special care make sure to instruct the gardener accordingly. You could pay him for the service.

(With inputs from Mahrukh Kajotia, Owner of Green Grower, Mumbai)