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For houseplants to suit a Mediterranean style interior, pots should be brightly painted, or rough terracotta. Bright bold plants are the order here - oleander, kalanchoë, bougainvillea, and cacti would look ideal in colourwashed rooms. Pelargoniums (geraniums) are also typical of this region.

Indoor plants can add welcome colour to neutral interiors, helping them to look less bland. White flowering plants like stephanotis, gardenia and jasmine or foliage plants with beautifully marked leaves - fittonia, peperomia - will be soothing to look at. Matt-textured pots look more neutral than shiny ones.

This style of interior needs simple graphic plants to match its clean lines. Cacti and succulents (like this aloe), bromeliads, or mother-in-law's tongue all suit this style; or show off one really large 2m-high foliage plant like a giant ficus or philodendron. Containers should be metal, ceramic or glass.

Feminine, elegant interiors deserve a classy kind of houseplant. Decorate your mirrored dressing table with pretty orchids to match your satin bedcovers; hydrangeas and pot roses in pastel shades look sexy and ladylike too. Hide plastic pots inside decorative vases.

Large plants with simple impact are needed with the heavy dark furniture and ornate fabrics typical of this style. Try palms and large-leaved tropical houseplants, particularly philodendrons. There are many different palm species available; look for Chamaerops, Areca and Rhapis, as these are perhaps the best for home conditions. Or for a wonderful splash of colour, try guzmania. Look for brass planters, wooden tubs and handmade pottery containers.

The Victorians' cool, dark rooms suited ferns ideally - there were also fashion crazes for planting ferneries at the time. Typically Edwardian is the aspidistra - a very sturdy and long-lived plant with long dark leaves; and Rex begonias, with their deep metallic colouring, tone well with the dark plums, bronzes and greens of contemporary furnishings. Ornate brass containers, decorated glazed ceramic pots and cut glass vases suit the mood of these interiors best.

Cottages and rustic-style homes suit a loose, informal style of plant. Good ones to try are campanula, ferns, pot roses, indoor jasmine, and ivy. Terracotta and painted wood make containers in keeping with the style.

If you like plenty of colour in your home, you will find plenty of plants to suit your style. Bromeliads have bright 'flower' spikes in vivid colours; look out for begonias, pot mums, gerberas and kalanchoes too. Match containers and plant colour - or try some funky clashes!