Christmas Plants
Loving Christmas for Christmas inspiration
I love the Christmas season, so it is no surprise that seasonal Christmas plants play a part in my celebrations. In a way, we bring our gardens inside during this holiday more than any other. We cut pine branches and holly, make garlands, and wreaths, surround candles, ornament mantles, with all sorts of natural reminders of the outdoors. With Christmas plants however, we have particular elements of the garden for living color and scent.
Poinsettias say Christmas
Poinsettia
What plant makes you think of Christmas ( besides the Christmas tree, of course)? I know for me, it is the poinsettia. Hybridizers have made the poinsettia an interior decoration diva.
There are so many color variations now, purple, red-orange, pink,white, as well as the traditional bright Christmas red varieties are available. I’ve even seen spotted and
striped.. as well as the unusual colors, an example of what’s available, here.
How to care for your holiday poinsettias?
- indirect sunlight for at least six hours per day,direct sun should be avoided.
- room temperatures between 68 - 70° F.
- water your plant when the soil feels dry to the touch. (don’t let it wilt, or the lower leaves drop.)
- protect your plant between store your home -keep tightly closed in a large bag
Fun Facts about the Poinsettia
How to Take Care of Poinsettias in Your Home
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All About Poinsettias
Chilies or Ornamental Peppers
Chile plants, with their vibrant colors and spicy edible peppers, are turning up the heat on traditional holiday plants in greenhouses and on nursery shelves -Albuquerque Tribune
I’ve been adding the ornamental peppers to my summer containers, so I can attest to their attractiveness. It has been a longstanding tradition for Southwest American homes to use the brightly colored chilies in garlands and ornaments, so for a Tex Mex theme these plants are good for anytime of the year. They are a bit newer to those in the North, but could be a very welcome sight with their beautiful color.
If you wanted to grow your own (which is very easy from seed) the time frame for beginning would be during July in the summer months, but thankfully those in the plant trade will have some ready for this year, and if you like them you can plan next years holiday plants with your own “Christmas in July” preparations.
U of A Plant of the Week
OSU Ornamental Pepper Cultivar Trial
More Tips
More from the Albuquerque Tribune
Rosemary Trees
Every year I buy one or two rosemary trees, usually at Whole Foods Market. And every year I enjoy them, but can’t keep them much longer than the holiday season. It is usually a case of the unevenness of my watering practices, since they dried out. But I love having these little Christmas-tree-shaped and fragrant plants so much that I get new ones each year, anyway. This year I am going to use one of my large outdoor pots to plant one in, maybe with a trim of variegated ivy at its base. I’m hoping the larger pot will retain the moisture longer without water logging and thus solve my problem of such a short lived plant (although no shorter time span than Poinsettias). The key to some of these Christmas plant is to give them the growing conditions they like- and they are a bit pickier than the usual indoor plant selections.
Whole Foods Rosemary Tree photo by Yusuke Toyoda
How to care for your Rosemary trees?
- bright light in a sunny exposure
- room temperatures between 63–65°F
- water your plant to keep somewhat moist, but not soggy. Don’t let it dry out completely.
- think about repotting into a larger pot than the one purchased within.
Christmas Cactus
These were Grandma’s favorites, which were probably ‘Schlumbergera x. buckleyi‘, and they are plants that can live a long time given care. Succulent type leaves tipped with piñata colored flowers create a festive air, they are more tolerant of the dryness of our indoor heated rooms. Christmas cacti are available in a number of colors and there are three types of plants that bloom around Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter.
How to care for your Schlumbergera?
- bright light in a sunny exposure
- room temperatures between 70 to 80 °F,night temperatures between 55 and 65 °F
- water your plant when dry, likes to be slightly under-watered.
- best when somewhat potbound
Norfolk Island Pine
The perfect little Christmas tree is a year ’round houseplant. I had one for many years, its true name is ‘Araucaria Hetrophylla‘, and for most of us it stays a manageable size, but in its own habitat is known to reach 100 feet! It is offered at Christmas time and I used to decorate it with tiny white paper snowflakes that I had made.
What keeps Norfolk Island Pines happy?
- bright light
- room temperatures between 60 to 70 °F
- Keep consistently moist, but not overwatered and waterlogged.
- Loves humidity, so if you have a small mister, give it a spritz of water
Norfolk Island Pine
Norflk Island Pine TLC
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