Christmas House Plants
Submitted by Joan Regan
‘Tis the season to be Jolly. However, with the busy holiday season fast/very fast approaching indoor plants are far from our minds.
I am talking about the seasonal plants we are seeing all over now, not our usual house plants. Poinsettia, Christmas Cactus & Amaryllis. These are plants that say “it’s Christmas” as soon as we see them. Beautiful plants, ones that are gifts from friends or simply gifts to ourselves. Poinsettias, so beautiful, so majestic, so Christmas. They are available in so many colours, from a rich dark burgundy right through various shades of pinks to an almost pure white.
Having a century home with not much square footage, the smaller ones fit in with my Xmas decorating. Our small sitting room is red so I have been putting most of the white ceramic decorations out there and the white poinsettias sure fill the bill.
Amaryllis is another gorgeous plant that is sure to make a statement this time of the year. A few years ago I remember seeing a stunning photo of a Red Amaryllis in a Victorian magazine. It was in a wicker basket filled with Cedar boughs, WOW! Very simple but beautiful none the less.
Last, but not least, the Christmas Cactus. I’m not sure if mine will bloom this year. I put her in a dark corner, but not complete darkness. I remember my Mom putting hers in the linen cupboard with a tea towel pinned around it to keep out the light. It was a beautiful pink, almost fuchsia, as I remember, and always part of the center piece on the dining room table. A bit of a confused Cactus though, she gave us another showing around Easter time. Mom always got a kick out of this.
One thing these Christmas house plants have in common is they do NOT like drafts. So, when you purchase yours, make sure the entire plant is covered when walking to your car and do not leave it in the cold car. Second thing in common is they all seem to like light, not direct sunlight, but lots of light. Don’t have enough windows this time of year? Then just keep them under a lamp and they will do just fine.
Come the New Year I’ll pass along some hints to keep these beauties happy all year.
Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas spent with Family & Friends and all the best of the best in 2019.
Happy December Gardening,
Joni
519-596-2389 jpregan@amtelecom.net
A very special thank you for the correspondence, questions and your hints. I do love passing these things along. Merry Christmas!
