Blooming plants are wonderful gifts to brighten our homes for the holiday season. Knowing what makes them happy keeps the color show going.
Poinsettias are the traditional favorite. Red is the natural color and all other colors and variations are mutations that have been “hybridized” to give us choices.
The red color is actually a bract of red leaves that attract pollinators to the little yellow flowers in the center of the bract. Poinsettias are native to Mexico which means that winter cold is not their choice.
To keep them happy, protect them from cold drafts and keep the soil moist … like a cake is moist. If they dry to the point of wilting, they will definitely drop leaves to compensate (complain) for the lack of moisture. The flowers will mature and drop, but the red bract can last for several months.
Bright light keeps them happy … low light will result in a gradual loss of green leaves.
Amaryllis bulbs are another gift choice for this holiday season. Again, not a native of cold climates, but grown indoors, they present a dramatic display of dazzling big flowers in shades of red, pink, white, and variegations.
The bulbs are often sold in a potting kit, and the fun part is the dramatic rate of growth once the flower spike emerges. Like many spring blooming bulbs, the flower buds are already formed in the bulb when it goes dormant, meaning that if you want a repeat performance, you have to give the bulb the opportunity to reestablish that bud in the bulb for the next year … yes, I did say for the next year. If you have it in a location with low light, the flower stalk and leaves will stretch and that’s not a good thing.
After the flowers have finished, cut off that stalk but NOT the leaves. The leaves feed the bulb, and that is essential if you want to see the flower cycle repeat.
In recent years, a new twist is the “waxed” bulb that does not get planted. It is just anchored and the flower stalk emerges because it is time for that to happen. When the flowers are finished, it hits the compost or garbage, a sad farewell!
Christmas cactus are another popular but finicky winter bloomer. Once they are acclimated to their “spot”, they resent being moved. Being a form of cactus, they like growing on the dry side except when the flower buds have developed. Letting them dry out will definitely shorten the bloom season.
Christmas cactus prefer bright light but will acclimate to indirect light; however, it will not stay as compact. Often they will do a repeat bloom about six to eight weeks after their initial show.
Like poinsettias, the short day length is what initiates flower buds. They are happiest root bound and can continue growing in a six- to eight-inch pot for years.
Another fun gift is paper white narcissus bulbs. They can be grown in water in a container of pebbles or rocks because you are just coaxing the bulbs to bloom, not a long term keepsake. Growth is rapid, that’s the fun part.
The not so fun part is the fragrance … it is extremely heavy. That’s great if you like it, not so great if you don’t!