FIVE HOUSE PLANTS FOR THE HOLIDAYS

Hi Friends! Adding holiday color with houseplants is one of my favorite ways to decorate. These five wonderful house plants for the holidays are sure to look great in your home. These are also easy to give as gifts!

Plant # 1- Poinsettias

Poinsettias are a popular option because of their striking color and their ability to last a long time. Red or yellow (almost white) Poinsettias are the most common and are available at home improvement stores and garden centers closer to Christmas. Pink, orange, cream, white and mixed colors Poinsettias are now available too. I once had the opportunity to visit a Poinsettia farm in Iowa and it was an experience I won’t forget. These beauties are simply stunning!

One great way to decorate with poinsettias is to place it in a pretty planter that goes with your décor. Multiple plants create a more striking visual effect. These plants also come in different sizes so chose the size that works best for your space.

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Poinsettias come in many different colors and sizes. Red is the most common. Grouping several together creates a stunning visual effect.

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Here are several tips to help buy and care for your poinsettia.

• Check the plant and make sure the leaves are healthy and are not drooping, falling off, or damaged. Buy plants that aren’t sitting right next to colder doorways or have been placed outside in the cold. Poinsettias are tropical plants and do best in warmer temperatures.
• Poinsettias do not do well if it sits in water and overwatering could cause damage to the plant. Make sure to water just enough and check the soil often to and water it only when the soil feels dry.
• Bright light is best for these plants. If the leaves start to drop try moving the plant to a brighter spot.
• I don’t typically try to save these plants for the next year but know several people who have successfully been able to do so. The plants need to be trimmed in April and require 12 hours of darkness closer to the time when you want the leaves to turn red if you would like to try growing it again next year.

Plant #2 – Christmas Cactus

Christmas Cactus is a great option if you want bright blooms close to the holidays. These pretty plants come in many different colors and are widely available in garden centers.

These plants have a reputation for being easy to grow and with good reason. I love the texture and color of the leaves! The picture above shows a plant that does not have blooms. When the plant starts to bloom it is beautiful! Christmas cactus typically comes in white, pink and red.

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Christmas cactus is easy to grow! Consider adding this plant as part of your décor for the season.

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I’ve found that the following growing tips help to keep this catcus in great shape.

• Christmas cactus does well in bright light but not direct sunlight. Direct sunlight could damage the leaves.
• Regular water is important to keep the plant looking healthy and it does not like to sit in water similar to many other plants.
• Average temperatures around 70 degrees is best.

Plant #3 – Rosemary Christmas Tree

Rosemary plants shaped like christmas trees are popular right now. This was the first year I actually bought one and was so glad that I did. It looks great and smells really good too!

In AZ it grows outside year-round and does really well because we have milder winters. If you live in a region with colder winters, you’ll have to keep your plant indoors when the temperatures are below 30 degrees.

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Rosemary trees and really bushed shaped like trees. They smell great and look perfect!

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Here are some tips to keep your plant happy and happy and healthy.

• Rosemary is easy to grow as long as it gets 6-8 hours of sunlight. Sunny south-facing windows are best.
• It needs regular water and an occasional misting won’t hurt too!
• Rosemary is a hardy plant and does not require a lot of care. It doesn’t really need fertilization either.
• If you live in a milder winter region you might want to plant it outside.
• If you’d like to retain the shape, you’ll need to trim it regularly. You can always use the clippings in your favorite dishes!

Plant # 4 – Amaryllis

Amaryllis is one of my favorite christmas plants! It comes in a variety of different colors and looks great too. In order to save on costs, I bought Amaryllis bulbs and planted them in pots. I was not disspointed 6 weeks later when the bulbs started to flower!

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Amaryllis is a holiday favorite and so easy to grow from bulbs. A great way to add holiday color!

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Here are some tips to grow Amaryllis.

• Select the largest bulbs that you can find. Larger bulbs will produce more flowers. Make sure the bulbs don’t feel hollow or look unhealthy.
• Place the bulbs in a pot that is just a little larger than the bulbs. This helps to anchor the bulb and give it adequate support. A good potting mix works well for growing the bulbs.
• Once the bulbs are planted give them adequate water. It typically takes about 6-12 weeks to bloom.
• Amaryllis prefer temperatures in the 70’s as they grow in warmer regions of the world.
• A window is best for these plants as it needs adequate light to grow. Rotate the plant so that it does not try to reach toward the light.
• Once the flowers appear you may need to support the stems if they get too heavy.
• If you’d like to have flowers throughout the Christmas season it’s best to succession plant. This means that you’ll need to plant bulbs a few weeks apart so that the flowers appear in succession.
• Amaryllis bulbs can bloom again the following year if given proper care.

If you don’t want to grow it yourself you can order these plants. White flower nursery carries them although I have not ordered them before as I have always grown them from bulbs. Growing from bulbs is a much cheaper option!

Plant # 5 – Paperwhites

These beautiful white flowers are fragrant and beautiful! It’s easy to incorporate these lovely plants into almost any decor palette. The best way to grow it is from bulbs. It takes about 4-6 weeks to bloom from the time it’s planted.

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These pretty white flowers are a wonderful way to add to your holiday décor. Plant several together for maximum effect.

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Here are my best tips for paperwhites

• Since these plants can get tall and leggy it’s best to plant multiple blubs together to get the maximum visual effect. Bulbs can be planted close together.
• The bulbs do best if they are placed in a darker spot away from sunlight until the roots form. Typically about 3 weeks after potting. After the roots form, place the plants by a sunny window.
• Similar to Amaryllis, paperwhites should be succession planted so that you can enjoy blooms for longer. Planting 3-4 weeks apart works well.
• These bulbs can be grown in pebbles rather than potting mix. I haven’t yet tried growing it this way but I’ve seen many articles where it has been successfully done.

Each of these plants are great gift options! In order to create a more personal gift, I recommend removing it from the packaging and placing it in a pretty planter. For plants that grow from bulbs, you can experiment with different containers. It’s best to plant the bulbs about 4-5 weeks prior to when you’d like to give it as a gift. That way it’ll have buds and will bloom a little later giving the recipient a chance to enjoy it for longer.

Let me know if there are other plants that you enjoy giving as gifts during the holiday season. Don’t forget to pin your favorite flowers on Pinterest and checkout my Instagram feed for more floral inspiration! If you enjoyed this post you might like my post on decorating for the holidays too.

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