How to Keep Holiday Plants Looking Beautiful

Do you find it difficult to keep your Christmas plants alive once you have them home? Maybe you received you plants as gifts early in the season, or you added them as a special touch to your holiday decorations. Learn these tips for keeping those holiday flowers and plants looking their best throughout the entire holiday season. Using colorful flowers will spruce up any table or room.

Christmas Cactus

Most Christmas cactus’ will bloom anywhere from October to December. This is why they are called Christmas cactus. The flowers on Christmas cacti differ from one to another. Some are red while others are pink, or violet. Christmas cactus grows best with indirect sunlight, moist soil, and a temperature of 60-70 degrees Fahrenheit. When properly taken care of Christmas cactus will last for many years.

Poinsettia

Poinsettia by far is the most popular Christmas plant. The big bright red leaves are easily recognizable. At Christmas time you will see poinsettia everywhere from churches to post offices. This cheerful plant is a traditional Christmas flower. Poinsettia grows the best under maximum natural light, but not direct sunlight. Place poinsettias in room where there is indirect bright light.

Poinsettias are very aware of temperature changes so keep them away from drafty areas. When watering used tepid water and be sure not to give the plant too much water. Poinsettias dislike hot and stuffy conditions so be sure to keep them away from direct heat sources like vents and stoves. Poinsettias typically last for 4-6 weeks.

Cyclamen

Cyclamen grow very much like the poinsettia. Make sure that you keep the cyclamen at a cool temperature around 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Smoke will discolor the cyclamen and like the poinsettia it also dislikes drafts. After the cyclamen flowers decrease watering, but make sure the soil remains humid. Remove any dead blooms from the pot. After the cyclamen has flowered you can store it away until the spring.

Turn the pot on its side and place it in a dark storage room. In spring you will see new shoots growing. After this happens take it out of the storage closet and place it in a sunny place or in your garden. The cyclamen will flower again in mid to late summer, after which time you can replant it and bring it inside for fall and winter.

Amaryllis

Although the amaryllis looks like a difficult plant to grow, it is in fact one of the easiest. The amaryllis has a powerful red flower and a bright green stem that matches all Christmas dÃ?©cor perfectly. This plant is very easy to have indoor and also very easy to bloom. Keep the soil moderately moist. This plant loves the heat of the sun so don’t worry about the indoor temperature if it is a little hot.

If you buy an amaryllis at the store it will most likely have already started to grow. If you planted it yourself after about 3 weeks your amaryllis plant will start to grow. Sometimes the green stem will fall over, but that is okay. Just place the plant is a sunny window and it will grow quickly.

After about 6 weeks of growing the amaryllis it will come into full bloom. The full bloom of the amaryllis produces huge red flowers. When properly cared for the amaryllis full bloom can last up to 2 weeks. This is a simple to grow, yet beautiful Christmas addition.