5 Holiday Plants You Will Love
6-minute read
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Winter has set in, and the holidays are around the corner. I am a little late getting this post written this year. We are moving and packing, and all has taken over my holiday mojo, but sharing with you my 5 favorite holiday plants is necessary! Here are 5 holiday plants you will love.
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History of Holiday Plants
Caring for Holiday Plants
The Famous Poinsettia
Cyclamen
Peace Lily
Amaryllis
Holiday Cactus
History of Holiday Plants
So, what makes a plant be considered a holiday plant? In my opinion, a holiday plant is a plant that is commonly seen during the holiday season, used in home decor around the holidays, has red foliage, can be decorated for Christmas time, and/or blooms during this time of year.
Poinsettias, Amaryllis, Cyclamens, and Holiday Cactus all bloom this time of year. Peace lilies are commonly known for holidays because of their dark foliage and ability to display white blooms most of the year. Peace lilies are known to bring peace and tranquility that everyone needs throughout the holiday season.
Poinsettias are from Mexico and are commonly sold during Christmas time due to Mexican Folklore. It is said that a woman was unable to afford flowers to bring to the nativity scene to celebrate Jesus’s birthday.
Therefore, she picked a bouquet of weeds and when she placed them on the nativity scene, they turned red and became poinsettias.
Over 70 million Poinsettias are sold for 6 weeks during the Holiday season. Making Poinsettias the Famous Christmas plant.
Cyclamens are commonly seen around the holiday season due to their blooming season. Cyclamens display their blooms when the weather changes and temperatures get cooler.
With their beautifully colored blooms that rise above their dark green foliage what is not to love about the cyclamen. The cyclamen plant symbolizes love and affection and thrives in cooler temperatures making them a fantastic addition to your holiday plant collection.
Amaryllis commonly bloom during spring and summer in nature but are forced to bloom around the holiday season to celebrate and decorate the holidays. Amaryllis is Greek for sparkle. And what a sparkle these blooms bring to your holiday decor.
Holiday cacti (aka Thanksgiving and Christmas cacti) are long living traditional house plants normally passed down from one generation to another. Holiday cacti are commonly seen during the holidays because they display their beautifully colored blooms during this time of year.
Caring for Holiday Plants
Caring for holiday plants can be challenging, and because of this most of the time holiday plants are purchased during the holiday season and then thrown out after the New Year. Same as the Christmas tree being displayed during this season.
Poinsettias and Cyclamens are especially fussy plants to care for and most of the time are treated as a short-lived house plant during the holiday season. Providing proper lighting, an environment that is not too drafty and proper watering techniques are necessary for these plants to thrive during the holiday season.
For more information about caring for house plants in wintertime read my post about winter house plant care here.
Amaryllis are bulbs and are relativity easy to care for. However, they too are commonly thrown out after the holiday season because once their blooms die back, they are left with only a bulb that is not as aesthetically pleasing.
If you do choose to save your Amaryllis bulbs you can keep them alive, and they will bloom again next year.
I have saved the easiest to care for plants for last. Peace lilies and Holiday cacti are easy to care for house plants that can be kept alive and blooming long after the holiday season is over.
Peace lilies are low-light plants that will let you know when they are thirsty by drooping their leaves. They do not like water from the tap nor much fertilizer. I water my peace lily about once every 10 days with filter or distilled water and I fertilizer about once every other month with this fertilizer.
Holiday cacti have needs much like succulents and cacti. I keep mine in terra cotta pots with chunky soil and water when the soil is completely dry. I start fertilizing mine with a blooming fertilizer in fall. I have also found that placing them in a dark area 3-4 weeks before the holidays then bringing them back into the light stimulates them to bloom.
My grandma passed this trick down to me and it does seem to really work. Holiday cacti are interesting looking plants even when not in bloom, making them a fantastic addition to your year-round indoor garden.
The Famous Poinsettia
Native to Mexico and Central America these plants can be kept alive longer than the holiday season. Their brackets turn red when considered in-bloom in winter and spring and then they normally go dormant the rest of the year.
The poinsettia is traditionally displayed at Christmas time and used in holiday wreaths and decorations. Their red and green foliage have determined our seasonally traditional Christmas colors.
Cyclamens
Cyclamens are native to Mediterranean areas and with careful care can be kept alive past the holidays. These plants need bright indirect light, well-draining soil, and will die back to their tubers in summer, then grow back and bloom again in fall/ wintertime.
With their dark green uniquely patterned foliage and colorful blooms in whites, pinks, reds, and purples they make the perfect addition to your holiday decor.
Peace Lilies
Peace lilies are a tropical house plant native to Asia and Central America. These plants tolerate low light and thrive with filter or distilled water in well-draining soil. Peace lilies are a beautiful addition to your holiday decor but are commonly kept as an indoor house plant year-round.
With proper care they may bloom year-round. Peace lilies are considered to bring peace and tranquility making them great for your space during the holiday season and are often given to bring to peace for lost loved ones. Commonly given at funerals.
Therefore, whether you receive this plant during the holiday season or as a gift after losing a loved one these plants are easy to care for and will bring peace to your indoor space all year.
Amaryllis
Amaryllis are bulbous plants native to Central and South America. Since Amaryllis are commonly purchased for the holiday season they are commonly kept indoors and given care to simulate their blooming times to coincide with the holiday season.
Amaryllis can be kept indoors or outdoors in zones 8-10, and if properly cared for can produce blooms outdoors in spring and again in the fall. With dozens of varieties and colors of blooms these plants can bring just as much joy to your outdoor garden as indoors for the holidays.
Holiday Cacti
Holiday cacti are not desert cacti, they are succulents native to the rainforest of Brazil. There are technically 3 types of Holiday cacti, Thanksgiving cacti that normally bloom in late fall or November before Thanksgiving, Christmas cacti that are blooming in winter, and Easter cacti that display their blooms in spring.
These 3 are commonly confused for one another, especially the Thanksgiving and Christmas cactus. However, it is not that hard to tell them apart if you know what to look for. Here is an example.
Holiday cacti are by far my favorite Holiday plants, and I love to keep them in my house plant collection year-round. Starting a tradition to pass them down generations is common, and I have this tradition in mind with my current collection of holiday cacti.
I have raised mine from tiny cuttings and have had such remarkable success growing them. They are an easy to care for plant that makes them a must have for your house plant collection.
I hope you enjoyed reading about my favorite holiday plants! Which plants do you display during the holidays? I’d love to hear about them in the comments below.
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Have a Happy Holiday season!
