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How to Care for Holiday Plants
Garden Mums are beautiful and it just wouldn't be fall without some colorful groupings of mums around the yard next to a jack-o-lantern. Local nurseries that grow their own will have the best selection and healthiest plants. Water frequently, and if you would like to keep them until next year, plant them in the ground before frost. In June, when they try to bloom again, shear off the blooms and form a nice round shape. They will bloom again in the fall. They like a typical garden fertilizer applied occasionally. Poinsettias are the most popular holiday plant. If your room is at a comfortable temperature for you, then it is probably fine with the Poinsettia. Water when the top of the soil in the pot is dry. When watering, remove the pot from any plastic sleeve or basket that may trap water around the roots of the plant. Any potted plant will quickly rot if allowed to sit in water for very long, but poinsettias seem especially vulnerable. Also, poinsettias can be brittle and break easily. A windy porch is not the best place for them, but find a bright place inside that's away from traffic and drafts. They will decline rapidly in temperatures below 50 degrees. Because they are a tropical plant that likes shade, mild heat and lots of humidity year round, we don't have the right climate for them to make it in the garden for any length of time. Christmas Cactus can be tricky. They are not drought or cold tolerant like the name "Cactus" might imply. A bright window without direct sunlight is an ideal place for them. Water when the top half of the soil is dry. A bright porch or under the shade of a big tree is fine during the warmer months, but bring them inside during the hottest time of the year to encourage them to bloom at Christmastime. Christmas Cactus doesn't really like extreme summer heat. They are native to the cooler rain forests in Central and South America. Cyclamen like it cool. They won't make it in warm weather. Don't put your cyclamen in the warmest part of the house, such as the kitchen. They also like to stay fairly damp, but not waterlogged. You can fertilize them every couple of weeks with a weak solution of a general use houseplant fertilizer. Some varieties can be moved to a dry and shady part of the garden in April or May and allowed to go dormant. They will come around again in the fall. At one time, the Cyclamen was the plant for Christmas before the flashier Poinsettia took over. Small azaleas are often given as potted plants during the holiday season. They are cold tolerant and if hardened off by exposing to cold temperatures for an increasing amount of time, they can be successfully planted outside in the spring. Cover the roots with mulch and be sure the soil is somewhat acidic. Azaleas will not grow in alkaline soils. Protection from the hot afternoon sun is imperative for any azalea. Most Begonias will do fine in the garden when the weather warms. They seem to pick the time of year that they want to bloom. Some will bloom in spring and others do well in the fall. I just put them in a slightly shaded area and water them regularly. They are one of the easiest plants to propagate from cuttings. Simply take a tip cutting, apply some rooting hormone to the cut end and root in wet sand.
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There are several wonderful blooming plants that we like to buy during the holiday season. Garden Mums, Poinsettias, Christmas cactus, Cyclamen, Azaleas, and Begonias can all be used to brighten up a room. However, each of these plants has their own care requirements if you want to get your money's worth.
