Wouldn’t it be great to enjoy your poinsettias beyond the holidays? Well, we’ve got some tips that can help keep your favourite holiday plants looking gorgeous.
Recycle the plastic.
Holiday gift plants usually come in baskets lined in plastic—not good for any plant’s health! As soon as I can (and that’s usually after the holidays), I recycle the plastic and repot the plant. If you decide to divide a multiple-bloom plant before repotting, remember to first pull the roots apart gently.
Cool them off.
Camellias, azaleas, clivias, birds of paradise, cyclamens and most cacti and succulents require cool winter temperatures—between 10 and 13 °C (50 and 55 °F). Once in full colour, forced bulbs such as tulips, daffodils, paperwhites, crocuses and amaryllises will last much longer if kept in bright, slightly cool areas (18 °C [65 °F]) and away from drafty windows.
Turn your Norfolk Island pine.
Ever since my sister left one on my doorstep, I’ve loved this holiday plant that resembles a miniature Christmas tree; some years we’ve even put tiny decorations on it! Every year, though, it starts drooping right after the holidays unless it gets bright light (but not direct sun) and lots of humidity. (It’s one of the few plants that actually enjoy being misted with cool water.) I also turn it frequently and make sure to keep it away from fireplaces, heaters and drafty doors and windows.
Don’t trash that poinsettia.
Lots of people throw this holiday plant away after the holidays, but with some care, you can keep it thriving until it’s time to plant it in your garden as an annual. Keep it cool, around 18 °C (65 °F) but no lower, and brightly lit. Don’t ever make it sit in water for prolonged periods—it will develop root rot if kept too wet! Check the soil daily, and water only when the surface is dry to the touch, watering until liquid flows freely through the pot’s drainage holes.
Make your “lucky bamboo” even luckier!
Every year, I love to buy myself a “lucky bamboo” for my collection, but I finally discovered it’s not bamboo at all. This winding, wood-like, green stalk is actually a tropical plant called Dracaena sanderiana, a resilient member of the lily family—and boy, is it finicky! These plants grow best away from direct sunlight, so I make sure to keep it away from sunny windowsills and subject it to normal ambient lighting only. I keep the water fresh by changing it every week, with the water level approximately 2.5 cm (1 inch) from the base of the canes. And I use only distilled, purified or spring water. One season, I plied my lucky bamboo with tap water, but the chlorine and fluoride turned the leaves yellow.
Long live the chrysanthemum.
Check the tag on this plant to see if yours is frost-hardy. If so, it can be planted in your garden and enjoyed next year! In the meantime, keep the soil moist at all times and mist the leaves from time to time. If you keep the light bright and temperatures between 10 and 15 °C (50 and 60 °F), your winter chrysanthemum should flower for 6 to 8 weeks.
Corral your cactus.
I love giving and receiving Christmas cacti—these prickly plants are so independent and especially forgiving of brown thumbs! But my heart sinks when that striking red bud falls off the minute it blooms! Most of the time, the problem is caused by too much heat or dry air. Christmas cactus thrives best in a cool, sunny room; mist once a day to keep the humidity high around the leaves. I don’t water until a finger thrust into the soil comes up dry. A light fertilizer in winter also helps.
Save that tree.
If you had a real Christmas tree, don’t haul it to the curb yet! Cut up the branches and use them to protect tender plants, root vegetables and perennials in your garden. This year, I also plan to use some of the branches to make a brush pile in my backyard as a shelter for birds (I’ll leave seed nearby). Branches can also be used to shield shrubs from the sun.
