‘Tis the Season! Indoor Plants for the Holidays
By Joelle Potrebka, Master Gardener
After we’ve put our garden to bed in the fall, our focus turns to our indoor plants and dreams of next year’s garden. But since it’s a bit early for all those seed catalogues we ordered, what is a gardener to do to get through those long winter nights? Luckily there are many seasonal holiday plants that bring a little colour and gardening joy indoors. And of course, they also make excellent gifts!
But what makes a seasonal or holiday plant? Some, such as holly, mistletoe, and Christmas trees are steeped in centuries of tradition and lore but don’t make great houseplants. Other more recent symbols of the season make for festive holiday decorating and are easier to grow indoors.
These plants are often tropical plants that will bloom (or can be forced to bloom) indoors at this time of year. Traditional Christmas colours of red, white, and green are always popular. However, growers have pushed these limits with modern hybrids in different shades and colours with all types of variegation and leaf shapes.
Poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) is the epitome of the seasonal plant. This plant is not known for its insignificant yellow flowers but for the bright red bracts surrounding them. But don’t limit yourself to just red! Amazing cultivars come in colours ranging from whites and creams to pinks, yellows, oranges, and greens. Leaves and/or bracts can have variegation with marbled or speckled patterns and come with such festive names as ‘Christmas Beauty Princess,’ ‘Jingle Bells,’ and ‘Ice Punch’. Different bract or leaf shapes are also available, such as the rounded ‘Mouse Ears’ or the dramatic ‘Winter Rose’ with its crinkled and curled bracts.
Photo: Brenda Evans. Poinsettia ‘Jingle Bells’
These plants hail from Mexico, where they can grow into large three-metre-tall shrubs. However, the greenhouse-grown plants are much more delicate and likely to only last through the holidays. When picking out your poinsettia, look for flowers that are still tightly closed. Once they are open or beginning to fall, the colourful bracts will soon begin to die back. Be sure to have your plant well wrapped when you leave the store and take it straight home. Cold drafts or sudden changes in temperature can cause them to wilt and lose leaves. Once inside, place in a bright spot and keep soil moist but not wet. These plants often come in decorative pot covers which can collect water and cause rotting so check regularly.
It is acceptable to just discard these plants at the end of the season but, if you want to try and keep them going, cut them back to about 10 cm once the bracts have died back and keep them in a warm area. Repot and fertilize regularly once new growth appears. Getting your poinsettia to turn colour again can be tricky but worth the effort. Starting approximately at the end of September, place the plant in total darkness for 12-14 hours a day. This can be done by placing it in a closet or putting a bag or box over the plant. Put it back in bright light for the rest of the day and you will hopefully see full colour in time for Christmas. Forcing bulbs indoors during the holidays has become a popular tradition. Watching them develop from the first hint of green to a beautiful bloom helps ease our gardening cravings.
Amaryllis (Hippeastrum spp and cvs) are originally from Central and South America and can easily be forced to bloom indoors over the holidays. Plant the bulb in a container that is only 2-3 cm wider than the bulb and about twice as deep. Leave the top third of the bulb exposed. The large bulbs will shoot out tall stalks that hold clusters of two to six large trumpet shaped blooms. These blooms are often the traditional red or white but can also be found in pinks, greens, and candy stripe variations. During or after flowering, the bulbs will develop strap-shaped leaves. Bulbs that are kept year after year get larger and tend to produce more or larger blooms. Cut off the spent flower stalks and continue to water and fertilize regularly. Come spring, plants can be put outside to gather strength for the next season. They will not overwinter in Manitoba, so need to be brought in before the first frost and kept in a cool, dark place to rest, without watering. The leaves will shrivel up and can be removed. As soon as new growth appears (within about eight to 12 weeks), take the bulbs out of the dark and start watering and fertilizing again. You should be rewarded with new blooms within four to six weeks.
Stores are now carrying waxed Amaryllis bulbs that don’t require soil or water to bloom. The wax coating seals in the moisture required to grow. They just need to be placed in a bright location. These waxed bulbs make great gifts and do produce well but they do not retain enough energy in the bulb for storage and will not rebloom.
Photo: Narcissus papyraceus ‘Paper-White Narcissus’ (Amaryllidaceae) plant” by Magnus Manske (licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0)
Paper whites (Narcissus papyraceus) are another type of bulb often forced to bloom for the holidays. They can be grown in soil or directly in water with some stones or marbles for support. They grow quickly once planted and flower in about three weeks. Flowers have a strong fragrance that you either love or hate (I love it!). Flowers tend to be top-heavy and can get floppy when fully grown. Stake, tie with a ribbon, or use natural sticks in your display for support. Another trick to keep your paper whites shorter and less likely to flop over is to water with a 4-6% alcohol solution. You can use clear distilled spirits like gin, vodka, rum, or tequila. Isopropyl alcohol will also work so you can leave the others for your holiday toasts! Paper white bulbs use a lot of energy when forced to bloom indoors and rarely regrow. Discard and buy new next season.
Photo: ‘Christmas Cactus ” by cogito ergo imago (licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0)
A previous article has been written for this newsletter on the various types of holiday cacti. There is the Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera bridgesii) and the more readily available Thanksgiving cactus (Schlumbergera truncata). These forest cacti from Brazil have flat succulent leaves that are notched or rounded depending upon the species and they produce showy trumpet-shaped flowers in red, white, pink, or yellow. These plants can be very long-lived and are often passed down as heirloom plants. New plants grow well from cuttings so they can easily be shared with friends or family.
And for those who want an alternative to a traditional Christmas tree, the Norfolk Island pine (Araucaria heterophylla) is one of the few coniferous trees that does well indoors. While not a true pine, these trees have a straight trunk circled with symmetrical branches covered in short needles and can be decorated for the holidays. The plant, endemic to Norfolk Island, a territory of Australia in the Pacific Ocean with a subtropical climate, enjoys bright indirect sun and high humidity to keep the needles from yellowing and drying out. Let the soil dry partially between watering but mist often and avoid drafts from heating vents.
Enjoy tending these seasonal plants until that first seed catalogue arrives in the mail and your thoughts turn to spring!
References
Websites
Hicks-Hamblin, K. (2020). 35 Favorite Poinsettia Cultivars for Your Home. Gardener’s Path, accessed October 3, 2024. <https://gardenerspath.com/plant/houseplants/best-poinsettia-varieties/>
Vanzile, J. & Engels, L. (2024). How to Grow and Care for Norfolk Island Pine. The Spruce, accessed October 8, 2024. <https://www.thespruce.com/grow-norfolk-island-pine-indoors-1902627>
Books
McHoy, P. (1995). The Complete Houseplant Book, The Essential Guide to Successful Indoor Gardening. London, England: Anness Publishing.
Hessayon, Dr. D. G. (1994). The House Plant Expert. London, England: Transworld Publishers Ltd.
Smallwood, Elaine. (2004). The Houseplant Handbook. Toronto, Canada: Strathearn Books Limited.