It’s nice to have live greenery in the house for the holidays, and many people purchase a poinsettia or potted topiary to dress the house for guests and parties.
For others, it’s a source of concern: How do you care for them, and how long will they last before looking pale and sickly? Here is a guide to help you succeed with your season-specific greenery.
First, perhaps you’re gifted a plant. Remember it was possibly raised offshore, where it was warm and humid, and where the days were longer. You will need to find a spot for it that matches the conditions it wants. Any other spot will give you extra challenges.
Or, let’s say you want to get a holiday plant for a special spot, indoors or out. We are lucky to have a choice here: Winter may be mild through December.
Indoors: Assess your spot: hours of sun, bright or subdued light, heater vent nearby, somewhere traffic may breeze past it. If you have pets, also take that into account. Consider (measure if you have to) how large or small the spot is, because you want to choose something whose mature size will fit its new home. Then head for your favorite nursery and ask for a plant that likes those conditions.
Outdoors: Your choices will be more limited in terms of “traditional” holiday plants, but selecting a healthy plant from the outdoor section of the nursery will almost guarantee the plant will take to your outdoor conditions. Remember the gnomes from last year’s holiday offerings? Even a red hat and some cotton batting for a beard can suggest Santa or one of his helpers.
It is also OK to dress or decorate your plants. You can suggest a holiday figure or special symbol, using gift-wrapping ideas to “wrap up” your new green friend. No shame here. While you are at it, you might select a handsome pot (“cache-pot”) that you can enjoy next year, too.
Why can’t I bring an outdoor plant indoors? You can, as long as you remember you need to provide conditions similar to the plant’s needs. A sunny window may look warm and inviting; just be sure it won’t sunburn your plant.
Color containers brighten a dark corner. A succulent arrangement in a cute container will last well past the holidays.
(Cindy Bruecks)
Here are a few generally reliable picks for holiday decor beyond the poinsettia (add gold/silver bling as desired):
- A small Norfolk Island pine, Araucaria heterophylla, can be decorated like a traditional Christmas tree.
- A succulent wreath or other succulent arrangement can last well past the holidays. Just remember it needs to have moisture, the enemy of many interior surfaces.
- The ZZ plant, Zamioculcas zamiifolia, with its striking dark color and bold graphic outline, is easy-care.
- Tillandsia (one or many): These air plants require occasional misting. One large specimen placed in a footed dish has graced my coffee table for several years.
If you are horticulturally challenged, and dread the memories of dead and dying plants, here are some hints and shortcuts that may keep your holiday plants thriving.
- Bring the plant in, then banish it immediately but temporarily to quarantine. An infected, infested or sick plant will share the pathogens with all your other plants. Let the new arrival accommodate for a week or two, while you examine it daily for signs of trouble. If it comes in sick, you can, in most cases, return it to your reputable full-service nursery for another.
Will the gnome of 2022 visit again this season?
(Cindy Bruecks)
- Place it carefully in its target spot. Avoid any area that resembles a runway for children, dogs, even well-meaning neighbors. Plants don’t like being knocked around, even gently. That is why we have plant stands, display shelves and mantels over the (no longer used) fireplace. Just don’t put it so high that you tend to not check it regularly.
- At the nursery, ask how they have been watering the plant. Many nurseries water daily, so whatever you need to do should diverge only gradually from the regimen the plant has been enjoying.
- When it is time to water, first check the soil. An index finger will sense moisture about 1 inch deep. That soil should be dry before you add water. Then thoroughly drench the plant, letting excess water run out the bottom. (Every pot should have a drainage hole. A pot without a hole means much more care on your part and a larger risk of root rot (Phytophthora) for the plant.) When the pot has drained, replace it turning it a quarter turn. That will help the plant grow symmetrically.
Whichever holiday plant you choose, remember its needs and thank it for the oxygen it generously produces.
Bruecks, a UCCE Master Gardener of San Diego County, has been a Master Gardener since 2005. She is a sustainable landscape expert and an edible landscape trainer, and spends her time, when not in the garden, speaking to garden groups and staffing the San Diego Master Gardeners hotline. She is a mathematician by training and is convinced that facts and data can lead to answers for even tough questions.
Get free home gardening advice on the UCCE Master Gardeners of San Diego County Hotline, (858) 822-6910, or by email at help@mastergardenersd.org.
