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| Photo Credit: Donna W. Moramarco |
| Consider grouping a bunch of poinsettias to pack a real holiday punch! |
It’s time to deck the halls with beautiful flowering plants for the holidays! In fact, I can’t imagine the holiday season without a poinsettia on my sideboard. But there are so many other plants that can brighten up your home this season, why stick with just one? Take a trip to your local garden center and gander at the bounty to choose from!
I’m sure you’ll find a host of poinsettias – in all colors and sizes. In fact, poinsettias are hands down the most popular holiday plants. But as popular as they are, they’re not easy to grow under normal house conditions. For best results, daytime temperatures should be about 70-75 degrees F, and night temperatures shouldn’t dip below 65 degrees F. To prevent leaf drop, always avoid exposing these beauties to drafts or excessive drying heat! And to keep your poinsettias looking their best, follow a weekly fertilization program with a 20-20-20 soluble fertilizer. Finally, when the season is over and your poinsettia is finished flowering, you can discard it and just buy another one next year. (For those of you who love a good challenge, however, you can always attempt another year of flowering.) | Add Photo to Journal |  | | Photo Credit: Donna W. Moramarco | | Cyclamen are prized for their interesting foliage and swanlike flowers. |
Garden centers typically offer a bevy of cyclamens, too. Sometimes called “the poor man’s orchid,” these lovely plants provide a wonderful display of flower color, ranging from white to deep rose. Some blooms are even ruffled! You can find large- and small-leaf varieties, so shop around. Another plus is that some cyclamen are subtly fragrant!
While these tuberous plants are beautiful, there are a few rules to successfully growing them. Here’s how to keep your cyclamen happy: Place them in cool rooms for long-lasting flower interest. Keep the plants away from direct sun and maintain a slightly moist – but never soggy – medium. As with many houseplants, overwatering will rot the roots and underwatering will cause wilting. And keep in mind that these beauties are generally not considered a long-term plant in the home, so if the leaves start to yellow and die, don’t feel bad about tossing it.
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