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Gardening

Plants make a colorful addition to holiday decor

By MARY COLLISTER
Published December 3, 2004

Now that the holidays are here, you may be thinking about decorating your house. As gardeners, you may want to include a few plants that can later be placed in your yard.

These plants also make great gifts. If you give plants as gifts, include a label with care instructions so your friends can enjoy the plants for months or years to come.

For these holiday gifts or decorations, you may not have to look any further than your garden or discount center. Holiday plants are always popular choices. Some of the more traditional include azaleas, bromeliads, Christmas cactus, cyclamen, cymbidium orchid, kalanchoe, ornamental peppers and poinsettia. You may also see bougainvilleas in hanging baskets this time of year.

To prolong the bloom of azaleas, place in a bright spot with a temperature of 50 to 70 degrees, away from heater vents. In our climate, the plants will perform better outside in a protected area.

Place a number of these potted plants near your front door. Add ribbons, bows and maybe a string of white lights for a holiday welcome to your house. Keep the soil evenly moist but not wet. Repot in a larger pot, or place in the ground in partial shade. If planted outside and given the proper care, azaleas can be enjoyed for years.

You can keep your bromeliad inside during the holidays, but moving it outside in the spring will increase the probability of survival. If the bromeliad has a cup, keep it filled with fresh water, but don't water where the flower appears when the plant's in bloom. Water the soil when the top feels dry.

Apply a weak water-soluble fertilizer to the cup rather than the soil and rinse the cup out periodically to prevent salt buildup. Carefully remove offsets and plant them in small containers. When planting outside, choose a partially shaded area and soil with good drainage.

Flowers may drop off the Christmas cactus easily if the plant is not given the right conditions. Put them in a cool, bright area out of drafts. Keep soil slightly moist but not soggy. Set the plant outside after bloom. To optimize bloom, in October set the plants where they won't receive artificial light after sunset. Buds should form in about six weeks.

My Christmas cactus is on a table on my covered lanai and is absolutely covered with beautiful blooms. I do little but water when dry and have fertilized it only once this past year. I received it six years ago as a gift and have yet to repot it. It couldn't require any less care. I have also propagated many plants from this one gift.

The cyclamen will appreciate a draft-free area with bright light but no direct sun. If the plant becomes leggy, it isn't getting enough light. To prolong bloom, keep plants cool - about 50 degrees.

Display them temporarily in a warm, low-light area, if you wish, but rotate them into a bright, cool location every few days. Keep soil moist, but don't overwater or the stem may turn mushy. These plants can also be moved outside. Plant in a shady area and feed with a weak fertilizer a couple of times a year. They will provide you with years of beauty.

Keep the cymbidium orchid inside until flowers fade, and then move outside to prolong bloom. Indoors, provide bright light and cool (preferably around 55 degrees) night temperatures. Outdoors, give plants partial sun, but protect them from direct midday sun. Keep potting medium moist from March through September, when plants are growing.

Plants may take several years to bloom again unless you're careful to fertilize them regularly and keep them in bright light. When bulbs fill the container, repot into a loose bark mixture.

Ornamental peppers need to be set in a bright, cool location to prevent leaf drop and prolong the lives of the peppers. Keep the plants outdoors in a protected area and bring them indoors for only a few days at a time.

If containers are small, repot right away. Remove shriveled peppers. Plants can live on a patio and bloom for many years if fertilized and watered regularly. If necessary, pinch or trim back new growth to promote business.

To prevent your poinsettia from dropping leaves, keep plants cool and place near a window or outdoors under an overhang. Check soil moisture daily. Repot or plant outside in February. Cut stems back to three nodes, about 6 inches.

To develop bushy plants, pinch back growth about every six to eight weeks through August. If you want the poinsettia to produce color, plant away from artificial light. Poinsettias require 14-hour nights to bloom. Plants should produce color, as the days grow shorter. To improve red color, fertilize every two weeks with high nitrogen fertilizer starting when color begins to show. These plants can grow 6 feet tall and wide, or larger, so plant in a location with plenty of room.

The bougainvillea is often seen as a holiday plant also. The ground cover variety looks great in a hanging basket. The red flowers fit right into the holiday theme. A string of clear minilights laid among the blooms can add to the festive feel.

This plant is especially attractive near the front door or hanging on a lanai. After the holidays it can remain in the hanging basket or be planted in a bed. The bougainvillea is well adapted to our hot sun and high humidity.

Any of your houseplants can be dressed for the holiday season. I once had a large jade plant that I tied green and red bows to each winter. A small string of battery-operated white lights completed the look. Add ribbons, bows, tinsel or other decorations to your houseplants for an inexpensive but festive look.

Decorative candles and plants always make a nice combination. Make sure the candles don't burn your plants. Baskets filled with ferns and Christmas tree ornaments make a colorful centerpiece also.

Whether you purchase these plants for yourself or a friend, it will be long remembered as it grows and flourishes in the garden.

Mary Collister writes about how to garden successfully in Florida's climate and offers problem-solving tips for your home garden. Mail questions to: Mary Collister, North of Tampa, 14358-B N Dale Mabry Blvd., Tampa, FL 33618.

[Last modified December 2, 2004, 13:12:11]