One of the many pleasures of the Christmas season is the exchange of flowering and other kinds of Christmas gift plants.
Whether you give or buy a poinsettia, an azalea, cyclamen, or other plants from the florist, you will probably have several questions concerning its care.
The average home maintains a daytime temperature of 70° to 72° degrees Fahrenheit, with a drop to 65° degrees Fahrenheit at night, and it is under these conditions these plants are kept.
Since they are already grown, it is simply a matter of giving them the best care you can under existing conditions to make them last longer.
Most of the plants that come from the florist are pot-bound, with a good, strong root system.
For this reason, it requires more frequent watering, possibly every clay or every other day.
It is impossible to establish a hard and fast rule about watering, but in general, keep the soil moist, neither wet nor dry.
As Dr. Liberty Hyde Bailey once said, “More plants are killed by drowning than by drought.”
Sold In Containers
Many plants are sold in attractive containers, such as dish gardens and planters. These are not porous and do not have an opening in the bottom for drainage.
Therefore, plants must be watered more carefully than in porous, earthenware pots with drainage holes.
If some of the plants in a dish garden succumb for one reason or another, the others can be removed and potted individually to develop into larger specimens.
Provide Humidity
It is important to remember that the atmosphere in the home is very different from that in the greenhouse where the plants were grown.
Some were raised in cool temperatures, others at warmer temperatures. In the greenhouse, humidity is relatively high, whereas, in the average home, the atmosphere is apt to be very dry.
To provide the needed humidity, place pots on trays of pebbles barely covered with water.
Pans of water or other devices on radiators and humidifiers will also help to make the atmosphere more humid.
Maintaining Temperature For Healthy Plant Growth
Temperature also plays an important part in maintaining plants in a healthy growing condition.
However, the family’s comfort must not be sacrificed to benefit plants.
When given sufficient water and light, most plants will remain in good condition for a long period, even though temperatures hover around the 70° degrees Fahrenheit mark.
If the plants have been properly conditioned or hardened off before leaving the greenhouse, their keeping qualities are improved by lowering the temperature for a few days.
A cool, sunny window, in general, is ideal for azaleas, cyclamens, and Christmas begonias.
On the other hand, a shady window is a better place for dish gardens and containers, which are generally planted with non-flowering plants.
Even though poinsettias prefer the sun, they have been known to keep both foliage and bracts well in a hall where they receive no direct sunlight.
Eye-Catching Christmas Begonia
One of the most popular plants this season is the so-called Christmas begonia, noted for its spectacular display.
The three most sought-after varieties are Lady Mac, Marjorie Gibbs, and Melior, all pink flowering kinds.
In recent years, several Norwegian varieties have been introduced, which commercial growers like because they can be grown at a cooler temperature, have sturdier stems, and require less tying.
Typical varieties are Dark Solbachen, dark pink, and Red Solfheim, deep pink.
Since practically all the flowers of Christmas begonias are staminate (male), they remain in good condition for a long period.
On plants, which I have observed, the pistillate (female) flowers did not appear until near the end of their blooming season.
Although plants become unsightly in appearance after flowering is passed, they can be carried over for another year by cutting them back to the base and giving them rest through the winter.
Popular Poinsettia
Of all the Christmas plants, poinsettia leads in popularity.
With its dark green foliage and brilliant red bracts, it has the colors we associate with this holiday season.
Paul Ecke of Encinitas, California, has introduced those commonly grown varieties.
Favorites include Oak Leaf, characterized by its oak-like foliage, and Ruth Ecke, with similar foliage and more numerous, shorter bracts.
Others are Henrietta Ecke, a double-flowered form; Barabara Ecke, with leaves having a reddish cast.
And Albert Ecke, a recent introduction, with large, wide, fleshy bracts of a rich, bright red. There are also pink and white kinds, which are becoming increasingly popular.
Azaleas
Azaleas as Christmas plants have been on the increase in recent years.
Available in a wide variety of colors, plants will continue to bloom for several weeks when given proper treatment.
Plants with many buds will naturally give color for longer than those that are in full bloom.
For best results, give azaleas plenty of water, sunlight for at least part of the day, and a cool temperature.
If unable to provide the last condition, try to compensate for it by keeping the soil continuously moist.
These plants have extremely fine roots, which a lack of water may easily injure.
Cyclamen
Cyclamen is a plant that appears to be staging a “comeback” due in part to superior cultural practices and better knowledge regarding their care in the home.
Give cyclamen a cool room, if possible, in a sunny window, and when watering, apply a little at a time, about twice as much clay.
Some advice is to place the pot on pebbles in a deep saucer and add water for the plant to absorb when necessary.
In this case, the pot should not stand in water for any appreciable time. When watering from the top, avoid wetting the crown.
Kalanchoe
Kalanchoe, especially the Tom Thumb variety, is an extremely satisfactory small, free-flowering plant.
By giving the plants short days and long nights in August, growers can have plants in full bloom for Christmas.
Give Kalanchoe sunshine and moderate moisture, avoiding overwatering as it causes rot, and the small crimson flowers last for weeks.
Potted Chrysanthemum
Potted chrysanthemums, which growers can now produce at any time of the year by proper control of temperature and light, are sometimes found underneath the Christmas tree.
Keep in a cool room with sunlight for at least part of the day, and give plenty of water.
Unless your florist tells you that the variety is hardy outdoors, you might as well discard the plant when it has finished blooming.
Gardenias And Camellias
Requirements for gardenias and camellias, frequently said at Christmas, are somewhat different.
In the greenhouse, gardenias are grown under warm, sunny conditions, while camellias are raised in a cool, partially shaded house.
While gardenias must be kept in a sunny window in a warm room, camellias do best in a sunny window in the coolest room in the house.
Even though you think you are giving them loving care, both will frequently lose their flower buds, usually caused by too dry an atmosphere.
Aphelandra
Aphelandra, in several species, may be found in some shops. Probably the most common form is Aphelandra squarrosa, commonly called the saffron-spike aphelandra.
A relative of the shrimp plant, the small flowers are pale yellow.
The striking character of the plant is produced by the showy, closely overlapping orange-yellow bracts.
After plants have finished blooming, rest by watering lightly, followed by severe pruning to encourage new growth. This treatment is also recommended for the shrimp plant.
Australian Brake Fern
Australian brake fern (Pteris trentula) is often placed in pans of poinsettias to conceal their bare stems.
This fern is one of the best for home culture and can be grown long after the poinsettias have been discarded.
Fruiting Plants
Of the fruiting plants, the Jerusalem cherry and the Christmas pepper are the most important.
Unfortunately, the average home’s dry atmosphere causes the Jerusalem cherry leaves and fruits to drop off quickly.
On the other hand, the fruits of the Christmas pepper persist for some time when plants are kept in a cool room out of direct sunlight and away from drafts.
White with purple markings in the early stages, the fruits eventually take on a beautiful red color.
It is not recommended that either plant be carried over for a second year since the cherry becomes leggy and unsightly, and the pepper is an animal plant.
Coral Berry
Occasionally one may receive a coral berry or Ardisia for Christmas.
It is noted for its attractive evergreen foliage and clusters of small, red berries. Keep in a cool room away from drafts.
Since plants grow slowly and are most commonly propagated from seed, they are higher priced than Jerusalem cherries and Christmas peppers.
Otaheite Oranges
Otaheite oranges may possibly be offered by a few florists.
Thirty or forty years ago, they were more popular than they are at present.
If by any chance you receive or purchase an orange plant, it should be kept in a cool room with the camellia.
Semperflorens Begonias
Available at Christmas and during any year’s season are the wide varieties of wax or semperflorens begonias.
Whether these are rose, pink or white, they are among the easiest flowering plants for ordinary home conditions, flowering well in north windows or other places where there is no direct sun.
Keep plants moist, pinch when the sterns get too long and take cuttings from time to time to make new plants for your windows and set them in the garden where they will flower all summer long in the shade.
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