Christmas Plant Care Tips

Several plants are closely associated with the Christmas season. These Christmas plant care tips will help you keep them looking their festive best into the new year.

While the Christmas tree is the most prominent plant of the season, guests often bring smaller plants, such as poinsettias and Christmas cacti, as holiday gifts.

When a guest presents one of these cheerful plants—perhaps a cyclamen or an azalea—in a charming white wicker basket adorned with a bright red bow, it looks delightful.

However, just a week later, it may appear droopy and lifeless, resembling the Ghost of Christmas Past. The problem is that most of these plants do not want to be indoors at all. They want to be outside, preferably in a tropical climate (don't we all?).

With proper care, Christmas flowers and plants can survive indoors for a month or longer. These Christmas plant care tips will help you keep them healthy throughout the holiday season.

Christmas Plant Care Tips
For The Usual Suspects

Amaryllis

The plant we commonly call "amaryllis" is not an amaryllis at all, but rather a Hippeastrum hybrid. The real Amaryllis Belladonna is in the Lily family - you probably know it as "Naked Ladies." But that's another story.

Your faux amaryllis will require a warm location with bright, indirect light, but avoid direct sunlight. Keep the soil evenly moist but not wet. The bloom should last six to eight weeks.

Azaleas

Some azaleas are bred as greenhouse plants, but are still tricky to keep alive indoors. Keep them moist, cool (at least 45 to 60 degrees at night—perhaps in the garage?), and away from heat ducts. 

Christmas plant care tips here are easy, even for brown thumbs: It needs bright light but no direct sun. Mist, remove dead flowers, and cross your fingers.

Christmas Cactus

Yes, Virginia, there is a Christmas cactus—a different critter from the oft-confused Easter cactus, though they look much alike. The trick to telling them apart is that the Christmas cactus has more pointed leaves, while the Easter cactus has more scalloped leaves. 

The easiest way to tell is that the Christmas cactus usually blooms at Christmas, and the Easter cactus usually blooms at Easter. As my kids would say, "Duh!"

These are types of cactus called "forest cactus" because, in the wild, they grow on trees in tropical forests. Please put them in a bright window and water when the top of the soil begins to dry out.

Christmas Pepper

Capsicum annum is descended from chili and cayenne peppers, so the fruit is purely ornamental and too hot to eat. It needs some direct sunlight and should not be allowed to dry out between waterings. 

Mist occasionally and keep the plant in a cool spot (away from furnace vents); the fruits should last two to three months.

Cyclamen

Kalanchoe

This succulent family member requires placement in bright but not direct sunlight. Keep it cool and out of drafts. Water thoroughly and let it dry completely before watering again; no misting is necessary.

Paperwhites

Narcissus tazetta. These daffodils proliferate in a shallow water container anchored by stones. Place them in a cool, shaded spot with bright but indirect sunlight for optimal results, and enjoy.

Poinsettia 

Euphorbia pulcherrima now comes in many colors - white, red, pink, and variegated. Treat it right, and the flowers (really bracts or colored leaves) should last two to six months. 

This plant will thrive in a warm, well-lit spot (65-75°F) away from drafty windows and doors. Water only when the soil is dry. Mist leaves regularly.

Good luck with your gifts. With the proper care, they can be kept throughout the year to bloom next Christmas. But that's another story.