Christmas Plant Care: How to Keep Holiday Plants Alive Past New Year's

Every December we bring home a poinsettia, an amaryllis, and a tiny rosemary tree in a red bow. We set them on the mantel next to the fireplace, give them a big drink every Sunday, and then wonder why the plant looks concerned.

Holiday plants aren't fussy. They're just misunderstood. Most of them were raised in a greenhouse with bright light, steady temperatures and someone checking on them every day. Then they landed in your living room, with the furnace blasting and the curtains closed. Give them a little of what they had and they'll stay beautiful well into January. Some will even bloom again next year.

Here's how to care for each one: poinsettia, Christmas cactus, amaryllis, cyclamen, kalanchoe, Norfolk Island pine and the rosemary Christmas tree.

The Four Rules Every Christmas Plant Follows

Learn these and you've solved 90% of holiday plant problems.

1.     Bright light. Every plant on this page wants a spot near a window. None of them want the dark corner where the plant "looks nice."

2.     No hot spots, no cold drafts. Keep plants away from heat vents, radiators, fireplaces and the front door that lets in a blast of cold air every time a guest arrives.

3.     Water by touch, not by calendar. Stick your finger an inch into the soil. If it's dry, water. If it's damp, wait. Plants cannot read calendars. (A soil moisture meter takes the guesswork out of it if you'd rather not get dirt under your nails.)

4.     Drainage, always. That shiny foil wrapper is the number one holiday plant killer. It traps water, and the roots sit in it and rot. Poke holes in the bottom of the foil or take it off, set the pot on a saucer, and pour out any water left in the saucer 15 minutes after watering. Roots need moisture. They do not need a swimming pool.

Getting It Home

Pick a plant with firm, healthy leaves, no wilting and no bugs on the undersides of the leaves. In cold weather, have the store wrap it, and drive straight home. A poinsettia left in a cold car while you run into the grocery store gets damaged below 50°F. A hot car isn't any better.

Poinsettia Care

The poinsettia is the most popular Christmas plant in America, and the most frequently over-watered.

•      Light: a bright spot near a sunny window, with at least six hours of indirect light a day. Don't let the leaves touch cold glass.

•      Temperature: 65°F to 70°F during the day and no colder than 60°F at night. Keep it away from vents, radiators, the fireplace and drafty doors. This is one Christmas guest who genuinely does not want the best seat by the fire.

•      Water: when the top inch of soil is dry, water until it runs out the bottom, then drain it. No soggy saucers, no water trapped in the foil.

•      Dropping leaves? That means it's too cold, too hot, too dark or too wet. Check the four rules.

Are Poinsettias Poisonous?

Not nearly as poisonous as their reputation. Poinsettia sap can irritate skin, and a pet or child who chews the leaves might drool or get an upset stomach, but serious poisoning is very rare. The ASPCA rates poinsettias as mildly toxic.

The "one leaf can kill a child" story is a myth. Keep the plant out of reach anyway. Nobody needs an upset stomach for Christmas, and the plant gets a vote too.

How to Get a Poinsettia to Bloom Again

It's a project, but it works.

1.     After Christmas: keep it in bright light and water it normally.

2.     Early spring: cut the stems back to about 6 inches and start feeding it every couple of weeks with a houseplant fertilizer.

3.     Summer: move it outside to a spot with morning sun once nights stay above 55°F. Pinch the tips through midsummer to keep it bushy.

4.     Starting October 1: give it 14 hours of complete darkness every night (a closet or a box from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m.) and bright light during the day, for 8 to 10 weeks. Even a lamp switched on in the evening resets the clock.

5.     Late November: the top leaves (bracts) turn red. Take a bow.

Christmas Cactus Care

Is It Really a Christmas Cactus?

Probably not. Most "Christmas cactus" sold in stores is actually Thanksgiving cactus, which blooms in November. Check the leaf segments. Thanksgiving cactus has pointed, claw-like teeth on the edges. True Christmas cactus has rounded, scalloped edges. Care is the same for both. Only the timing is different.

How to Get a Christmas Cactus to Bloom Again

This is the easiest Christmas plant to rebloom, and it can live for decades.

1.     Spring and summer: bright indirect light, regular water, and houseplant fertilizer once a month. It can summer outdoors in the shade.

2.     Early fall: stop fertilizing. Give it cool nights (50°F to 55°F) or 12 to 14 hours of darkness every night for about six weeks, and water a little less.

3.     When the buds appear: go back to normal watering and stop moving it.

Amaryllis Care

The amaryllis is a giant bulb that sends up a stalk tall enough to make you nervous, then puts on the best flower show of the holidays. Amaryllis has confidence. Balance is another matter.

•      Planting: choose a pot only an inch or two wider than the bulb, and leave the top third of the bulb above the soil.

•      Water: go easy until you see green growth, then water when the top inch of soil is dry. A soggy bulb rots.

•      Light: the brightest window you've got. Turn the pot a quarter turn every few days so the stalk grows straight instead of leaning toward the window.

•      Support: stake the stalk with a bamboo stick or a pretty branch before it tips over.

•      Make the flowers last longer: once the flowers open, move the plant out of direct sun to a cooler spot.

Wax-dipped amaryllis (the ones coated in red or gold wax) need no water or soil at all. They'll bloom once beautifully. Then they go in the compost, because the wax keeps the bulb from rooting.

How to Keep Amaryllis After the Flowers Fade

1.     Cut off the faded flowers. When the stalk starts to sag, cut it off an inch or two above the bulb.

2.     Keep the leaves. They're recharging the bulb for next year. Put it in a sunny window, water when the soil is dry, and feed every two to four weeks.

3.     Summer: move it outside to a sunny spot once frost is over.

4.     Late summer: stop watering, let the leaves die back, and store the bulb somewhere cool and dark (about 50°F to 55°F) for 8 to 10 weeks.

5.     Restart it: repot in fresh soil, water once, and put it back in a bright window. It blooms again in six to eight weeks. Start in early November and you'll have flowers in time for the holidays.

Cyclamen Care

Cyclamen likes it cool. Very cool.

•      Temperature: 50°F to 65°F. In a warm house, put it in the coolest bright room you have, like a guest room or an entry with a window. Heat makes the flowers collapse.

•      Light: bright and indirect.

•      Water from the bottom. Set the pot in a saucer of water for 15 to 20 minutes, then drain it. Watering over the top soaks the crown (the center where the stems grow from), and a wet crown rots.

•      Deadheading: when a flower fades, twist and pull the whole stem off at the base. Don't cut it, because a leftover stub rots.

•      Summer: when the leaves turn yellow in spring, it's going dormant, not dying. Cut back on water. It wakes up in fall.

Kalanchoe Care

Kalanchoe (kal-an-KOH-ee) is a succulent covered in tiny red, pink, orange or yellow flowers. It's practically indestructible.

•      Light: bright, with some direct sun.

•      Water: only when the soil is dry. It stores water in its thick leaves, so too much water is far more dangerous than too little.

•      To rebloom: like the poinsettia, it needs 14 hours of darkness a night for about six weeks in fall.

Norfolk Island Pine Care

The Norfolk Island pine is a tropical tree dressed up as a Christmas tree. Costume does not determine cold hardiness.

•      Light: the brightest spot you have. Turn it a quarter turn every week so it doesn't lean.

•      Temperature: 60°F to 70°F, and away from cold drafts and heat vents.

•      Water: when the top inch of soil is dry. Don't let it sit in water, and don't let it dry out completely.

•      Humidity: furnace air dries it out. Set it on a tray of pebbles and water, or run a humidifier nearby.

•      Brown tips or dropping lower branches mean too little light, uneven watering or dry air. Brown foliage is a symptom. Not an instruction reading ADD TWO CUPS. Lost lower branches don't grow back, so fix the conditions early.

•      Decorate lightly. Its branches are soft. Tiny lightweight ornaments only.

Rosemary Christmas Tree Care

A rosemary tree trimmed into a little cone is adorable, smells like Christmas dinner, and is the hardest plant on this page to keep alive indoors. Here's why: rosemary is a Mediterranean shrub that wants full sun, and most living rooms in December are dim.

•      Light: a south-facing window with at least six hours of direct sun. This is not negotiable.

•      Water: when the top inch of soil is dry. Don't let it dry out completely. Rosemary doesn't wilt to warn you. It just turns brown and crispy, and by then it's done.

•      Air: good air circulation prevents powdery mildew, which shows up as a white powder on the leaves. Don't crowd it in with other plants.

•      Can you cook with it? Yes, if the tag says it was grown as an herb. Decorative rosemary trees are sometimes treated with products that aren't meant for food. If you're not sure, use only the new growth that shows up after a month or two at home.

•      After Christmas: in areas where winter lows stay above about 15°F (roughly USDA zones 8 and warmer), plant it outside in spring. Everywhere else, keep it in a pot in your sunniest window. It summers happily outdoors.

The Five Most Common Christmas Plant Mistakes

The Five Most Common Christmas Plant Mistakes

1.     Too much water. More holiday plants drown than dry out.

2.     No drainage. The foil wrapper strikes again.

3.     Too little light. A dark corner is a slow death sentence.

4.     Too much heat. The mantel above the fireplace is the worst seat in the house.

5.     Treating every plant the same. Cyclamen wants it cold, rosemary wants sun, kalanchoe wants to be ignored. The plant is not keeping score, but it does have preferences.

Frequently Asked Questions

How often should you water a poinsettia?

Whenever the top inch of soil is dry. That's often every few days in a warm house, but check with your finger instead of following a schedule. Always take it out of the foil or poke holes in it so the water can drain.

Why is my Christmas cactus dropping its buds?

It was probably moved, chilled by a draft, or switched between too dry and too wet. Find it a bright spot away from vents and doors, water when the top inch is dry, and leave it alone.

Can you keep an amaryllis bulb for next year?

Yes. Cut off the flower stalk, keep the leaves growing in a sunny window all spring and summer, then give the bulb 8 to 10 weeks of cool, dark rest before repotting it in fall. Wax-dipped bulbs won't rebloom.

Are poinsettias poisonous to cats and dogs?

Only mildly. They can cause drooling and an upset stomach, but serious poisoning is rare. Amaryllis, cyclamen, kalanchoe and especially lilies are much more dangerous.

How do you keep a rosemary Christmas tree alive?

Give it the sunniest window you have, at least six hours of direct sun, and water it when the top inch of soil is dry. Never let it dry out completely, because rosemary doesn't wilt before it dies.

What's the difference between a Christmas cactus and a Thanksgiving cactus?

The leaf edges. Thanksgiving cactus has pointed, claw-like teeth. Christmas cactus has rounded scallops. Thanksgiving cactus blooms about a month earlier. Care is the same.

The Five Rules of Christmas Plant Care

1.     Bright light. A window, not a corner.

2.     No heat, no drafts. Not the mantel, not the front door.

3.     Water by touch. Top inch dry? Water. Damp? Wait.

4.     Lose the foil, or poke holes in it.

5.     Know which plants are toxic if you have pets or toddlers.

Do that and your holiday plants will still look happy when the decorations come down. Maybe even next Christmas.

Keep Going

Your plants are happy. Keep the rest of the holiday decorating fresh and stress-free with these related guides:

•      How to Keep Holiday Greenery Fresh: Wreaths, centerpieces and branches in a vase, plus which greenery is safe around pets.

•      How to Keep Christmas Garland Fresh: Mantel, stair rail, front door and porch garland that stays green.

•      Elegant Christmas Decorating Ideas: Pretty, put-together holiday decorating that doesn't take over your December.

•      Easy Christmas Holiday Tips: Do less, enjoy more, and stop treating December like a competition.

•      Green Holiday Entertaining Tips: Eco-friendly hosting, from the centerpiece to the leftovers.

•      After-Holiday Green Cleaning: Decorations down and the house back to normal, without harsh chemicals.

•      10 Fall Gardening Tips: Put the garden to bed so it wakes up happy in spring.

•      Backyard and Garden Guide: Patios, plants and outdoor living for the whole family.