All is bright
Festive pot plants are an easy way to add some colour and cheer to your home this December
Christmas just wouldn’t be Christmas without the splash of colour provided by poinsettias. There was a time when azaleas and cyclamen reigned supreme as Yuletide pot plants. Now, however, they have been relegated into second and third place for one simple reason – they enjoy being cool. And most of us have central heating warming our homes at this time of year, to the point where they simply die away.
But if you still love Christmas azaleas and cyclamen (as I do), then place them in good light in a cool porch, bedroom or hallway, where they can enjoy the conditions that suit them.
Keep them away from radiators and make sure the cyclamen is watered only when it starts to wilt ever so slightly due to dryness. When it does, stand it in a bowl of water for half an hour, by which time it will have taken up what it needs.
The azalea, on the other hand, should never be allowed to dry out. Water it every day, if you like, with rainwater or cooled, boiled water, especially in hard water areas. There is no need to leave it standing in water for more than half an hour, but once that rootball dries out, it will be a devil to re-wet, and the plant will soon turn crisp.
And the poinsettia? Give it a spot in good light in a warm room and water it when the surface of the compost starts to feel dry.
Equally importantly, buy it from a shop, garden centre, nursery or store where it has been kept warm. Finally, make sure it is well wrapped up for the chilly journey home and then it, as well as you, will be assured of a merry Christmas.