My REAL Christmas cracker
Put away your poinsettias, for festive colour there’s only one star to follow
IN LATE autumn, the tiny buds on the ends of the arching, flattened stems of my Schlumbergera x buckleyi houseplant start to swell and lengthen exponentially before opening to reveal masses of 4 in-long, hot pink flowers with protruding stamens and tiers of swept-back petals.
This plant creates an attention-grabbing show thanks to its impossibly exotic blooms. It’s such a pity that a spectacular plant like this doesn’t have a botanical name that trips off the tongue more easily. Fortunately, it does have a more palatable common name… Christmas cactus.
My specimen sits on a mantel shelf in a light living room and was a gift from friends some years ago. Over the next few weeks, many more of these plants will find a new home as they are given as presents or snapped up by those wanting a splash of colour inside.
In my opinion, they make a much better alternative to poinsettias, cyclamen and other seasonal pot plants – they are tougher, less temperamental and easier to look after. In fact, they are one of those plants that seem to thrive on neglect, although a little bit of attention will ensure they last for decades.
And even when not in flower – from the end of January to late November – they continue to earn their keep thanks to their intriguing looks.
The 18in high by 18in wide plants consist of a cluster of curving stems made up of slightly serrated, 2in-long flat pads that look as if they’ve been welded together.
Unlike most other members of the cactus family, they are not found in hot, dry, desert environments but in the partial light of rainforests and jungles, where they thrive in humid conditions.
At first glance, schlumbergera don’t look like cacti at all as they are not armed to the teeth with spines, needles, long hairs or tiny hooks. However, like all cacti, they store water in their fleshy stems, and if you look closely at the ends of the stems, where flowers form, you’ll notice a few bristle-like hairs. In the wild, these plants don’t anchor themselves in soil but use their roots to cling on to rocks and trees above the ground. Known technically as epiphytes, they settle into cracks or crevices filled with organic matter. Plants also produce aerial roots, which allow them to obtain moisture and nutrients from the air. Early varieties of Christmas cactus tended to sport pink flowers, but over the years they’ve been joined by ones in shades of white, red, peach, yellow, orange and purple, as well as bi-colours. A novel addition is the so-called ‘Tricolour’ Christmas cactus being offered by a number of online nurseries this year. It appears as if white, pink and red flowers are held on the branches of the same plant, but the effect is actually achieved by rooting cuttings of three different varieties in the same pot. Christmas cacti like a bright position, yet out of direct sun. Avoid placing close to radiators or fires, which will dry out compost and cause foliage to shrivel.
MY PLANT is grown in a plastic pot filled with free-draining cactus compost, which has been placed inside a decorat i ve, ceramic holder. Another option is to display these gently weeping plants in hanging planters.
Christmas cacti hate dry conditions caused by central heating. Spray the leaves with water occasionally to raise humidity, or stand plants on a shallow tray lined with pebbles, then add a little water to the base. Top up often, but make sure it never rises above the pebbles or roots will rot. Water plants regularly during the flowering period, then reduce frequency once blooms fade. In April, start to feed with a liquid fertiliser, increase watering and repot if necessary.