WINTER-BLOOMING PLANTS A GREAT GIFT
These low-maintenance plants flower in winter — and make beautiful last-minute gifts.
In the dead of winter, blooming plants add vibrant life and good cheer to indoor environments. And flowering houseplants make spectacular, one-size-fitsall holiday presents — whatever the celebration.
“A blossoming plant makes a heartwarming gift, something people can enjoy throughout the season,” said Christine Hise, a manager at City Floral.
It’s also a terrific idea for a lastminute gift.
“Giving a blooming plant will brighten the winter more than you realize, Hise said. “It’s a gift you can’t go wrong with, because everybody has a spot for a beautiful flowering plant during the holidays.”
Chris Doolittle, a manager at Echter’s Nursery and Garden Center, noted that flowering plants make good gifts for everyone — including men. “More and more people are gifting plants for times when people used to think about flowers.”
Flowering plants outlast fresh flowers.
“You get a long shelf life out of any blooming plants,” Hise said. “A blooming plant instantly brightens the home no matter where people put it. During the holidays, these plants set the mood. As a gift, a flowering plant is way more personal than a gift card.”
“Some people wonder about giving a flowering plant for fear it will die,” Hise said. “With a lot of
blooming plants we tell people, it’s OK for them to go away after holidays. We even offer a poinsettia return so customers get a credit toward replacing it with another houseplant.”
But your choices extend far beyond lovely yet predictable poinsettias.
Hise and Doolittle suggested the following seasonal treasures. Follow growing guidelines provided with plants. But one thing to remember: “These plants don’t really need a sunny window,” Hise said. “They will thrive almost anywhere.”
“Anything going home is ready and raring to go, already in bud or bloom,” Doolittle added. “You don’t need to do anything else.”
Christmas cactus: These understated succulents erupt in fireworks blossoms of shocking pink, hot-lava orange and vivid red. Look for a plant coming into bud rather than already flowering.
“At Christmas, the red are really popular, but I like the nontraditional colors, too: coral, orange, and there’s a really nice buttery yellow,” Doolittle said.
“This is a plant people can can count on reblooming every year,” Hise said.
Grow tips: This low-maintenance prefers bright indirect light. Keep soil slightly moist. Flowers will drop after bloom.
Amaryllis: These bulbs are almost fail-proof. They’re fascinating to grow and produce large bell-shaped blooms in red and orange, soft pink, white and variegated combinations.
“An amaryllis is a lovely gift, whether you give just the bulb to pot up or a potted bulb just budded or in full bloom,” Hise said.
“These bulbs are hard to mess up,” Doolittle said. “Their flowers are ready to go. They’re just sitting in the bulb, so as as long as we add water, it’s going to flower.”
Grow tips: Place in warm spot with bright light. Water sparingly until stem appears, then more frequently. Tall flowers may need to be staked to avoid toppling.
Paperwhite Narcissus: Like amaryllis, these bulbs are a cinch to grow and add a delightful bit of spring to winter when forced indoors.
“Some don’t like the scent, so we grow Inbal which is less fragrant than Ziva, the intensely fragrant one most common,” Doolittle said. “I like to grow my paperwhites in tall glass vases. I layer red and silver marbles in the bottom. The bulbs will spread out and look like a bouquet. I add ribbon to keep them from sprawling.”
Grow tips: Provide a sunny spot and these bulbs will do their thing whether grown in soil or water and pebbles. Tall flowers may require staking to avoid toppling.
Cyclamen: An elegant plant with butterfly-like blossoms in snowy white, Santa suit red, medium pink or hot pink, these plants prefer indirect light and cool temperatures.
“With silver on their leaves, they make nice houseplants,” Doolittle said. “We have some that are watercolor-y magenta and bi-color pink and white. They look like they were hit with a paintbrush.”
Grow tips: Cyclamen prefer cooler temperatures and moist soil. They’ll tolerate lower light. Remove spent flowers and yellowed leaves.
Bromeliad: “Bromeliads are a striking, geometric, industrial look that’s a neat trend,” Doolittle said. “This is a good option, with reds for traditional, but bromeliads bloom in orange and hot pink. Some are tall, some short. They’re a bright pop of color in January and the flowers last for months.”
The best part? “They’re super easy.”
Growing tip: Tolerates low light. Do not overwater. The mother plant will die back and produce pups, which will eventually bloom after a year or more.
Anthurium: Also known as flamingo flower, this is an unusual, dramatic choice for the holidays. “The flowers last a few weeks per flower, and it’s a big, waxy, heart-shaped flower—actually it’s a leaf that changes color,” Hise said. “It’s a set-it-andforget-it plant.”
Grow tips: Tolerates lower light. Allow soil to dry between watering.
Hydrangea: “We grew our own crop, all white. They’re gorgeous, and you can get six to eight weeks of bloom out of them,” Hise said. “They require minimum care, but they don’t like to dry out.”
Hydrangea flowers dry well and can be used for other applications once the plant dies back.
Grow tips: Provide bright, indirect light. Keep soil moist.
African violet: “They provide a riot of color,” Doolittle said. “We have new varieties with freckles and speckles on both leaves and flowers. The new introductions are white, pink purple, a deep cranberry, white with green, purple with pink spots..”
Grow tips: Provide bright to medium filtered light. Don’t allow soil to dry out too much or remain too soggy. Water at base, taking care not to splash leaves.