As you cross off the last item on the fall garden list, another list may be forming. The plus side is that this list doesn’t require working outdoors on a cold day, or doing an hour by hour temperature check in order to protect the subject from frostbite. Looking at the calendar I realize it is time to think about the traditional plants we enjoy during the holiday season.

First on the list are the Amaryllis bulbs. They are available locally now at garden centers. The bulbs will require 8-12 weeks to bloom, making them an indoor focal point from development of the bulb through final days of bloom. For a dramatic display plant 1 or 3 bulbs per container using a potting soil. When the bulb has shown growth, 1 to 2 inches, embellish the planting by covering the soil with small pine cones, moss, small branches of juniper with berries or twigs covered with moss. Take a look outdoors, you may find something perfect in your own backyard.

Amaryllis culture can be a year-long project. After boom, remove from soil, cut the spent bloom and store in a paper bag in a cool, dark closet or the garage. In late October 2024 retrieve the stored bulbs and repeat the above process for another year of holiday enjoyment.

Last year I was gifted a waxed Amaryllis bulb that was just breaking into bloom. The bulb remained in the wax, no soil, no watering. The wax was a bright red, as was the flower bloom. After the bloom, I cut the spent bloom and put the waxed bulb in a paper bag for storage in the garage. Over the weeks of holiday enjoyment, the non-conforming method of growth confirmed there are so many wonders of nature yet to explore.

Several weeks ago I opened the paper bag and followed the directions on the fact sheet from the University of Delaware Cooperative Extension, “Prep Your Waxed Amaryllis to Rebloom.” The wax was carefully removed and much to my surprise, roots had already started pushing out around the edge of the basal plate. The bulb was placed on a double folded dampened paper towel in a clear plastic open container in a sunny location. Monitor the paper towel every day, it should be damp but not wet. When sufficient roots have developed the bulb will be planted in potting soil.

Poinsettias

Poinsettias offer us so much mileage for so little cost. Poinsettias have become so affordable that it doesn’t seem practical to try to maintain them year long. Many years ago before poinsettias became affordable, my challenge was to maintain the plant from one holiday to the next holiday season. It never worked. Then one year we had a job transfer to a tropical climate and poinsettia borders were everywhere you looked.

Christmas cactus

Next on the popular list of holiday plants is the Christmas cactus. Or is it a Thanksgiving cactus or maybe an Easter cactus? Whichever one it is, it is worth spending some time understanding which one you have as they live for many years and have been known to be passed on to family members. In many articles and research papers the three are now referred to as Holiday cactus.

Christmas cacti have scalloped stem segments and bloom at the stem tips. Thanksgiving cactus have 2-3 pointy teeth along the edges of the sections and will bloom earlier than Christmas cactus. Easter cactus have rounded teeth along the segments and blooms primarily in the spring but may also periodically re-bloom at other times of the year.

After cactus have finished blooming water less frequently, increasing again in spring or early summer when the plants resume more active growth. Fertilize several times with a house plant fertilizer during the bright light months, changing to a low nitrogen, high phosphorus and potassium formulation in the fall when flower buds are forming.

Pruning Christmas cactus after blooming will encourage the plant to branch out. Remove a few sections of each stem by pinching them off with your fingers or cutting with a sharp knife. These sections can be rooted in moist vermiculite to propagate new plants.

Christmas cactus will bloom if given long uninterrupted dark periods, about 12 hours each night. Begin the dark treatments in about mid-October to have plants in full bloom by the holidays and continue for 6-8 weeks until you see buds forming. Christmas cactus will also bloom if they are subjected to cool temperatures of about 50 to 55 degrees F, eliminating the need for the dark treatment. Plants should be blooming for the holidays if cool treatments are started by early November.