Indoor plants help create a relaxing atmosphere. Flowering plants add a bit of sparkle and colour without being overwhelming.
At a time of year when sounds, smells and decorations can become overpowering, flowering plants are a welcoming change of pace.
Poinsettia, Cyclamen and Christmas Cacti, are colorful plants that are readily available during the holiday season.
Poinsettias are grown in mass quantities making them very affordable.
Over the last 30 years scientists have worked with the poinsettia which is a shrub in Mexico to develop a plant the plant that is sold today.
Poinsettias are available in the original red as well as shades of pink, white, yellow and bicolor.
The size of plant varies with the pot. Larger containers usually contain more than one plant.
Consumers also have the choice of buying poinsettias that are in mixed plantings.
Poinsettias are fussy plants. If they are given too much water the leaves will turn a light green and fall off.
If the soil is too dry the leaves will wilt and the bottom ones will fall.
The best time to purchase on of these plants is when the outside temperature is above freezing.
Even then it is best to double wrap the plant and have a warm vehicle waiting.
Poinsettias react to cold weather and drafts by dropping leaves.
Plants that are placed in bright light away from drafts and windows retain their leaves and bracts longer than ones that are not given these cultural considerations.
Poinsettia plants are grown to last the holiday season and maybe a few weeks more.
The process of forcing Poinsettias into blooms is more effort than most people are prepared to expend.
Cyclamen are plants that need cooler temperatures and bright indirect sunlight.
Theses mediterranean plants thrive in areas that are below 20 degrees C (68 degrees F) during the day and even cooler at night.
Homes with automatic thermostats that drop down when no one is home during the day and at night can provide the correct climate.
Given the correct climate cyclamen will bloom for a number of months.
As summer approaches the leaves will die and the plant will become dormant.
In the fall, when days become cooler, water the tuber to encourage it to break dormancy and to begin another cycle.
Water Cyclamen when the soil is dry to the touch. Over watering will cause the tuberous roots to rot.
When purchasing a Cyclamen look for one with a few flowers showing and a large number of flower buds hiding under the foliage.
Flower color includes shades of pink, purple and white.
Christmas Cacti are segmented succulents that thrive in warm moist areas.
The plants are light sensitive which means they will set buds when they receive the correct amount of daylight and darkness.
Christmas cacti can be confused with Easter Cacti, similar plants that bloom at Easter.
Blooming time and slightly different shaped segments are all that differentiate the plants.
These lines have been blurred by plant breeders and some plants will produce flowers at Christmas and Easter although one flowering session has fewer blooms.
Christmas cacti are a succulent that requires a warm sunny location as opposed to a hot location in bright sunlight.
Plants that have received too much sunlight will turn red.
Water Christmas Cacti when the soil is dry to the touch.
These plants will tolerate some drought but tend to look shrunken and wrinkled.
Given the correct growing conditions, Christmas cacti will become a large plant with woody base and lasting for many years. Once the plant becomes too old it will die.
Take time to think about what type of plant to buy for the holidays and where to place it. Plants that are not given the correct cultural considerations are rarely attractive.
Linda Tomlinson is a horticulturalist that lives near Rocky Mountain house. She can be reached at www.igardencanada.com or your_garden@hotmail.com