YORKTON – It’s beautiful to remember family and friends during this festive season, and it seems that flowers or plants are a wonderful way to do so! As gardeners, our thoughts naturally go down this garden path, but I think that we do so because in the middle of winter they are such a treat, something we want to share with others! What would your favourite be?
Poinsettias and amaryllis are certainly strong contenders for the top of the “Christmas Plant List”, but the horticultural holiday greetings can include many others!
For a plant that keeps on giving, consider Rosemary. Very easy care, this beautiful plant looks like a spruce tree cousin with its long, narrow deep green leaves, and what a heavenly scent! We have one in our house, and every time I walk past it, I run my hand over a stem, just to enjoy that fragrance! Rosemary can be a “kitchen cupboard Christmas tree”, easy to decorate with little ornaments, and easy to use in holiday cooking. It tastes delicious with poultry or pork, and if you want an extra-yummy addition to a holiday salad, make some rosemary walnuts.
Another holiday beauty is the phalaenopsis orchid. I know many of us might be scared if this elegant plant, thinking it is difficult to grow, but it is not demanding at all. It likes bright but indirect light and likes a spot away from drafts. Regular watering, very sparingly, is all it needs. And the blooms last a long time, so this is a gift that gives its beauty very generously.
Perhaps not a traditional Christmas plant, but one that is absolutely lovely, is a lush ivy. Here’s a plant that can grace our homes, in an area with bright but indirect light, and then can move outside to a planter in the summer. We water our ivies when the soil feels dry, not too much so they don’t have wet feet.
Another favourite beauty that might make us think of Hawaii but would make a beautiful gift is an anthurium. This exotic-looking plant is actually easy to care for, and it blooms for a long time, sending up new blooms. It comes in various colours, but red will certainly look festive!
Norfolk pines have been around for a long time, and there’s a reason for their longevity on the Christmas plant list! They look like small Christmas trees, but after the foliage they look very tropical. They like a humid environment, easy for gardeners to achieve with weekly misting. Lemon cypress are those little, columnar plants that look like little spruce trees, and they are amazing with that pop-of-colour bright lime green! They’re cute as can be but bear in mind they like a bright location away from drafts. Some gardeners might be able to keep them going well into the new year, some may not. But they will certainly be a favourite as a gift idea!
And a beautiful Christmas bouquet is always a welcome choice, especially with the cheerful reds and whites of mums, roses and carnations. They last well and look so pretty on a holiday table along with holiday greenery.
So many beautiful things to enjoy at Christmas! Another idea would be to choose several smaller plants and place them in a pretty flat basket, decked out with cherry holiday balls and mini lights. That would look great on a dining room table! Just be sure the plants have similar light and moisture requirements, so that they will be happy together over he holidays!
Thank you to our friends at Yorkton This Week for their fine work every week. Visit the Hort society at www.yorktonhort.ca and have a great week!
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