Tis the Season for Holiday Plants

As the weather outside turns frightful, you may be spending less time outside in your garden.  It’s the perfect time to bring some holiday cheer into your home with houseplants.  We have your care guide below for three Garden Girl holiday houseplant favorites. 

 As for what you should be doing in your garden in December, have your frost cloth handy in case temperatures dip to freezing, harvest your herbs and lettuces frequently, and plant more lettuce seeds or brassicas, like kale, if you have space.

Now, let’s move inside to holiday houseplants.

Jill’s kitchen with lettuce harvest and poinsettia

Christmas Cactus

With its geometric-shaped leaves and exotic flowers, the Christmas cactus can be a striking addition to your holiday decor. Similar to other cacti and succulents, this cactus prefers relatively dry soil; water only once the soil has dried out completely. For the best blooms, keep your Christmas cactus indoors in a cool, bright location away from direct sunlight. After blooming ends, the cactus can continue to grow indoors with minimal watering and moved outside to a shaded location when temperatures warm in the spring. With proper care, Christmas cacti can live for decades! 

Poinsettias

Poinsettias are perhaps the most quintessential holiday plant. Poinsettias prefer moist soils; water once the surface soil feels dry, being sure to not let the soil dry out completely. Keep the plant in a location where it will receive bright, indirect sunlight. As a native to Mexico, poinsettias can actually thrive in our climate in warmer months. Once temperatures are well above freezing in spring, move your poinsettia to a partly sunny location outdoors. In their native habitat, poinsettias can grow to the size of a small tree! 

Rosemary

The rosemary topiaries provide both festive decor and delightful fragrance when used as a houseplant during the winter months. Rosemary needs bright light to survive indoors, so place this plant in your sunniest window; water when the top inch of soil feels dry. And don’t forget to clip off some branches to use in your holiday dishes!

Keep Gardening For YOU This Season

We hope you’ll continue your gardening endeavors throughout the holiday season.  We all started gardening for different reasons, but we can all agree that gardening is the best mood booster around.  So, when you are feeling frantic, overwhelmed, or stressed this season, get your hands in some dirt!!