Flowering plants are a great gift idea, especially this time of year. Whether you are receiving flowering plants as a gift or you decide to purchase your own flowering plant, you want to keep them looking good for as long as possible. This can be done by following these plant tips.
Poinsettias are the most popular flowering plant for the Christmas season. Native to Mexico where they grow like weeds, they are quite sensitive to cold temperatures. Avoid placing poinsettias near outside doors or a cold window ledge where they can become cold. Also don't put them near drafts from heat sources such as heating vents, radiators or fireplaces. Poinsettias should be kept evenly moist but not soggy. Don't allow them to get too dry as this will cause the leaves to drop.
Before watering, touch the top of the soil with your finger and if the top feels dry, give the plant a thorough water, using room temperature water, and discard any excess water after a few minutes. Poinsettias require at least six hours of light every day so place them near a window.
Christmas cactus is another favourite plant for this time of year. The Christmas cactus is a forest cactus, not a desert cactus, and should be watered more frequently. When in bloom it should be kept moist until it has finished blooming. After it has bloomed cut back on the water and place it in a cooler (15 C) area of the home. When in bloom, place it in an area where it will receive lots of bright, indirect light, and where there are no sudden changes as Christmas cactus does not respond well to change and will drop its flowers.
Indoor azaleas are available through the year and come in a wide range of colours. Azaleas enjoy an acidic soil and are planted in a soil that has a lot of peat moss in it, which raises the acidity of the soil, but also makes them dry out more quickly. Check the moisture of the soil daily and keep it evenly moist. If the azalea becomes too dry it will drop its flower buds. Place the azalea in a brightly lit area of the home in cooler temperatures, away from drafts and heating vents.
Orchid plants make wonderful gifts, and, if cared for properly, will bloom for months. Orchids enjoy a high humidity, which can be a concern during the winter months when the air in homes is dry. The best rooms in the house, with higher humidity, are the kitchen or bathroom where water is always being used. Another option would be to place orchids on a water-filled pebble tray.
Place orchids in an area of the home where they will receive lots of bright indirect light such as a east or north window or a shaded south or west window.
Once thought of as difficult, orchids are quite easy to look after. Where most people go wrong is in the watering. They require very little water. Water them well once, every seven to 10 days, using room-temperature water.
Indoor flowering containers are very popular and a nice alternative to fresh-cut flowers as they last much longer. Sometimes they consist of several plants from the same family such as cactus or succulents all planted into one container. This works well as they all have the same moisture requirements. Plants with different moisture requirements are better left in their pots and then the plant in the pot is placed in a large decorative container. Once the individual plants have been arranged in the larger decorative container, a layer of moss is placed over the containers and along the edges to hide the pots and give the container a unified look. The advantage to this method is that you can easily remove plants when they are finished blooming and change the look of the container as the season changes.
