Winter is the time of year when the lack of sun and low temperatures deteriorate our mood. There are no more green or colorful flowers outside the window, and gray or white of snow reigns everywhere. However, even in this rather sad time of nature's dormancy, we can enjoy its colors in our apartments, which will be introduced byflowers for Christmasbecause then the short-day plants bloom, and some of them are the main characters of Christmas decoration. Some of them can turn out to be a perfect Christmas gift.
Flowers for Christmas - Poinsettia (Star of Bethlehem)
December is one of the most joyful winter months in our culture. We are accompanied by a cheerful mood of anticipation for the holidays. Among the many purchases and preparations, we should not forget about plants. In addition to conifers, used for Christmas trees, Christmas is inextricably associated with clod, poinsettia and holly, but other plants, such as hellebore or cyclamen, are also equally interesting. Before we make a purchase, it is worth learning a bit about their requirements and needs, thanks to which the choice will be accurate and will allow us to enjoy the beauty of the plant for a long time.
Potted flowers for Christmas
Poinsettia - The Star of Bethlehem
The most popular is, of course, the poinsettia - the Star of Bethlehem, although its real name sounds a bit less colorful - Euphorbia pulcherrima. Poinsettias, available in many varieties, are undoubtedly the flagshipflowers for Christmas Like all spurgeons, they contain a white, irritating sap that can sensitize sensitive people. Therefore, you should remember to wash your hands after contact with the plant.
Poinsettia as a symbol of Christmas has appeared in our homes, following the example of America, where it was already known among the Aztecs. Contrary to appearances, the plant's decoration is not small flowers, but beautifully colored leaves called flowers. The star of Bethlehem has quite high requirements in terms of both temperature and humidity. It is a plant of a warm climate and reacts very badly to cold and rapid changes in temperature, therefore poinsettias are often unreliable asflowers for ChristmasWhen bringing a newly purchased poinsettia home from the store, the whole plant should be carefully wrapped together with a pot so that it does not suffer from the cold. Try not to buy poinsettias in the markets, as it may already be frozen. In the apartment, we take the cover off gradually so that the poinsettia can get used to the temperature change.
"Remember not to put it right next to the window, which we often open, because drafts and cold can very much harm it.In order for the plant to bloom for a long time, it must be provided with adequate moisture and light. When watering, be careful that the pot does not stand in the water, which can cause the roots to rot. However, drying out can be just as deadly for her as flooding. It&39;s good when the flowerpot stands on a base with water and pebbles, thanks to which the air humidity also increases.What is the result of improper care? Well, the leaves quickly wilt, turn yellow and finally fall off. "
An interesting fact is that in nature these small shrubs grow up to 3 m, and their small size in pots is due to special dwarfing preparations. Thanks to the breeders, we can choose from richer and richer colors of poinsettias. Of course, red reigns supreme, but amateurs can choose from yellow, pink, variegated, cream white and even cream-green. Flowering lasts for several weeks, then the plant goes dormant. If we want to try to store it until the next year, let's look for detailed information on how to do it, because in our conditions it is not easy.
Flowers for Christmas - pellet (Christmas cactus)
Christmas cactus
Another popular Christmas ornament is the zygocactus (Schlumbergera), also known as the lump or Christmas cactus. It is a plant with a drooping habit and long, joined, smooth leaves. It hates shedding, but it must also not overdry it. The substrate should be permeable, humus and slightly acidic. Szlumberger also does not like too high temperatures. The optimum value is 18-22 ° C, and even 15-18 ° C during the setting of buds, that is from the beginning of autumn. Temperatures above 20 ° C can cause bud shedding. Sparing watering is also advisable during this period.
Despite the fact that the poultry plant is a short-day plant, it likes bright positions. He will also be grateful for providing him with adequate air humidity. We can achieve this by placing the pot on a stand filled with water and pebbles.Breeders' efforts, aimed at obtaining new varieties and hybrids, result in the diversity of the colors of the flowers of the pellet plant. So we can opt for a cactus to produce red, pink, maroon, white, white and pink or salmonflowers for Christmas
It is also worth mentioning that the papilionaceous plant is often confused with Rhipsalidopsis gaertneri, an Easter cactus that blooms in spring, usually around Easter.
Flowers for Christmas - nightshade
Psianka (Solanum
We can also use a plant called Solanum to decorate our homes during the holidays. It is an evergreen shrub that grows up to about 30 cm in height. The most beautiful species is probably the coral nightshade (Solanum pseudocapsicum). It has quite large fruit, about 1.5-3 cm in size, intense orange in color, which are usually quite densely covered with branches.They can successfully replace tiny, orange Christmas baubles, and additional decorations will complement the decorative value. It is these fruits, notChristmas flowers , that are Christmas decorations for nightshades. The plant is a relative of tomatoes, while its ornamental fruits, which appear in autumn, remain on the bush for several months. In Poland, it is treated as one-year-old, but with proper growing conditions, we can successfully store it until the next season. Solanum does not like too high temperatures. It feels best in the range of 18-20 ° C, but at the same time expects a bright and sunny position. Watering is important to remember, and although it does not like flooding, it is just as sensitive to overdrying. The leaves may then turn yellow and fall off. Despite the undoubted charm of the nightshade, be very careful as all parts of the plant are poisonous.
Flowers for Christmas - Persian cyclamen
Persian cyclamen
Cyclamens are other short-day plants. They're not too much associated withChristmas flowers , which is a shame. Their flowers are in fact extremely beautiful and they surely are a great decoration of the apartment. Persian cyclamen (Cyclamen persicum) - because this is its full name, belongs to the primrose family. It is sometimes incorrectly called alpine violet, but it is a completely different species. Cyclamen is a bulbous plant, growing up to about 25 cm. height, although it also has dwarf varieties. In Poland it is treated as seasonal, and although it is actually not one year old, in our conditions it is very difficult to store it until the next year.
There are no special soil requirements, except that the substrate should be constantly moist. However, it cannot stand in the water, because even an hour of water remaining in the base may damage the roots. Cyclamen tuber rots easily, so it should protrude above the ground in the upper part, and watering should be done only from the bottom of the container.This plant definitely prefers cool rooms with a temperature of 15-20 ° C and places with diffused light.
The leaves are dark green with a white marbled pattern. Cyclamen impresses with an incredible variety of flowers, they are large (correspondingly smaller in dwarf varieties), with petals bent upwards, sometimes with wavy edges. Extremely rich colors, through the whole range of pink and red shades, through purple to white, sometimes mottled, mottled, shaded or with a white border.
Flowers for Christmas - Indian azalea
Potted azaleas
The last plant I would like to mention is the Indian azalea (Azalea indica). This species is slightly different from the commonly known azaleas, which are just going to rest in the garden, and as one of the few that is grown in pots. It blooms profusely and beautifully from autumn to spring, but it is a plant that is quite difficult to maintain at home.Still, it is worth the temptation to try to grow it for its magnificent full-rose flowers. The color gamut is comparable to that of cyclamen. However, in order for it to bloom nicely, it needs a low temperature, oscillating around 15-18 ° C. and a bright position. It also requires constantly moist soil, although it does not like flooding. The humus substrate must absolutely be acidic. Care errors may result in the shedding of flowers or leaves.
Garden flowers for Christmas
A commonly known symbol for the holidays is the holly (Ilex). It belongs to a large group of plants in which we can find about 400 species. These are decorative shrubs or even several meters high trees. In Poland, however, mainly three species are known: the barbed holly (Ilex aquifolium), the Ilex crenata, and the Meserva hybrid (Ilex x meserveae). The ornamental value of holly shrubs is notflowers for Christmas , but their attractive evergreen leaves and winter-lasting, shiny, spherical fruit, contrasting in color with the leaves. In contrast to the previously mentioned potted plants, holly is grown in the ground. Therefore, they can be decorations in our gardens. They are relatively resistant to the low temperatures of our climate (in particular, the Meserva hybrid), although severe frosts are their enemy. Therefore, the more delicate varieties of thorny and corrugated holly, as well as all varieties with variegated leaves, require winter cover.
Flowers for Christmas - holly
In spite of winter damage, holly can regenerate even from the root. They tolerate cutting well and are suitable for forming. They do best in fertile soils and sunny positions. However, we must remember one very important rule. Well, if you want to see beautiful fruit in the fall, you should obtain at least two copies. Holly is dioecious and needs both a male and a female plant to bloom and bear fruit.
Holly bushes are most often evergreen and have a large variety of leaves and fruits. Therefore, there are varieties with strongly cut or smooth leaves, with a lot of thorns or without them, with the color of light green, dark green, white-edged, yellow, cream, brown or mottled leaves. The leaves can be both large and small, and the fruits can be red, yellow or dark blue-black. The most appreciated, however, are those with dark green, shiny leaves (possibly with a white border) and carmine-red fruits. They usually come from the thorny holly and are most often imported from European countries. We mainly use them to make various Christmas decorations.
Note!It must be absolutely remembered that the fruits of holly are poisonous. This is especially important when we have children who like to try everything, and red beads can be very attractive to them. In the event of ingestion, prompt medical attention is required.
One of the less known plants of the Christmas season is the hellebore (Helleborus), and specifically one of the species of the hellebore - the white hellebore (Helleborus niger), also known as the Christmas rose. White hellebore are frost-resistant garden perennials that produce wonderfulflowers for Christmas , famous for their unusual winter flowering season. Their flowers can be white or slightly pink. In the garden, they require moderately moist, fertile, calcareous soils as well as sunny and quiet positions. They do not tolerate acidification as well as wet and heavy soils.
Flowers for Christmas - hellebore
Other plants for Christmas
On the occasion of December holidays, mistletoe must also be replaced, although it is not quite an ordinary plant from our garden or window sill. It grows on trees as a partially parasitic shrub. It uses suction cups to extract water and mineral s alts, but having a green dye, it additionally produces the necessary assimilation products.In the case of high densities, it may even lead to the death of its host. Mistletoe is dioecious, so it needs at least two of the different sexes to bloom and bear fruit. They are white, fleshy and eagerly eaten by birds, especially waxwings. These in turn spread its seeds to other trees.
Mistletoe as a Christmas decoration, came to us indirectly from Germany, which took this custom from other countries. Its popularity is probably due to the mystical values that have been attached to it for centuries. It symbolizes, among other things, prosperity, harmony, life and fertility. The importance of mistletoe as a herbal raw material cannot be ignored, but never at home (it can be very toxic). It is used for the production of various preparations and drugs used, inter alia, in the treatment of hypertension and atherosclerosis.
Katarzyna Józefowicz
