It is hard to believe that already we are into December. ‘Tis the season to adorn our homes with beautiful living plants and help brighten our shorter days with colour. What a wonderful way to help winter become more bearable. After all, when it is -40 C outside, what better thing to do than stay inside where it is warm and enjoy the splendor of beautiful plants.
One of the nicest plants to grow is the amaryllis. This bold and beautiful plant is so easy to grow that even those of us with the brownest thumbs can manage to be rewarded with spectacular blooms. Simply pot up the bulb, put it in a sunny spot and water and feed it as you would your other tropical plants. Once the bloom is finished you can even keep the plant for another year and again enjoy the bloom.
The Christmas cactus is another plant that can grace your home during the holiday season with the first of many seasons of blooms. It is what is termed a “short-day” plant, which simply means that it responds to decreased day length of our winter days by initiating bloom. My Christmas cactus is literally covered in blooms right now, which is so appreciated when it is so cold and white outside. This plant is another easy keeper that with a small amount of care will keep blooming for years to come. Water thoroughly when the surface of the soil feels dry and keep it in bright light.
Ornamental peppers are fun and festive and bring another style of bloom to your home. The plant will produce an abundance of peppers that are first green, turning white, purple, orange and finally a brilliant red. It is a great short-term plant as you often will get every colour of pepper on the plant at the same time. They take little care and don’t mind being a little bit dry – an ideal thing when our humidity is at an all time low. They are unfortunately not a plant to keep for years, but are generally discarded once the peppers are finished.
Another short-term plant is the Bromeliad. These exotic looking plants are sure to bring an impact to any holiday events you might be hosting in your home. They thrive in lower light environments and take little care. They should be watered about once a week. There is one small difference in the care of bromeliads in comparison to other tropicals. The foliage forms a rosette in the centre of the plant that forms a funnel that should always be filled with water.
Tillandsia or air plants are a genus of the Bromiliad family. They are the latest "need to get plant" for gardeners and non-gardeners alike. They live without soil and are so easy to care for as you need only to spritz or run them under water two to three times a week to keep them happy. We at the Saskatoon School of Horticulture have taken growing Tillandsia to another level and have created Tillandsia art. You too can enjoy Tillandsia art if you drop by One Yoga http://saskatoonyoga.com/ in Saskatoon Dec. 11 from 7 to 9 p.m. They are holding a Christmas craft market and you can purchase Tillandsia art there as well as some other cool things.
Happy December!
Hanbidge is a horticulturist with the Saskatoon School of Horticulture and can be reached at 306-931-GROW(4769); by email at [email protected] or check out our website at saskhort.com
