Help festive plants flourish past the holidays
December is a month for giving and receiving gifts. Holiday plants are always a good choice, and with a little know-how, they can live long past the holiday season. While the red poinsettia is the traditional holiday plant, today they come in a wide range of colors and sizes — and there’s a whole host of other flowering plants to choose from, too.
When receiving a holiday plant, you need to know something about care to ensure it lasts as long as possible. As a general guideline, keep blooming plants in a cool room, with bright, indirect light to help the flowers last as long as possible. Extremely warm rooms can cause flowers to fade quickly. Make sure you have an even supply of water, but avoid overwatering, which is the most common mistake.
| PLANT | BLOOMS | CARE | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Amaryllis | Bulbs can be purchased as loose bulbs, potted blooming bulbs or wax-coated and flowering. Depending on how quickly you want a flower, choose a plant with flower buds but not fully open so they last longer. | Once plant has finished blooming, continue to care for it as a houseplant and enjoy flowers again next year. |
 | Anthurium | Glossy green foliage with spathe blooms in red, white or pink. The flowers can last for months. | Unless you own a greenhouse, it can be difficult to rebloom. |
 | Bromeliad | Many options for colors; some have colorful foliage while others have showy blooms. Color will last for months. | Mother plant often dies after bloom, but will produce pups or babies at the base to grow more plants. |
 | Cyclamen | Small clusters of red, pink or white blooms. With bright light and even moisture, it can bloom for 6-8 weeks. | As the foliage begins to die back, withhold water for a few months. After a rest period, gradually begin to add water. When you see signs of new growth, increase water and sunlight and it can rebloom. |
 | Holiday Cactus | Flowers can be red, pink, white or orange. The plant can bloom for a month or longer. | After bloom, put it in a cool room with bright sunlight during the day, but darkness at night. It may rebloom this year. Then, move it outdoors in the summer, and bring it back inside for flowers next year. |
 | Kalanchoe | Thick, waxy foliage with clusters of red, yellow, orange, pink or white flowers. If you don’t overwater or underwater, the plant can bloom for months. | Keep the plant in a room with natural daylight and not a lot of lights at night, and it can freely rebloom. |
 | Orchids | A wide range of flower colors and sizes to choose from. Each plant can bloom for 2-3 months with minimal care. | Depending on variety, reblooming can be easy or difficult. Don’t overwater, and give them bright indirect light. |