Here Chris Bonnett from GardeningExpress looks at the best Christmas plants around this season.
Christmas houseplants can brighten up a room and bring cheer to a festive table, and they make a perfect gift. The tricky part is deciding which one to choose.
From colourful, sweet smelling cyclamen to the traditional bright red Poinsettia, there really is something for everyone and every budget.
If you love something a little unusual, then there are options for you as well as plants you can put into the garden once the festivities are over. Here’s my guide to the best Christmas houseplants.
Cyclamen
Cyclamen is a traditional, easy to care for Christmas houseplant. The attractive blooms and light fragrance will brighten up the home during the winter months. These come in a variety of colours including white, red and pink. Cyclamen are easy to grow. Keep them cool, so away from direct sunlight and radiators and they should last a good few months.
Helleborus niger
The Helleborus niger, otherwise known as the Christmas Rose can be placed outside or inside the home. This pretty plant has pure white flowers with golden stamens. They’ll do well in the garden and look equally as good indoors as a cheerful, flowering pot plant before moving them out into the garden.
Red Poinsettia
If there’s a Christmas plant everyone is familiar with it’s a Poinsettia. The bright red bracts are often mistaken for flowers – the flowers are the yellow buds in this festive plant.
These look beautiful on the festive table and are the perfect gift for friends and family. They’re also easy to look after. Keep the compost just moist and place in a brightly lit room for the bracts to show off their amazing colour.
Amaryllis
The Snowy White Amaryllis makes a lovely table display for Christmas Day and throughout the holiday season. Each bulb will generally produce up to 2-3 strong stems with 4-6 flowers per stem. Each stem grows to around 50cms.
These are easy to look after – keep the soil moist and avoid wetting the part of the bulb which sits above the soil. Find a nice sunny spot for this plant.
Christmas Coral Berry
Red berries cover this plant giving it a festive feel for the Christmas holidays. Place it in indirect sunlight and mist regularly. These plants are not fans of draughts so keep out of chilly hallways. This plant makes a lovely gift and is perfect if you’re looking for something a little more unusual.
