Three Beautiful Holiday Plants You Can Grow In Your Own Greenhouse

Home & Garden Blog

During the holiday season, many florist shops are jam-packed with beautiful Christmas plants and flowers. However, the prices charged for all of these lovely things may make you think twice about buying them. Luckily for anyone with half a green thumb, you can grow some of these same plants all year long in your backyard green house or in your solarium. The following three plants fare quite well, if you follow the directions on how to plant them and keep them.

Pointsettia

Poinsettias are used to the heat and cold changes in Mexico. To keep them alive and healthy for Christmas, most florists and landscapers begin placing these plants in first in total shade, then partial shade and finally in full sun about a month or two before Christmas. They are quite a finicky plant, requiring total darkness at night and total light during daylight hours in order to bud and "bloom." The majority of Pointsettias begin as clippings from much larger plants, and when supported properly in dry to moderately moist soil, they grow their own roots. There is special potting soil just for these plants, so be sure to ask your garden department specialist or florist for that special soil if you intend to grow your own.

Holly

If you are going to plant and keep holly indoors, it will need a large planter to accommodate its bushiness. You will also need to plant a male and female plant if you want to get any of those trademark, bright red berries. (The only way to avoid planting two large bushes of holly to get berries is to plant an unusual variety that does not need a "mate" to produce fruit. Holly loves full sun and does well in the hot, moist environments of a greenhouse, but it is a very adaptable plant and may be at home regardless of where you plant it. Just remember to water it at least once a week during the holiday season if you plant it indoors in the fall. (When it is outside in the ground, it gets sufficient water on its own.)

Christmas Cactus

Christmas cacti only bloom in December, when the longer nights provide it with enough rest for the effort it takes to produce its beautiful blooms during the day. If you have one or more Christmas cacti in your personal greenhouse, you may need to cover them up when they're out of season or they will get "confused" by the surrounding warmth and concentrated sunlight and bloom when they are not supposed to or not bloom in December when they are supposed to bloom. They will also need lots of very warm, direct sunlight in December, and just enough water to keep their soil moist but not saturated. They do spread out a lot, just like holly, so be sure to plant Christmas cacti in good-sized pots with acidic soil. 

If you prefer to purchase flowers instead of growing them on your own, contact a professional such as Charlotte County Flowers

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1 December 2015

Keeping Cool All Summer Long

Moving to a hot climate freed me from dealing with snow and ice in the winter. However, it also brought a lot more heat during the summer. I had resigned myself to paying big bills for cooling nine months out of the year when I found out from a friend that my air conditioner was struggling and need in of repair. Once a technician stopped by and gave my equipment a tune up, my cooling costs were nearly cut in half! This surprising discovery prompted me to head online and blog about my experiences. Even if you and your family only use the air conditioner a few times a month during the summer, you can benefit from my tips on keeping the equipment running smoothly and efficiently. You'll appreciate the combination of cooler indoor temperatures and lower monthly bills.