From The Gardens

The holiday decorations have been put back in the attic, the cookies have all been eaten and the tree has been chopped up for mulch (hopefully).  The only remaining vestige of the season is the holiday plant given to you by Cousin Martha.   Here are some tips on caring for that plant to increase your enjoyment and to extend the life of the plant for many years.

Amaryllis (Hippeastrum) are large bulbs usually purchased potted and in a box ready to grow as soon as you add water.  With proper treatment, they can live for many years.  When the flowers have faded, cut off the flower stalk but not the leaves.  Those should be kept growing to nourish the bulb until August.  Put the plant in a sunny spot, keep it watered and feed it once a month.  In late summer the leaves will begin to turn pale, a cue that the bulb needs a rest.  Water it less frequently and stop feeding it.  Cut off all the leaves and store the pot in a dry place.  About six weeks before the desired flowering time, take the top two inches of soil out of the pot, replace it with fresh soil, begin watering the plant on a bright windowsill and sit back and watch the show.

Cyclamen are bulbs that need bright light, but not direct sunlight and temperatures no warmer than 65°, preferably about 55°.  Cyclamen bloom profusely from fall to late spring if given the right conditions.  When the blossoms fade, water less frequently until the leaves too begin to loose color.  At this point, cut off the leaves and put the pot under a tree or bench where it will remain dormant for the summer.  In the fall when new sprouts begin at the top of the bulb, resume watering and feeding and it will reward you with months of flowers.

Christmas or Holiday Cactus (Schlumbergia) does not like bright sun and does not like to dry out.  Most varieties sold today are hybrids of the form Grandma grew in her unheated front parlor. The 55° night temperature  needed for setting buds can be achieved by keeping the plant outside until just before frost in the fall.  Once the buds are set, 60° to 70° temperatures are just fine.

Poinsettia (Euphorbia) is quite a challenge to rebloom successfully.  Before 1963 poinsettias were difficult to keep in flower because they would drop their leaves so fast.   A mutation discovered in the sixties that didn’t drop its leaves now allows us to enjoy the “flowers” for months.  The flowers are actually the tiny yellow buds surrounded by the colored leaves or bracts.  The new colors of poinsettias, many shades of pink and even a golden yellow make the plant a more desirable plant to have throughout the rest of the year.  If you want to save your poinsettia and have it bloom again next year, you must follow some strict rules.  Cut the plants back in late spring and repot with fresh soil.  Water and fertilize throughout the summer.  In order to bloom plants must have 40 days with 14 hours of uninterrupted darkness each day.