This season brings new homes for the plants we give and receive as presents. Depending on their individual needs, some move in happily as long-term residents; others are best treated as guests. Their styles can run the gamut from informal (bobbing blooms of cyclamen) to stately (rosemary topiary, beautiful to look at and tasty to cook with) to flashy (poinsettia, Christmas cactus, and amaryllis).
And while seeing old friends is a special pleasure at this time of year, it’s even more fun when they turn up with a new look. Poinsettias, for example, don’t have to come in red; varieties in creamy white, pink or yellow, with stripes or marbling, are a treat. Amaryllis’ size and color variations can be even more dazzling.
Don’t stand on ceremony, though. When a gift plant with limited post-holiday appeal wears out its welcome, firmly but gently show it the door.
All of the gift plants described here are reasonably easy to care for, and their visual appeal makes them great holiday decorations. Nevertheless, their specific needs differ, so be sure to treat each plant as an individual, following our basic guidelines.
Amaryllis
These bulbs give generously, year after year, and ask little in return.
Care: If you receive a bare bulb, plant it in a light, well-drained potting medium with the top third of the bulb exposed. Grow in bright light (not direct sun); let it go nearly dry between waterings. Remove faded flowers and stems. Leave plant in full sun, and apply a balanced fertilizer every two weeks. Cut off foliage only when it yellows and flops; stop feeding and gradually stop watering, to encourage dormancy.
Keeping: Store potted bulb on its side in a cool, dry, dark place for two to three months. Return pot to light, and resume watering. Repot with fresh medium every two or three years.
Christmas cactus
A jungle cactus, not the desert kind, this stalwart can live for decades.
Care: Provide bright light and room temperatures around 70 degrees Fahrenheit; water when soil is dry to the touch.
Keeping: In mid-September, start placing in total darkness for 14 hours nightly for three to four weeks. Temperatures should be cool: in the 60s and 70s. Water sparingly until flower buds form; return plant to regular care conditions.
Cyclamen
The hovering butterfly blooms of florist’s cyclamen cheer up gray days.
Care: Any bright window will do, but provide some shade from harsh sun. Moderate night temperatures (from 50 degrees to the 60s) and evenly moist soil help extend flowering for months. Let plant absorb water from a saucer, rather than watering from above. Cyclamen in flower needs no fertilizer.
Keeping: Cyclamen is still a lovely foliage plant even after flowering, but it eventually goes dormant. When leaves get too sparse, compost it.
Poinsettia
The vivid bracts (modified leaves) are spectacular now, but very fussy about coloring up again later.
Care: Does fine at average room temperature in front of a bright to partly sunny window (but not touching cold glass or exposed to drafts). It prefers slightly dry soil to constant saturation.
Keeping: Not worth the complex regimen needed to produce next winter’s display. Toss plant after color fades.
Questions should be addressed to Ask Martha, care of Letters Department, Martha Stewart Living, 11 W. 42nd St., New York, NY 10036. E-mail to mslletters@marthastewart.com.
2006 Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc.
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