Holiday Houseplants

When I think of Holiday House plants there are three that come to mind: Amaryllis, Poinsettias and Paperwhite Narcissus. All three of these can be grown outdoors under the right conditions.

As I have mentioned before, I like to force Paperwhite Narcissus to bloom in the house by putting them in rocks with water and starting them in the dark.

Instructions can be found online. I also plant them outdoors in the fall and they bloom repeatedly as a perennial in the early winter. Once the bulbs are forced they do not rebloom in the garden. (At least I have never had the patience to wait many years to see if they would eventually bloom.)

A friend of mine commented when seeing some Paperwhite Narcissus bulbs in bud, “Oh they are like Amaryllis.” Although I did not think they were related, a little searching on the internet revealed that they ARE both in the Amaryllidaceae family! All the Narcissus and Jonquils turn out to be in that family!

My first acquaintance with Poinsettias was as an 8 year old child when my family lived in New Orleans. A 10 foot tall Poinsettia grew in our backyard. They are short day plants that turn colors in the winter before there is a freeze. The nursery growers adjust the timing of the lights so that you can have beautiful colorful Poinsettias for the Holidays. Some people hold their Poinsettias over in pots and starting in the fall they faithfully put the plants in a dark closet as the sun goes down and bring it back into the light each morning. When the bracts turn colors their patience is rewarded.

I recall admiring the red Poinsettias in the Sydney Australia gardens in June, their short day time of year. After December 21st our days will grow longer.