7 Ways to Keep Your Holiday Plants Looking Fresh Through the New Year
From poinsettias to paperwhites, there are some beautiful plants that have become holiday staples. They add beauty and color to winter and make cheerful gifts. In this article, gardening expert Melissa Strauss tells you how to keep them looking their best, even after the season passes.
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If you’ve acquired a plant or two over the holidays, you’re probably wondering how long they will last and how to get them there. The good news is that many of them will live a long life with proper care. Depending on the plant, that care will differ.
For now, we just want to get those plants through the New Year with their leaves intact and flowers, if they have any, looking fresh and beautiful. To do that, they will need a bit of TLC. Most of these plants are popular because they don’t need much care to keep them looking nice for a month or so. Others can be more complicated.
Whichever category your holiday plants fall into, there are some basic habits that will keep them all happier for an extended period. Knowing their specific needs is a bonus. Let’s talk about some of these holiday favorites and how you can keep them looking great into 2025.
Water Properly
Every plant has specific watering needs, and those holiday favorites are not exempt. Make sure that you know what your poinsettias and Norfolk pines need to keep their leaves perky and their needles sharp.
In general, for forced bulbs like amaryllis and paperwhites, keep the water clean and fill the container just enough that the roots touch. Don’t allow the bulbs to sit in the water, or they will rot. Hellebore, cyclamen, and poinsettias prefer moist, well-drained soil. These don’t like to dry out, and their leaves will drop if they do. Poinsettias will drop leaves and become leggy if they dry out for a long time.
When the soil looks dry, water evergreens like spruce, fir, rosemary, and Norfolk pine. These need good drainage, but they like moist soil. Overwatering will lead to root rot, while underwatering will lead to leaf drop. Rosemary can handle drier conditions than most, so these holiday topiaries are easy to care for.
Your Christmas cactus is a succulent and has roots that are sensitive to fungus. Keep this one in well-draining soil and water sparingly while it is in bloom, as this is the beginning of its dormant period.
Regulate the Temperature
Although it seems counterintuitive, many of the plants we grow indoors in winter are tropical. Poinsettias, Christmas cacti, kalanchoe, and amaryllis are all native to warm climates. While you can keep them going indoors in winter, they prefer steady temperatures.
The same goes for evergreens. Many of them tolerate cold temperatures, but when the temperature drops, it signals that they will go dormant. This isn’t the worst thing that can happen, but fluctuations in temperature can be stressful even to evergreens.
Keep your plants in spaces with consistent, warm temperatures. Avoid drafts, and be especially careful about leaving tropical plants in windows on very cold nights. Believe it or not, they can freeze this way! Also, keep plants away from the fireplace and keep things as stable as possible.
Provide Humidity
This applies mainly to tropicals like amaryllis and poinsettia. They are naturally adapted to balmy climates, where they can absorb moisture from the air to keep their flowers and foliage looking plump and healthy. Without this moisture, you may see prematurely withered flowers and crispy leaves.
The air in your home is usually a bit drier than tropicals prefer. Even in the summer, many need you to provide additional humidity. In the winter, it’s even more so. The outdoor air is drier in winter, and if you’re heating your house, that zaps a ton of moisture from the air.
Use a humidifier to add more moisture to the air. Your tropicals and your skin will thank you. Like other living things, we benefit from humidity! It will also make your live Christmas tree last longer. You can mist it, as well.
Hold Back on Fertilizer
For the most part, you should put a pause on fertilizing in the winter. Many plants are dormant during this time, so their growth slows, and they take in fewer nutrients and less water. This is a good rule to keep in mind in terms of watering, too. Make sure to pay attention to the soil when determining how to water.
A buildup of fertilizer on the roots can cause burns that will affect the health of the entire plant. You might see flowers and leaves begin to look dry and burned at the edges. For the time being, don’t worry about fertilizer. If you plan to keep your plants after the holidays are past, begin to fertilize them in late winter, just before their growth season resumes.
Give Them The Right Light
A main component of maintaining your holiday plants is to give them the right amount of light. This differs between different types, so it’s important to know exactly what you’re working with. Here are some of the more common types you might be looking for.
Poinsettia
Bright indirect light to full sun is best for poinsettias. Keep them close to the window or in direct exposure.
Hellebore
These are well suited for lower light situations. No direct sun should hit these leaves and flowers. They live in the understory of woodlands, where they get dappled or filtered sun. A sheer curtain will make a good filter, or keep them a few feet from a sunny window.
Amaryllis
While your stems are putting on height, give these partial sun or bright indirect light. Once they bloom, move them farther from the window to prolong the blooms. Once they finish flowering, they’re finished for the year, but you can dry them and save them for next year or plant them in the ground in warm climate areas.
The same applies to forced paperwhites. Give them sun until they bloom, and then move them to a space with indirect light, and the flowers will last longer.
Evergreens
Most evergreens tolerate full sun but will be happy in partial shade if it’s not available. This covers most, except for some holly plants, which needs partial shade to thrive.
Christmas Cactus
This tropical cactus prefers bright indirect light. Some direct sun in the morning is fine, but harsh afternoon exposure can burn the leaves and shorten the life of the blooms.
Deadhead
Deadheading is important for flowering plants like hellebore, Christmas cactus, amaryllis, and others. It prolongs the life of bloomers by tricking the plant into thinking that it’s not time to go to seed.
If you leave the spent flowers intact, the plant will get the message that it’s time to produce seeds. This is because it thinks that the blooming season is over. If you remove the flowers before they go to seed, they will continue to put energy into flowering rather than developing those seeds.
Use a sharp pair of scissors or shears to snip off spent blooms. Many amaryllis varieties will produce more than one flower stalk. When one finishes blooming, remove it entirely. The bulb will put that energy into the next one, and you’ll get another week or so of wonderful amaryllis beauty.
Hold Off On Repotting
Finally, don’t make any major changes, like repotting, while your holiday plants are thriving. Doing so can cause stress and cause them to drop their flowers or foliage. Wait until after the holidays pass and your plants are either in or about to re-enter a growth phase. This is the time to propagate and repot when they will recover faster.
