YORKTON - Christmas is almost here! Gardeners always think of plants, even in the mid-winter deep freeze, and the Christmas season has so many beautiful traditional plants, doesn’t it.
Think of the cheerful poinsettia, much loved by many; a plant that says, “Merry Christmas!” like no other plant. Though red is the classic colour, there are also lovely hues of peach, ivory and green/white to decorate our homes. How many gardeners are eagerly watching and waiting for their amaryllis bulbs to send forth their beautiful stems of glorious trumpet-shaped flowers! Maybe your favourite might be the delicate Christmas cactus, such fragile beauty.
But “Christmas” plants now go far beyond these fabulous favourites. For gift-giving, think outside the traditional box and make some new favourites. Here’s the start of a list, and I’m sure you can easily add other plants to this list.
Rosemary: a deliciously fragrant plant that not only looks pretty and elegant, but can be used in holiday cooking. I’ve seen small rosemary bushes decorated with tiny white lights, and what a nice addition that would be to any holiday table. Decorate lavender the same way: what a romantic, nostalgic plant. The plant shape can be shrub-shape, or trimmed into a topiary, but still a perfect table-top plant. And what do you notice about these plants? The leaves on both are long and narrow like spruce needles, and oh, so fragrant!
Remember that carol “The Holly and the Ivy”? Ivy would make a beautiful holiday plant; because of it’s sturdy growing habit, it is considered an ‘evergreen’ in some parts of the world, and is symbolic of eternal life and new beginnings. As a houseplant, it likes bright but indirect light, perhaps from an east or north window, and likes moist, but not wet, soil. We should water it when the soil feels dry. Give your ivy plant a festive flair by tucking a few sparkling Christmas balls of varying sizes among the leaves.
Here’s an interesting plant, new to many of us, but one of the oldest cultivated plants: hellebores, also called the Christmas Rose. It will bloom all winter with delicate pale white blooms that slightly resemble a clematis in petal structure. It is a hardy perennial; and when spring comes we can plant it outdoors into a container. I read that this pretty plant has more legends than a lot of plants, including a sweet story of a tiny little shepherd girl who wanted to see the Baby Jesus in the stable. She had no gift for him, but an angel saw her sadness and touched the ground near her feet, where a lovely little plant with pale white flowers sprang up. The plant was the Christmas Rose, and it became her gift. The Christmas Rose likely wouldn’t survive as a perennial here, but if we try it in a container, we might be able to bring it indoors in the fall.
Another plant that many might think of as “just a houseplant” and not a holiday plant is the pothos; but with variegated pothos like Marble Queen, or a lime-green variety like Neon, what a pop of colour! This plant keeps on being timelessly beautiful even after the holiday season is over.
So many plants, so little space! But it is easy to find a new holiday favourite to enjoy!
Keith and I would like to wish you every blessing of Christmas. May the Light, Hope and Joy of Jesus’ birth renew and refresh your soul and spirit, and may 2025 be a year filled with health and happiness, dear gardening friends. Also, on behalf of the Yorkton & District Horticultural Society, we extend bountiful holiday wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Thank you to our friends at YTW for their great work each and every week. Merry Christmas!
