Gift Plants for Christmas

Of all Christmas gifts, growing plants are among the most enjoyable, for they brighten winter rooms with living beauty. If thoughtfully selected, a plant will give pleasure for a long time. Too many Christmas plants, however, are not selected wisely and die in a week or two. Their failure may be due to neglect or to the fact that they are suddenly thrust into rooms that are too warm or too cool, too dark or too sunny, or else lack the necessary humidity.

But if you know the tastes of your friend, and the environmental conditions of the room in which your gift plant will be displayed, there is no reason why you cannot choose just the right plant for him – one which will give weeks – possibly even years – of pleasure.

A cool room is desired for the vast majority of house plants, which are grown commercially in cool greenhouses. Naturally they would be unable to adjust to being suddenly thrust into an overheated room. Forewarned is forearmed. however; the following plants cannot be expected to survive at temperatures as high as 75° to 80°.

A large cyclamen in full bloom is probably the most breathtaking of Christmas plants. The lovely pink, rose or white blossoms are gracefully poised above handsome, rounded leaves; the whole plant has an air of perfection. But let its owner leave it at 70° to 80° for a night and forget to water it for a day or two and sec what a drastic change occurs: drooping stems, limp foliage and wilted flowers—a state from which it seldom recovers completely. Keep cyclamens cool—they love a cool 45°- and well-watered, if you would keep them healthy.

The gardenia is another lovely but temperamental gift plant. Whoever saw a handsomer plant than a large gardenia, its fragrant, waxen blossoms nestled among glossy, deep-green foliage? Select a gardenia only for the friend who has two green thumbs. Tell her to keep the plant at no warmer than 60° at night and 65° by day. The soil should be constantly moist but never water-logged.

Lady-slipper orchids, also called cypripediums, are less showy than the above, but far sturdier and easier to care for. Florists use their tender yellow and green flowers for corsages and also sell them as potted plants. Our plants, which have been growing in a north window for six years, come into bloom between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The blossoms remain in excellent condition for five to six weeks. Cypripediums like a cool temperature of 55° to 65° and regular, moderate watering; they should be divided when the pots become crowded.

If a Christmas begonia tempts you because it looks so beautiful, its masses of showy flowers all but hiding the foliage, remember that it is a badly behaved house plant. Give it only to one with a cool greenhouse or conservatory. This also holds true for the popular Christmas- or Jerusalem-cherry and Christmas-pepper.

Wax begonias (Begonia semperflorens) and large-leaved, winter-4- blooming begonias, on the other hand, are undemanding house plants which should give years of satisfaction if -:: grown at temperatures of 60° to 70°. Many large-leaved varieties are suit- , able for north and west windows.

The florist’s primroses, the Chinese primrose (Primula sinensis), the fairy .:: primrose (P. malacoides) and P. obconica, shouldn’t be forgotten. These dainty, winter-blooming varieties remain in blossom for weeks on end if kept at a temperature of 50° to 60°; higher temperatures are death to them. Primroses need plenty of moisture but little sunshine.

Foliage plants suitable for cool rooms include such pleasing species as the holly-fern, with its glossy, broad, prickly leaves; maranta or prayer plant, with light-green, purple-blotched leaves which fold at night; and the many handsome house ivies, from the tiniest miniatures to the large-leaved crested and variegated sorts. These species make sensible gifts for those who want long-lasting green foliage e plants for average home conditions.

Precocious spring-flowering bulbs such as daffodils, tulips and lilies-of-the-valley can often be found at the florist shop at Christmas time. They are delightful harbingers of the coming spring; but to keep them blooming at their best they should be placed in a very cool sunroom or bay window.

Tender bulbs of amaryllis, gloriosa-lily or veltheimia are good choices for the avid gardener, who may wish to start them himself, later bringing them into bloom. Or you may prefer to pot the bulbs up yourself and then present them already well on their way toward flowering.

Warm, sunny rooms are preferred for a few house plants. Most popular of these for Christmas-giving is the poinsettia, which requires sunshine and 65° to 75° of warmth; it must not be i placed in a draft. In addition to the 1 red varieties most commonly seen, O. lovely shrimp-pink or creamy-white varieties are also available.

African-violets like rather warm, humid conditions. But don’t give one to a non-gardener unless you want her :’ to embrace a new hobby, for the culture of African-violets seems to be almost irresistible. They should be watered moderately with lukewarm water (cold water spots the leaves).

Shrimp-plant (Beloperone guttata), while not as showy as a poinsettia, will produce its chartreuse and shrimp-pink bracted sheaves of bloom the year around. It likes a sunny window and should be pruned back occasionally.

Succulents and cacti, which bloom cheerfully at Christmas time and best endure dry, warm (60° to 75°), sunny or partly sunny locations, include: crown-of-thorns (Euphorbia splendens), with its blood-red bracted flowers produced throughout the year and its bizarre, thorny silhouette; Kalanchoe coccinea, with its clusters of red, star-shaped blossoms produced over a long period in midwinter; and that good old stand-by, Christmas cactus, producing fuchsia-red blossoms in profusion during the Christmas season. Christmas cactus is one of those long-lived plants which, as it is passed on from mother to daughter, grows bigger and more floriferous each year.

Dish gardens of spiny cacti and small succulents are a good choice for busy executives, who flit in and out of their over-heated city apartments. But if the desert plants are combined with small, humidity-loving foliage plants such as peperomias and pothos, the life expectancy of the garden is limited.

Patience plant (Impatiens Holsti) is one of our favorites but it is not easy to find in the florist shop. Most gardeners who are growing it obtained their plant from slips or seeds. The patience plant produces phlox-like blossoms the year around in shades of blush, shrimp, rose and brick-red. The soft leaves are light green and the stems are succulent. The plants will flower indoors in the winter; later they may be planted in window boxes where they will bloom all summer. The patience plant likes sunshine, moderate warmth and plenty of moisture.

Little or no direct sunshine and moderate warmth of 60° to 75° is well suited to tropical foliage plants. Among these are many species whose striking silhouettes make them especially suitable for the friend who has just completed decorating her home in the contemporary manner. These species include: the Swiss-cheese plant (Monstera deliciosa), with very large glossy, perforated leaves; the dieffenbachias, whose thick stems bear large, elongated, striped, spotted or variegated leaves; the familiar angular Chinese evergreen (Aglaonema), which grows equally well in soil or water; and that easy-going house vine, Philodendron oxycardium (P. cordatum), whose heart-shaped leaves twine over almost every mantelpiece in America. All of these species like plenty of moisture and a humusy, well-drained soil; they can endure a situation with a limited amount of light.

Related Articles Of Interest:

• Greenhouse Checklist for November
• Analyzing Your Home’s Environment for Plants
• Winter House Plant Check List
• Cyclamen Bulbs and Flowers