With the arrival of the month of December, everyone begins to talk about Christmas, a holiday that we take advantage of to be with our loved ones and to celebrate the new year. Therefore, in order to make them unforgettable days, we advise you to decorate your home and / or garden with some very special plants, such as the ones we are going to show you below.
Many Christmas plants you will surely know, but others are not so, so feel free to take a look at the pictures while you figure out how to get them perfect during these dates.
Holly
El holly o Holly aquifolium is a small tree or evergreen tree native to western Asia and Europe that can reach a height between 6 and 20 meters. It acquires a pyramidal shape, with a straight trunk and a dense crown composed of simple and strongly spiny leaves during the youth of the specimen. These are usually green, but there are also those that are variegated (green and yellow) in some cultivars.
It is a plant that, since it needs to feel the passing of the seasons, does not live at all well inside the houses, so we recommend keeping it outside, in full sun or in semi-shade, and watering it an average of 2 times a week in summer and less in winter. It resists frosts down to -18ºC.
Araucaria
Image - Wikimedia / bertknot from Scarborough, Australia
The araucaria or norfolk island pine, whose scientific name is Araucaria heterophylla, is an evergreen tree endemic to Norfolk Island, Australia. It has a very attractive pyramidal bearing, with a straight trunk and almost horizontal branches that form floors. It can reach a height of up to 70 meters, but having a fairly slow growth it is difficult to see it with more than 10 meters.
It needs a sunny exposure, moderate watering avoiding waterlogging and mild climates. Resists up to -7ºC.
Christmas cactus
Image - Wikimedia / Kor! An (Андрей Корзун)
El christmas cactus o Schlumbergera truncata is a species of cactus that can be used as a small hanging plant endemic to Brazil. It does not have leaves as such, but flattened stems that are responsible for photosynthesis, which is why they are green. It blooms in winter, producing pink, red, white, or purple flowers.
Indoors it needs a lot of natural light, and very little watering, only when the substrate is completely dry. It resists weak and occasional frosts of up to -2ºC.
Poinsettia
La Poinsettia o Euphorbia pulcherrima It is by far the best known Christmas plant. It is a deciduous shrub native to Mexico that can reach a height of 4 meters It receives several different names, such as poinsettia, Christmas flower, or Poinsettia flower. There are more than 100 cultivars: some red, others yellow, others bicolor, ... so it is easy to find the most suitable for decorating the home.
To keep it alive during Christmas (and after) it is very important that it is kept in a room with lots of natural light, away from drafts (both cold and warm) and that it is watered once or twice a week with rainwater or lime-free. It resists freezes down to -3ºC.
Mistletoe
Mistletoe o Viscum album it is a kind of semi-parasitic plant; that is, a plant that grows on the branches of trees, on which it feeds. It is native to Europe, western and southern Asia, and America. Develops dichotomous stems up to 1 meter long, and greenish-yellow leaves sprout from them.
Needing another plant to survive, its cultivation is difficult. In nature we will find it growing on deciduous trees especially, but it is also common to see it on pines. For this reason, it is often used as a dry or even artificial plant.
nandina
La nandina o domestic nandina is an evergreen shrub native to East Asia that reaches a height of up to 3 meters. The leaves are pinnate, elliptical to ovate or lanceolate, dark green on the upper side and very light green on the underside. The flowers are very pretty, pinkish-white in color, and the fruits are red berries.
It is a very resistant plant, which must be watered every 10 days in winter and 2-3 times a week in summer. It can be had at home during Christmas, in a bright room away from drafts, but we recommend having it outside whenever possible. It resists frosts down to -18ºC.
Common spruce
Image - Wikimedia / Aleksandrs Balodis
La common spruce, false fir, or European spruce, whose scientific name is Picea abies, is an evergreen tree native to central and eastern Europe that can reach a maximum height of 60 meters with a trunk diameter of 1 to 1,5 meters. Its crown is pyramidal, with green leaves.
It is used a lot as an indoor Christmas tree, but to really feel comfortable it needs to be outside so that it can feel the seasonal changes, the wind, the sun, the rain. Inside the house the most normal thing is that it ends up dying, so it is preferable to have it in the garden. Irrigation must be frequent, 2-3 times a week in summer and somewhat less the rest of the year. It resists frosts down to -18ºC.
Christmas rose
The Christmas Rose o hellebore, whose scientific name is Helleborus niger, is a perennial rhizomatous plant native to central Europe and Asia Minor that reaches a height of 50 centimeters. The leaves are palmate, with 7-9 lobes, and produce large white, purple, reddish, or pinkish flowers in winter.
To grow well it is very important to have it outside, in a protected place but where it can have direct light all day. Indoors you can have it, but you have to take into account that the less light it has, the less flowers it will have. As for watering, it will be moderate: 2-3 times a week in summer and every 6-7 days the rest of the year. It resists frosts down to -12ºC.
What do you think of these Christmas plants? Do you know others?