Essential Flowers for Christmas
An impressive floral display is a fantastic way to celebrate the Christmas holiday. To create such a display, you’ll need to know about the seven most essential flowers for Christmas (as well as a few other plants to include).
The most popular item in a Christmas display is a Christmas tree. However, this traditional tree is not the only type of plant that can add to the season’s spirit. There are many flowers that are essential for Christmas as well. If using flowers to decorate for Christmas is a foreign concept to you, you’ve come to the right place. This list will introduce you to the best flowers for Christmas.
Below are 7 of the most impressive flowers during the Christmas season. Some of these species are well-known as Christmas essentials, while others may be a bit less familiar. Read on to discover which one you want to use to boost your Christmas decorations.
The bold splash of red that poinsettias bring is a well-known fixture of the Christmas season. However, it is surprising to learn that it is not this plant’s flower that we have come to know and love. Instead, there is a different part of the plant that is responsible for the iconic red color that poinsettias have.
Poinsettias are in bloom during Christmas, but the true flowers of this plant are relatively small and yellow. The part of the plant that gives it its ornamental value is called a bract. These bracts are large and leaf-like and account for the deep red “flower” shape that these plants are known for.
If you want a flower that will make a strong statement during the holiday season, look no further than amaryllis. Hailing from Africa, these plants have incredibly large blooms whose deep red color will match the traditional green and red Christmas color theme.
What also makes this plant an ideal option is that it is pretty easy to care for. You will also have some control over when this plant blooms. Try planting an amaryllis about six to eight weeks before Christmas, and you should have some incredible blooms once Christmas day arrives.
A cactus may not be the first type of plant that you associate with Christmas, but that doesn’t mean you can’t work one into your holiday planting display. Christmas cactus is one of three holiday cacti, along with Thanksgiving cactus and Easter cactus, that people often grow as houseplants. Each of those three plants offers bright flowers around the time that their respective holiday occurs.
To give your Christmas cactus the best opportunity to impress your holiday visitors, let it grow in an area that receives indirect light and is relatively humid. This plant will also appreciate the chance to grow in a high-quality soil mix similar to what you would use for a succulent.
As the name suggests, paperwhite plants bloom with pure white flowers. These flowers sit atop long green stems and can serve as a lovely neutral accent to an otherwise colorful Christmas display.
To use these flowers in your Christmas display, you should start by acquiring some paperwhite bulbs. You can plant those bulbs in soil or in water. Either way, it will take about four weeks for the first blooms to appear.
Although this plant is hardy in many regions of the United States, it most often grows as an ornamental house plant. Cyclamen has muted green leaves with pale patches of variegation, which complement flowers that are upright, bright, and typically pink.
Cyclamen is another plant that loves to live in a warm, humid place. Often, a well-lit bathroom is a perfect choice for this plant. With the right care, this fall and winter bloomer will be a lovely feature to add holiday cheer.
There are many different types of primrose, and some of those options will bloom in winter just in time for Christmas. English primrose is one of those varieties, and like many primroses, this plant will give you colorful five-petaled flowers.
These flowers form small bunches that are lovely in a Christmas bouquet. Consider including the large leaves of this plant as well if you need to fill in any gaps in your display with some greenery.
There are few flowers that are more outstanding than those of a Camelia shrub. While this broadleaved evergreen grows outdoors and may not be hardy in all areas of the United States, its beauty alone warrants a spot on our list.
Yuletide Camellia blooms in the winter with rich red flowers with yellow centers. The look of these blooms is so impressive that just a few will go a long way towards making your Christmas flower display look positively joyful.
Our main goal in this article is to show you some of the best flowers for Christmas. Now that we’ve done that, we’d like to introduce you to a few other plants that can help your holiday décor. While these plants don’t have flowers, they remain traditional, valuable features of many Christmas decoration themes.
Some might argue that no Christmas display is complete without some holly. The leaves of this plant are broad, evergreen, and have a distinctly pointed margin that makes them quite recognizable. It is the texture of those leaves and the bright red fruits of this plant that motivate so many to place a few branches through their homes during the Christmas season.
In many parts of the world, mistletoe is nearly synonymous with Christmas décor. As many know, this plant is associated with a familiar holiday tradition as well. The practice goes that when two lovers meet under the mistletoe, they are expected to kiss. So if you want to add a classic plant to your display and perhaps inspire some romance at your holiday party, mistletoe is the right choice for you.
Rosemary can serve a dual purpose during the holiday season. As you can guess, this herb will work well to enhance the flavors of some of your favorite holiday dishes. It will also act as décor. Its leaves mimic the bristly nature of a Christmas tree, and its fragrance will give your home an inviting holiday scent.
