Plants such as poinsettia and Christmas cactus are common holiday gifts. Can they continue to grace your home after the holidays? Some can’t, some can — but each will behave differently.
“Most gift plants have been manipulated by greenhouse growers to force them to bloom or put on extra growth or color at holiday shopping time, even if that’s not the natural time for the plant,” said Spencer Campbell, manager of the Plant Clinic at The Morton Arboretum in Lisle. “If the plant does survive in your living room, it will revert to its natural growth pattern.”
A Christmas cactus, for example, may flower next year in November or February rather than at Christmas, depending on the species. Other gift plants may never rebloom indoors.
The warm environment inside a house is more like the tropics than Chicago, which is why most plants sold as gifts are tropical or subtropical species that can’t survive cold temperatures outside.
Although some gift plants are small or dwarfed examples of familiar shrubs, such as azaleas or hydrangeas, they are usually not winter-hardy varieties and are unlikely to survive if they are planted out in the garden.
Not all gift plants are worth saving. “The species and varieties sold as florist plants are chosen by growers for how they will perform for just a few weeks or months,” Campbell said. “They’re intended to be a short-term joy.”
Some gifts do make good houseplants, such as Christmas cactus (Schlumbergia). Native to the Brazilian rainforest, it can do well indoors in bright indirect light with occasional light fertilizing. To give a plant that is likely to live on, consider any reliable houseplant such as pothos or spider plant.
Here is advice on growing some common gift plants.
Norfolk Island pine: Often sold as a mini-Christmas tree, this tropical tree (Araucaria heterophylla) from an island in the South Pacific is not actually a pine and will not survive outdoors in the Midwest climate. “You can keep it for a few years as a houseplant,” Campbell said. “However, it wants to keep growing and become a very tall tree.” When the plant gets too large, let it go and replace it with a
smaller specimen.
Poinsettia: The “flowers” of this subtropical shrub (Euphorbia pulcherrima), which is native to subtropical parts of Mexico, are actually leaves that change color in response to changes in day length. Growers manipulate poinsettias in darkened greenhouses to make them turn color for Christmas. “You can keep a poinsettia for a while as a houseplant, but forcing it to ‘rebloom’ is complicated and tricky,”
Campbell said. “It’s too much work for most people.”
Moth orchid: This elegant flowering plant is native to Indonesia and other tropical Asian islands. Moth orchids (Phaleanopsis) are easier to keep as houseplants than many orchids and may rebloom, as long as they have bright indirect light. “Their most critical requirement is drainage,” he said. “In the wild they live up in trees.” A moth orchid needs special orchid potting mix with big bark chunks, and the pot can
never be allowed to sit in water in the saucer.
Azalea: Azaleas are a type of rhododendron shrub (Rhododendron). Only a few rhododendron varieties are winter-hardy in the Chicago area and can tolerate its alkaline soil. The ones sold as houseplants are very unlikely to survive outdoors. They may be kept for a while as houseplants in bright light, but there is no assurance that they will ever bloom indoors.
Gardenia: A common garden shrub in the South, gardenia (Gardenia jasminoides) will not survive Chicago’s cold winters. As a houseplant, it is unlikely to bloom again.
Hydrangea: Although some species of hydrangea are winter hardy in Chicago, the ones sold as gift plants are not. They are usually tender varieties of bigleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla), forced to bloom far outside their normal summer season. “If you plant them outdoors, their roots might possibly survive mild winters, but the cold would kill the stems and flower buds,” Campbell said.
When you receive any plant as a gift, immediately remove any decorative wrapping from the pot or poke holes in the bottom of the wrap to make sure water can drain freely away from the soil. Set the plant in a saucer to protect your furniture, but be sure to empty the saucer after you water the plant. Never let the pot sit in a saucer of water; that would keep the soil too wet for the plant’s roots and might lead to root rot or fungus gnats.
Keep the plant away from radiators, fireplaces, and other heat sources, which will quickly dry it out. Water gift plants, like any houseplants, often enough to keep the soil moist but not wet.
“Check the soil often, and water whenever the top inch or so of the soil is dry,” Campbell said.
For tree and plant advice, contact the Plant Clinic at The Morton Arboretum (630-719-2424, mortonarb.org/plant-clinic, or plantclinic@mortonarb.org). Beth Botts is a staff writer at the Arboretum.