Holiday flowers and plants add warmth to your decor. Amidst the lights, ornaments, ribbons and tinsel, natural elements like greenery and festive blooms strike a balance, making spaces feel inviting. You probably know the usual suspects: pine, fir, holly, and boxwood, the traditional Christmas plants used for wreaths, garlands, and arrangements. And we all know to be on the lookout for mistletoe!
It may surprise you that there are many flowers and blooming plants associated with the winter holidays. Christmas flowers are often overlooked amid the flurry of preparations and celebrations, but you can save time and shorten your endless to-do list by ordering Christmas flowers and plants. Of course you’ll want to warm up your home with flowers and Christmas plants that bloom, so why not share the feeling? Dinner and party hosts, loved ones, teachers, those people who are special to you year-round will love a gift of Christmas flowers.
Indoor Christmas Plants
While you’re free to trim any of your houseplants and call them “Christmas plants,” some plants are must-haves during the Christmas season. While these plants for Christmas don’t have any flowers, their greenery adds a cozy feel to any home.
Norfolk Pine
If tramping through a tree farm doesn’t sound like your idea of fun, don’t think you have to settle for an artificial tree. While they aren’t real pine trees, Norfolk pines add the Christmas greenery and forest scent we all know and love — no saw required.
While these trees can grow up to 200 feet tall outdoors you don’t have to worry about them busting through your ceiling; they max out at six to eight feet indoors. Try tucking one into your living room or bedroom and decorating it with ornaments and lights. Once the holiday season is over, you can remove the decorations and enjoy the tree’s feathery branches all year long.
Mini Cypress
Don’t have room for a towering Christmas tree? Can’t decide between all the types of Christmas trees? That’s where the mini cypress comes in. These tabletop trees look equally at home in a little elf cottage or tucked into a tiny apartment.
Just like with any Christmas tree, you’ll need to make sure these lil’ trees stay well watered. Check the soil each day and water when the top inch is dry. With that said, make sure to allow the soil to dry out between waterings; these guys don’t like sitting in wet soil.
Mistletoe
No matter your relationship status, mistletoe adds a bit of fun to Christmas. To keep things classic, hang a sprig or two above a door and get ready for cheek pecks and romantic kisses. If you’d like to mix things up, make a mistletoe wreath or scatter some pieces across your table.
While using mistletoe to play matchmaker may seem innocent enough, the plant itself has some villainous traits. Mistletoe plants attach onto trees or shrubs and then proceed to rob the host plant of water and nutrients.
Pine Wreath and Garland
If there’s one natural element that’s required at Christmas, it’s fresh-cut pine. Whether you grab some branches from a tree yard or order a premade wreath, you’ll enjoy the woodsy scent and cozy feel. And with all sorts of wreath styles available, you can find something classic, modern, and everything in between.
While Christmas wreaths are popular options for front doors, you can also try hanging a wreath indoors on your wall or laying it flat as part of a table centerpiece. When it comes to garland, you have lots of options. Try spreading some out on a mantle or banister and draping some down your dining room table.
Indoor Christmas Flowers
While you’re stringing lights and baking cookies, take a moment to shop for Christmas flowers. When flowers arrive at your door, you’ll feel like Santa has delivered you your own special Christmas gift.
Amaryllis
If you’re looking for a flower that will bloom long after Santa and his reindeer are gone, check out the amaryllis. These trumpet-shaped flowers last for five to seven weeks and come in festive colors such as red, white, and pink. Since amaryllis is a bulb flower, you can buy a potted bulb or purchase cut flowers for your Christmas dinner bouquet.
Plant this indoor winter blooming bulb in November to see amaryllis flowers in red, pink, or white around Christmas time. The showy trumpet-shaped blooms add a joyous burst of color to your Christmas decor.
Paperwhite
Relatives of the popular daffodil, paperwhites are stunning little white flowers with a strong fragrance. Like many other winter-blooming flowers, paperwhites emerge from dormant bulbs.
While paperwhites do require a bit of forethought, they’re easy to grow at home. Like amaryllis, paperwhites take four to six weeks from planting the bulbs to blooming. This Christmas plant produces clusters of small snowy white flowers with a distinct fragrance. Paperwhites are popular Christmas flower gifts, especially as host or professional gifts.
Poinsettia
If there’s one must-have Christmas plant, it’s the poinsettia. Poinsettias have become symbolic of Christmas, and are the most popular Christmas flowers. The large red or white blooms and dark green foliage fit right in with Christmas decorations. While many people think the colorful plant parts are flowers, they’re actually modified leaves known as bracts.
Despite being popular wintertime plants, poinsettias are native to tropical regions in Central America. That means they’re sensitive to cold temperatures — keep them away from cold drafts to keep them looking fresh. This blooming Christmas plant also needs plenty of sun, and should not be over-watered.
Christmas Cactus
You don’t need to be in the desert to enjoy a Christmas cactus. These cacti have flattened stem segments that trail down out of pots. When the holidays arrive, the cacti adorn their greenery with a spattering of red, pink, or white flowers.
Although this plant is a true cactus, it’s a bit different than many other cacti. It’s native to tropical mountains, so it thrives with a bit more water and shade. To keep your Christmas cactus happy, place it in indirect light and water thoroughly one to two times a month.
This Christmas plant is the only succulent on the list, blooming just in time for the holiday in a cascade of red or pink flowers. Christmas cactus is a popular Christmas flower amongst plant lovers, often becoming one of the most beloved plants in the collection.
Yuletide Camellia
Image courtesy of Wiki Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Camellia_sasanqua_(297905357).jpg
Camellia is a winter blooming evergreen shrub that grows six to ten feet tall. The ruffled red blooms of the Yuletide variety are especially popular Christmas flowers for their bright red flowers and glossy dark green leaves.
Cyclamen
Even if you don’t recognize this flowering plant’s name, you’ve likely seen it before. As winter arrives, garden centers fill up with heart-shaped leaves and delicate petals of cyclamen plants. The leaves of this Christmas plant look frosted with silver, and cyclamen is a popular Christmas flower for it’s abundant red or white blooms. They like cool temperatures, and are just the right size for table centerpieces. If kept cool enough, they can bloom up to six months, and come back every year, making them perfect Christmas flower gifts! Even after the flowers fade, you can enjoy the dark green leaves snaked with silver veins.
Winter Honeysuckle
Image courtesy of Wiki Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lonicera_fragrantissima_DSCF5404.JPG
Another winter garden favorite, white honeysuckle has dark evergreen foliage with small red berries, and produces sweetly scented bright white or delicate ivory flowers around Christmastime. The small, fragrant blooms complement any garland or arrangement.
Moth Orchid
Elegant moth orchids are wonderful gifts, blooming at Christmastime and with proper care, year-round. They only need to be watered once a week, and like bright, indirect sun.
Gardenia
This showy, flowering Christmas plant is very popular as a gift, with fragrant, snow-white blooms and glossy, dark green leaves. The evergreen shrub can be grown as a potted plant indoors, or outdoors in tropical climates, and blooms throughout winter.
Hellebore
Though it isn’t a rose, hellebore is also known as the Christmas rose because it blooms in winter. Hellebore is a member of the buttercup family, an evergreen whose leaves resemble petals. The flowers last long, making them popular Christmas flowers for the garden and indoors.
Azalea
Azaleas are popular houseplants in winter, and their showy red or white flowers have a cheerful holiday vibe amidst beds of glossy deep green leaves. Great for centerpieces, the flowers last around four weeks. Azaleas are especially nice Christmas plants to give as gifts.
Cymbidium Orchid
Native to the Himalayan mountains, and only in season during winter, Cymbidium Orchids are elegant, unique Christmas flowers. White varieties are especially enchanting in Christmas flower arrangements, and are well suited to any type of arrangement, as they last up to four weeks as cut flowers.
Red Rose
Richly colored red roses are striking amidst evergreen foliage and berries, bringing a touch of elegance to Christmas arrangements. Traditional decor in reds, greens and gold, punctuated with red roses, makes a beautiful centerpiece or a welcoming entryway bouquet.
Flowers and Plants for the Christmas Garden
While many plants fall dormant or die as cold weather sets in, others shine during the Christmas season. If you’re looking for a way to spruce up your yard or patio, check out these options.
Holly
Even if you’ve seen decorative sprigs of holly adorning packages and wreaths, you might not know much about these spiky plants. The word holly is used to refer to over 500 different species of plants, but European holly is the kind most often seen at Christmas time.
Since holly plants are perennials, planting holly in your garden adds Christmas cheer all year round. If you don’t want to commit to this long-lasting plant, you can also look for pre-cut holly to fill empty planters and add flair to wreaths.
Pansy
Despite what you may have heard, pansies are some of the hardiest flowers out there. As snow falls and lawns glisten from frost, pansies burst out from the landscape with their cute, colored flowers. Even if they’ve frozen overnight, the plants will bounce back as temperatures warm. While these plants are cold-hardy, they will succumb if temperatures fall below 0ºF.
Pansies come in all sorts of colors, so you’ll have options for how you want to decorate. Place a few planters of red pansies on your porch or line your walkway with a string of multicolored flowers.
Other Holiday Plants and Flowers
If you don’t celebrate Christmas, you don’t have to miss out on winter plants and flowers!
Hanukkah Flowers
Traditional Hanukkah colors of blue, white influence holiday flower choices for the holiday. The lily, symbolizing new beginnings and new life, is considered the customary Hanukkah flower. Popular Hanukkah flowers include white roses, blue orchids, blue delphinium, blue or white hydrangeas, and white alstromeria.
Flowers are a very appropriate Hanukkah gift, and a thoughtful way to recognize the traditions and faith of a friend or colleague. The colors, white and blue, are what convey the message, leaving you plenty of creative flower choices.
Kwanzaa Flowers
Kwanzaa traditions include rich symbolism, and flowers in red, black, and green, the colors of Kwanzaa, integrate naturally into decorating and entertaining for the holiday. Adding fruits and vegetables to a floral arrangement is a lovely way to fully honor the Kwanzaa celebration.
Kwanzaa ends with a celebratory feast, which is an ideal occasion to decorate with flowers. Kwanzaa is a cultural holiday, not a religious one, and is a celebration of family, community, self improvement and success. Festivities include shared creative expression, rituals, and feasting. The most important thing to understand when giving flowers as a gift for Kwanzaa is to take some time to learn about the cultural significance of the holiday.
Send Flowers in Time for the Holidays
With a chill in the air almost everywhere, flowers and plants bring a welcome feeling of warmth and energy to your home, and to those special folks on your list. What could brighten a busy day more than the delivery of a cheerful Christmas bouquet or plant? To save a little time, we put together plenty of Christmas card messages into an easy reference guide. Spend a little time choosing bouquets, plants, and holiday centerpieces for yourself and as gifts throughout the season. Leave it to The Bouqs to deliver the freshest, longest lasting flowers from the farm to your door in time for the holidays. And have a cup of cider and take a break to enjoy the holidays – you’ve earned it!
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