Six More Plants to Kill this Christmas
You’ve probably read my post on Christmas Trees. If you haven’t, click HERE to familiarise yourself with how I feel about cutting down huge amounts of trees each year just to put presents under!
Plants are for life, not just for Christmas!
Anyway, there are many other plants that are routinely bought every Christmas, either for gifts or decorations. The health of the plants is almost always a secondary consideration, stuck firmly behind how the poor little specimen will look for the remainder of its short life. I haven’t heard anyone in a garden centre ask a customer if they know how to look after a plant or even telling a customer if a plant should go outside or not.
Is this responsible?
Don’t Buy Plants Just to Let Them Die
As you will read, this post looks at 6 of the most commonly bought, and often inadvertedly mistreated, plants that grace your homes during the short festive season. Please think again before buying these plants – they fill the shelves of garden centres and supermarkets, and unless we make choices to buy other things, they will continue to be offered for sale. They do not really add much to our lives, so encourage people you know to buy trees or plants with a more permanent future, and allow the nurseries and shops to concentrate on producing and selling more interesting and practical plants, or at least give better advice to customers.
Cyclamen
Cyclamen are a favourite winter pot plant. They are sold very cheaply in garden centres and supermarkets and are snapped up in their thousands. Whilst they have attractive foliage and bear delicate flowers ranging from whites through to reds, it is extremely easy to kill a Cyclamen. They hate heat, but are so often kept on a warm windowsill or on a ledge above a radiator. Cyclamen love cool conditions, so keep them at about 10°c in bright indirect light, watering them a couple of times a week, or you will see them wilt and die off like the one in this picture that I am trying to save for a friend.
Poinsettias
If you were ever going to choose a house plant that said ‘Christmas’ is would be the Poinsettia. Every year, someone you know gives or receives one of these attractive pot plants, where it is put on the nearest windowsill and immediately forgotten about. Poinsettias hate dry, hot conditions. They originate from the Mexican forests and enjoy warm, humid conditions, with ample protection provided by their immediate surroundings. Putting them on a windowsill above a radiator does not replicate their natural habitat in any way, so take a minute to think if the person you are giving this plant to will know how to care for it. If they can provide the feeding, pruning and watering regime,s as well as the temperature requirements of this plant, then that’s great. If not, then DON’T buy one for them! All you will be doing is giving them a plant that is already beginning to die.
Christmas Cacti
Christmas Cacti are another group of plants that are bought as winter decorations and are stifled by modern central heating systems. Often seen in flower in garden centres or supermarkets, Christmas Cacti have an annoying tendancy to drop their flowers if they are moved. When you think about it, they will have been moved at least once before getting to the shelf, then you are moving them again to take them home, then you will be moving them AGAIN when you give them to your loved one as a gift. If I were a Christmas Cactus, I would have dropped my flowers by that point. Having said that, Christmas Cacti are easy plants to look after and as long as you give them water and a bit of feed, along with a good bright position, you should see good results in the following year, even if the blooms have been shed this year.
Orchids
Orchids are beautiful plants. They have been displayed on the tables of the most prominent people throughout history and are a symbol of beauty in many cultures. There are many different shapes and sizes of orchid meaning there is an orchid for every occasion. Their exotic nature makes them a tremendous gift for even the most discerning person. You would think that everyone would love an orchid and cherish it with their hearts. No. You are wrong. I rescue at least 2 orchids every month from people that have no idea how to care for them. The most frustrating thing is that now supermarkets are offering Phal orchids very cheaply, pretty much all they are doing is selling a bunch of flowers. After the initial bloom, the vast majority of people give up on their orchids. They are simply unaware of the fact that you can get an Orchid to Reflower with very little effort. If you are giving an orchid or any tropical plant as a gift, please make sure the recipient knows how to look after it. A much better gift would be to include detailed care instruction to make sure your loved one can enjoy your thoughtful gift to its full potential!
Citrus Trees
Citrus Trees have been popular for many years, but nowadays they have boomed as more and more people have been growing their own food in the Grow Your Own revolution! Citrus trees are attractive and potentially productive, so are clearly very good gifts. The problem is that the recipient of the tree may well not have a clue how to care for it. Please remember that Citrus trees require care and attention, including a robust feeding and watering regime. If the person you want to give the tree to does not know that a tree needs water, then please think of another gift for them!
Bonsai
Bonsai trees are beautiful, and an absolute joy when in the right hands. Unfortunately many Bonsai trees are given as gifts to those who are blissfully unaware that it is an actual plant, not a plastic ornament you can put on your mantelpiece! How many times do you see a parched Bonsai tree in dusty soil, sat in an attractive china pot? Have you ever heard of anyone successfully growing an Oak Tree on a windowsill above a radiator, with no water? No, nor have I, so please take this into account when caring for a Bonsai, or giving one of these fantastic specimens as a gift.