Showy Christmas Flowers You Can Grow Or Give This Season
Flowers are traditional at Christmas, so give, grow or use them for decoration! Have look at the most popular and showy Christmas flowers!
The Tradition Of Christmas Flowers
When winter is fully-fledged and snow and frost are covering the ground, flowers are a welcome break. Traditionally, people decorated the Christmas tree with whatever nature offers: flowers, branches, walnuts, and so on. And this tradition continued into modern times, with the offering and receiving of soft, fresh flowers in midwinter.
The winter flowering plants given and received every Christmas are as much decoration as they are symbols. Symbols of rebirth and hope that even under the frost, nature is still alive and of the promise of spring. Whichever holiday you observe (or not), some fresh flowers allow you to change the gray perspective of winter for yourself or for the people you offer them to.
Christmas Flowers To Give As Gifts
1. Roses
Though roses are grown outdoors and known as perennials best planted in fall, some species bloom until frost. In temperate zones, where the cold arrives in January, you might have your own harvest of fresh roses for Christmas. These lush flowers come in a variety of colors, though for winter the traditional colors are white and red. Give them as a gift to your loved ones or yourself and use them to decorate your home! They are showy in a vase or cut short and in your Christmas tree.
2. Freesias Christmas Flowers
We counted freesias in the top three winter flowers for tropical areas. From there they are exported throughout the world and the sweet smell and colorful blooms make them a great complement to the Christmas tree. Freesias don’t keep well without water, but you can keep a bouquet in a vase for at least a week. Deadhead the dried flowers to encourage all the blossoms to bloom for even longer-lasting flowers!
3. Orchids
Orchids are a popular indoor flowering plant regardless of the season, interest spikes around Christmas. They usually come in pots and they last for much longer than in a vase, and the shape of the flower stands out among the decorations. Orchids come in a range of colors, but the most popular ones are pink and purple. As cut flowers, they come with a small vial of nutrient water so you can use them as decoration without worrying they will wilt.
4. Poinsettia Christmas Flower
Poinsettia is one of the most popular holiday plants. The red leaves that are often mistaken for flowers are showy, to the point where artificial decorations resemble these leaves. Because it is so popular, you or someone you know likely gave or received a potted poinsettia this Christmas. This is why we have a helpful and complete care guide for this good looking, but pretentious flower.
5. Carnations
Though in nature carnations only bloom in late spring, nurseries and cultivars have fresh blooms ready to ship all year round. They make great additions to any bouquet and are especially appreciated as a traditional flower in winter, when most available plants are tropical. The colorful blooms can keep for weeks in a vase and for days without any support, making them great gifts and live ornaments for your Christmas tree.
Christmas Flowers To Grow
6. Amaryllis
We talked and talked about amaryllis because it is a very versatile flower. You can grow it in a pot and simply let it cycle through its life or you can trick it into going dormant and wake it up again in time for Christmas. The large, colorful flowers make it one of the most sought-after Christmas plants to grow in your house. Some kinds bloom with many small, cone-shaped flowers, while others produce one or two that resemble lily flowers. You can see these copied and turned into paper or glitter decorations, too!
7. Flowering Christmas Cactus
The great advantage of this plant is that, basically, it is a cactus and it needs very little care. If you’re curious, here’s how to look after cacti indoors and see how low-maintenance they are! The Christmas cactus vaguely resembles holly, in that they both have rugged, sharp-looking leaves and their most showy time is in winter. This cactus flowers in the cold months, making it the perfect hanging plant for Christmas.
8. Rosemary
Rosemary can look like a miniature Christmas tree if cut in a conical shape. Its leaves, sharp and thin, remind of the needles on a fir tree branch, and the little hairs on their surface can pass for frost. But this isn’t the only reason why rosemary is a Christmas plant! Some species bloom in November and December and they carry flowers until the holidays. On top of that, the rosemary smell is somewhat woody and sharp and it complements and even enhances the smell of the Christmas tree. And you always have fresh rosemary for cooking! Here is a complete care guide for this lovely Christmas bush!
9. Holly
Holly is best grown as a low upkeep hedge outdoors and brought inside as a cut flower around the holidays. Its spikey, ragged leaves turn reddish-green with the cold and its red berries are showy on the Christmas table or in the tree. Besides, if you have patience and a pair of strong gloves you can make a wreath and be the envy of all. Holly is one of the traditional evergreens that has been part of midwinter folklore since before Christmas was even popularized.
10. Paperwhites Christmas Flowers
You can get these daffodil-like flowers in little growing kits with bulbs and a little pot. All you have to do is follow the instructions and you will have very fragrant, showy, tall white flowers for Christmas. The sweet smell blends well with the sharp smell of the Christmas tree and the clumps of small white flowers resemble snowballs. These aren’t flowers to keep for years and years, though, as the growing kits are designed to only last a few weeks. Be careful where you place them while they grow, because paperwhites are very toxic to pets and children, and the sap is irritating.
Happy Holidays!
Have fun growing and giving Christmas flowers! Remember to drop us a line and tell us which ones you like best and why, as well as which ones you knew about and which surprised you! The comments section is always open. Happy decorating and happy holidays!
