My Favorite Christmas Plant

The Cyclamen, my favorite Christmas Plant

Here is a beautiful flower which I think is under appreciated.  With medium light and regular fertilizing you can have vibrant non-stop flowers all winter long.  The cyclamen is a large  family of plants and some of them can also be planted outside in some of the warmer frost zones.  But you are looking for a plant that looks like the one pictured here. The Cyclamen persicum is sometimes called a florist cyclamen and are definitely happier in you house.

It will bloom continuously but will be happier is it is given a 2 or 3 month dormant period.  We will talk about that later in the care section. 

First, I have not finished spouting the glory of these wondrous flowers.  They come in four colors that I know of.  Each color is effervescent in white, light pink, fuchsia and red.  I have seen them in two sizes.  One is small enough to fit into a large teacup and the other is a little bit bigger with a height of only 8 inches tall.  The sweet scented flowers are displayed above a crown of variegated leaves on erect stems, creating a beautiful bouquet of 3/4 inch flowers.  I have not seen many for sale since I moved to the south and I was pleased to see it on display recently.  If you have a chance to pick a cyclamen up, do it.

Now for the care

When you bring your cyclamen home from the store, it should be in full bloom.  To keep it that way you will want to keep it lightly watered.  Over watering may damage the tuber.  Try not to water the crown of the plant which could also cause rot.  Fertilize once a month with a formula that is higher in phosphorous.  This is the middle number in the list of numbers found on all fertilizer containers.

During the cyclamen's bloom time it will want bright, indirect sunlight.  That side table is perfect and it will love the artificial light too.  When it goes dormant, a dark cool location is preferable.  I use to keep mine next to an open basement window.

Keep the plant neat by cutting off any yellowing leaves and dead flowers.  I have found that if you pull them off, the cyclamen is one plant that will get upset.  The more you pull off; the more you will get. 

When you start to see a decline in your cyclamen, it is time to give it a rest.  Let the plant dry out and do not water for two or three months. Gently remove dead flowers and stems and replant into new potting medium.  Like most tubers, it is best to keep the very top above the soil.  When you see new sprouts, you can start watering again.   And it all begins again.

Flowers in a Box (Part 2)

Amaryllis

The second most popular flower that is given as a Christmas Gift is the Amaryllis.  The bright beautiful red flower can be as wide as 7 inches in diameter and is dazzling to all who see it.  The Amaryllis originates from South America with the most common varieties being Ferrari (red) and Apple Blossom (white & pink).  There are many more varieties as shown by my favorite supplier, White Flower Farm.  They sell 50 different varieties and even have doubles.

The Amaryllis usually comes one to a box and is about the size of a large fist. The container which is included is deep enough to allow adequate room for good root development but may not allow for drainage so be sure to not over water.  The diameter of the pot should be about ONE inch larger than that of the bulb. Although this may seem small, amaryllis bulbs prefer a smaller container. Plant the bulb so that at least one-third to one-half, of the bulb is above the surface of the potting medium. Firm the potting medium around the bulb, water it thoroughly and place the container in a warm, sunny spot.  The Amaryllis will send up a the flower stalk before it starts to develop leaves. Up to 4 large flowers will appear on one stalk, all facing a different direction.  This makes the Amaryllis a favorite for the Holiday Centerpiece. A hint to making the flowers last longer is to remove the plant from direct when the flower buds start to turn color.



Amaryllis Ferrari
 

If you are planning to keep the bulb for future blooming it is essential to fertilize the plants regularly after the bulb shows signs of growth.  Fertilize with a high phosphorus content. Move the plant back into a sunny location after blooming to help feed the bloom for next year.  Keep the flower stalk until it begins to shrivel and turn yellow.  While green it helps to manufacture food that will be stored in the bulb for the next blooming.  Continue to fertilize with a balance formula throughout the year.

The Amaryllis bulb does not have to rest between bloomings and can be grown in many gardens where frost is not an issue. I met one gardener in Jacksonville, Florida who had them  growing under trees to protect them from the frost and they were doing quite well.  If you are not one of the lucky ones who can do this then you can place your bulb, pot and all, right into the ground for the summer.  As they like to be a little pot bound, you should not have to change the pot for almost four years.



Amaryllis Apple Blossom

Bring your bulb in before the first frost.  Though no rest is needed, you can control the time it blooms by forcing it to take a rest.  You will need a minimum of 12 weeks to force a bloom.  This is not an exact science because your environment will affect the timing and it could take as much as 18 weeks.   I would suggest that you plant multiple bulbs at staggered times to be sure you have the flower you want for your Christmas Table.

To force your Amaryllis bulb into a rest period, stop watering and place in a cool dark place.  Discontinue fertilizing.  Do not cut off the leaves until they have dried and shriveled.  After 8 weeks, start to check bulbs regularly for signs of new growth.  When you see green, bring the pot into a sunny location and wait for the bloom.  The bloom should appear within 4 to 6 weeks.  Remember to start fertilizing with the new growth.

If you would like to learn more about the beautiful Amaryllis, I recommend a paper by Carl Hoffman and Mary Meyers of the University of Minnesota / Extension .  It continues with information about disease and bugs that can harm you bulb and what to do about it.

One more posting before Christmas.  This will be on my favorite Christmas flower the Cyclamen.  Pick one up if you see it.  The flower is beautiful and easy to care for.

Please email me, joneskathee@gmail.com ,  if I left anything out.  Send me any pictures of your Amaryllis and I will post them on this blog.  You can add comments right on the blog if you would like.

 



Flowers in a Box (Part 1)

Today we are going to talk about the gift boxes of bulbs that are popping up all over the place for the Christmas season. The ease of growing them to beautiful flowers make them a favorite for gardeners and non gardeners alike.

Paperwhites

Paperwhites are a pretty little white flower which is part of the narcissus family (Narcissus tazetta).  This is the same family as the much loved daffodil that heralds the spring but unlike the daffodil it does not have to go through a chill before it blooms.  This makes the paperwhite a good candidate for forcing and a much loved favorite at Christmas.  (Forcing is the process of making a plant bloom out of season.)

If you are luck enough to get these bulbs in a gift box, you will also get a container and potting medium.  If you have only the bulbs, here is what you will need.  You will need a container 4 to 6 inches deep.  It should hold water and glass is the material of choice.  The potting medium can be anything from stones to marbles.


Place two inches of potting medium in the bottom of your container.  Bulbs are placed on top with the point up.  It is OK to fit all the bulbs snugly into the pot because as they grow this will help them from falling over.  Place another shallow layer of potting medium on top of the bulbs but not covering them.  This will also help to keep them upright as they grow tall.  I have recently read about a study by Cornell University where small amounts of alcohol was added to the water after the roots have developed and this kept the paperwhites from growing too tall.  The study showed that the plant only grew one third the usual heigth but did not change the size of the flower.  If you would like to know more about this check out the following link. www.news.cornell.edu/stories/March06/drunk.flowers.ssl.html

Add water to the container up to the bottom of the bulb.  If you add more then you might get rot before you get a bloom.  Do not let your bulbs dry out and watch for signs of roots.  Sunshine is not necessary until you see the roots and then you want to move the container in a bright sunny spot.  The bloom should appear withing 3 to 4 weeks after planting.

Many people find the scent of the paperwhite to be a bit overpowering so be careful where you place it for display.  One small bouquet will fill a room with its scent so it is best to place it in a large room or one that is a little more chilly.  I found that the chill blends well with the scent and actually enhances it.  Of course, that is just my opinion.

After your paperwhite is finished blooming you can save the bulbs and try to make them flower again.  This is not always successful as forcing the bulb takes an enormous amount of strength from the bulb.  But if you want to try, first you must remove the spent flower and the stem.  Cut back on the watering and wait for the leaves to brown.  Lay the bulbs out on a newspaper to dry so that they do not touch each other. They are now ready for the garden.  Paperwhites are usually hardy to zone 5.  It may take a few years for the bulbs to recover so place them where their missing flowers won't be notices.

I have tried to fertilize the bulbs while they were blooming but with little success.  If you or someone you know has successfully gotten a second bloom from their paperwhites, please add you secret to this posting.

Next time we will talk about the amaryllis which is the other popular bulb that you can give at Christmas and even easier than the paperwhite.  Until then please write me at joneskathee@gmail.com or add any comments right on this page.