December 2025 - In the Greenhouse
If you're anything like me, the short period between the late summer and early winter always seems to fly by. I can rarely believe how fast November goes, and this year has been no different. The holidays will be upon us—whichever and however you celebrate—before we know it.
At Floral Acres, we have a wide variety of plants, decor, and gifts for everyone on your list. Not to mention a range of seasonal and winter plants. Be sure to stop in and pick up what you need to prepare for the holiday season. For now, let's go over some ways to care for your new holiday plants—and keep them alive into the new year and beyond.
Live Christmas Trees
A holiday classic, and a Christmas symbol as much as any other. Although there are many options for artificial trees, there's a magic about selecting and bringing home a unique tree for the holiday season. Here are some pointers to keep your tree thriving and content through the end of the holiday season.
● Make a fresh cut when you arrive home, about an inch from the bottom of the trunk, to allow water absorption
● Check the water supply, and always ensure the bottom of the trunk is submerged—especially during the first few days in your home while the tree adjusts
● If the water dries out to below the bottom of the trunk, make another new cut to open those pores once more
● Keep the tree away from heaters,and use LED lights which remain cool
● Running a humidifier can keep the tree fresh longer
● And at the end of the season, be sure to take your tree to one of the city's free tree recycling drop-off sites
Another seasonal holiday classic, these plants have bright, colourful foliage. With a little extra care, you can keep your poinsettia alive and happy for months to come.
● Keep the plant in bright, indirect light, at consistent room temperature.
● Water when the top inch is dry, but be careful not to overwater.
● Keep your poinsettia in a pot with drainage holes, and if it's in a foil cover, ensure it isn't keeping the roots submerged in water.
● Reduce watering once the colourful leaves fall off in order to allow the plant to go dormant.
● After the holiday season, prune the stalks back and repot if needed in fresh soil.
● Fertilize through spring and summer.
● In order to encourage the plant to bloom again next year, ensure it receives 14 hours of darkness each night beginning in October.
Amaryllis bulbs are a popular seasonal plant and Christmas gift because they bloom through the winter, and can be relocated outdoors during the summer. These plants are often associated with hope and renewal, and can be presented in a number of ways. They are low-maintenance to care for, and unlike giving flowers, an amaryllis will provide continuous growth to the recipient.
● While the bulb is blooming, provide bright, indirect light.
● Water when the top inch feels dry, but ensure the roots don't sit in water; fertilize with a houseplant fertilizer ever week to two weeks.
● Once it's finished blooming, cut the stalks to a couple inches from the bulb and treat it like a houseplant—or take it outside for the warm season.
● In the fall, amaryllis will enter dormancy, so reduce watering and move the pot to a cool, dark place for eight weeks.
● When winter comes, bring the plant back into a bright spot, refresh the soil if needed, and begin the growing cycle again.
Although these are often called Christmas cacti, there are three different varieties; Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter. At Floral Acres, we have a beautiful selection of colourful Thanksgiving Zygocactus. These are another classic seasonal plant that can live on in your home for many years—or decades, even.
● Provide them with bright, indirect light; although these plants can tolerate lower light, they will offer you more blooms with more light.
● Water when the top of the soil feels dry; use a well-draining cactus or succulent soil mix, and be sure the roots don't sit in water.
● Fertilize once a month during the warm growing season, but stop in the fall to encourage blooms.
● Shorter days and longer periods of darkness will help the plant produce more seasonal blooms.
One of my personal favourite holiday plants because of their small stature and bright colouring. Floral Acres has a variety of miniature cypress, pines, and frosty ferns to add some life to your seasonal decor. These dwarf cultivars are slow growing, and will remain small when treated as an indoor houseplant.
● Provide 6-8 hours per day of bright, indirect light; consider supplementing with a grow light if needed.
● Keep these plants in a pot with drainage holes, and keep the soil moist but not waterlogged to prevent root rot.
● These plants thrive in consistent conditions around room temperature or just below, and like some amount of humidity.
● Like their outdoor cousins, miniature evergreens prefer a well-draining, sandy, or loamy mix.
● Fertilize from spring through summer, but not during the late fall or winter months as they will go dormant.
● Prune as needed or desired; pruning in the spring before new growth will encourage density and keep the plant in a nice, uniform shape.
● Rotate the pot to produce balanced growth.
Although these plants come around and are featured during the holiday season, there's no reason you can't sustain their growth and keep them in your home year-round. Be sure to pick up some new green friends for your home, to brighten up those increasingly short days and long nights—and stop in at Floral Acres to see our wide range of holiday gifts and other retail goodies. However you celebrate the holidays, I hope you spend some warm, prosperous time with those who are most important to you.
Until the new year!