Favourite Christmas plant

[Lily]

I love Poinsettias at Christmas and buy as many as my budget will allow.  I have one left over from last year, it still has green leaves but no red ones.

I also love Christmas Cactus plants too and have one in flower and one in bud.

Do you have a favourite Christmas plant?

Lily

[Lily]

[aquilegia]

I tried with poinsettas but can't bear to watch them slowly (or rapidly) die. They are gorgeous though.

I love christmas cacti - this is my first year with my own. Mum always has loads, though. Mine is a cutting from gran's which I gave her for christmas years ago. It has white flowers.

And then there's the cyclamen - I love them. Can't seem to get them to flower in the second year (may be due to lack of feeding - I'm a very lazy indoor gardener!)

and chrysthans - they are lovely too.

And then the outdoor everygreen stuff - holly, ivy, mistletoe and herbs like rosemary.

oh and... ok getting too enthusiastic now (serotonin high from all this sun!)

[undercarriage plan]

Love the cacti, mine is blooming now, no sense of time! Lilly, the Poinsettia needs special treatment to get the red bracts, you're supposed to keep it in the dark every night for bout 13-14 hours I think, to give it long nights. Think you're supposed to start in about October, is quite a fiddle!! But they are lovely.
Lottie  ;D

[AikenDrum]

They are selling Christmas Cactii @ Lidls next week     {:¬)#

[AikenDrum]

BTW , I also love the Cannabis plant @ Christmas, because it's so  ........ ermmmm .... what was I saying ?

[Mimi]

Got to be the christmas cactus for me too.  Ranks as my all time fav christmas plant .........and all time boring plant for the rest of the year   ;)

[Mrs Ava]

Here are mine.  I also have a white one that only has tiny buds on, so something to look forward to  in a few weeks time.
 



But my all time favourite Christmas flower has to be this one.  It doesn't let me down, and the flowers last from mid October until way into the new year!

[derbex]

Christmas Tree

Ours is in a pot  ;D

[Val]

Anything I can sit and cross stitch, I don't have a favourite, but if you really insist, I'd say holly, its so useful too apart from giving the garden a bit of green, you can spray the leaves, bring them indoors for some decoration, keeps the cats from the tree if the birds are there, sorry rambling on again...yep holly.

[Gardengirl]

Christmas cactus for me also - have quite a few now thanks to the good old A4A plant swaps.  Have tried poinsettias but can never keep them to flower a second year :'(

Like your avatar Val - would this be one of your cross stitch creations :)

[Carol]

 :D :D

Thanks for reminding me of a Christmas Cactus.  We had the same one for 30 years but it turned into a poor looking thing so disposed of it.  After three years without one and your reminder, I bought one today in Morrisons  £2.49 I think.  Looks healthy.  I have also got the 'Paper Whites' in flower.  Too early for Christmas but its brightened up the Dining Room.

[jennym]

....  Have tried poinsettias but can never keep them to flower a second year ....

Poinsettias need day lengths with certain number of hours of darkness to stimulate flowering (or the coloured bracts), There is some info on this link, and lots on the web generally for commercial growers, but I think you'd be a bit late now,.Still there's always next year...
http://leisure.scotsman.com/families/headlines_specific.cfm?articleid=1428

[Lily]

Your Christmas Cacti are beautiful EJ, especially the pale colour.  I've never seen a white one.  I'll have to keep a look out for one. 

I think the secret with poinsettias is not to over water them, and only water them at the first signs of the leaves drooping. Keep them in a cool place and not over the fireplace.

Lily

[Val]

Thanks Pat, no it isn't but it would make a good one to stitch, I've lost my pattern converter disc , think I'll have to try and get another there's a few things I'd love to turn into a pattern and stitch.

[Gardengirl]

Thanks for the link on poinsettias Jenny.  Have printed the info out for future reference :)