This is the time of year when many of us who love leafy things start thinking about ordering holiday plants, flowers and greenery for our nears, dears, business contacts and clients. The nurseries, catalogs and websites are full of ideas, but before you spend the money to give something green, it’s a good idea to consider the recipients’ tastes, levels of horticultural aptitude and household situations.
Hands-On Horticulture: Gift recipients who like hands-on gardening experiences will appreciate receiving bulbs for paperwhites or amaryllis. Buy the bulbs by themselves or purchase handy kits that contain bulbs, soil and containers. The kits cost a bit more than the bulbs alone, but are extremely convenient and generally yield good results. One caveat—if you are giving paperwhites, be aware that the flowers of the most common commercial variety, ‘Ziva’, smell delightful to some people and awful to others. My daughter, for example, thinks lovely ‘Ziva’ “smells like cat pee.” This can be a bit much, especially if you already have feline in the house. Some merchandisers carry varieties like ‘Wintersun’ that allegedly have a more “delicate” scent. If you have any doubts, choose amaryllis instead.
For people who like to watch things grow, but may not love dirty fingernails, you can also buy pre-planted “bulb gardens” from major catalog retailers. These gardens may contain just one type of bulb or a mix of several, planted lasagna-style in large containers. Like loose bulbs that you plant yourself or bulb kits, it takes a bit of time before you see blooms. Generally the flowers will appear about the time when winter seems endless, so bulb gardens may be just the right antidote to mild Seasonal Affective Disorder.
Instant Gratification and No Commitment: Though I love to tend plants, indoors and out, not everyone shares that passion. For people who welcome holiday color, but have no intention of sustaining any growing thing beyond Twelfth Night, choose a poinsettia, small potted florist’s hydrangea, azalea, tabletop tree, or an eye-catching florist’s cyclamen. Technically speaking, all of those plants can be kept beyond the holiday season, but most people don’t bother. My sustainable soul hopes that after the holidays are over, those poor abandoned specimens eventually find their way to compost piles or suitable foster situations with plant lovers.
Of course some of the people who eschew plant maintenance have been known to fall in love with potted succulents. For gift recipients of that ilk, vendors carry a wide range of succulents in all shapes, sizes and colors. They are extremely fashionable right now.
Love it Now, Love it Later: If you want to give a plant that will live for years with minimal care, and even rebloom occasionally, chose a Christmas or holiday cactus. My ‘Blush’ Christmas cactus from last year is blooming now and will probably still look good on Thanksgiving. Newer varieties flower in a wide array of colors and the blooms last reasonably well as long as the plant is watered when the soil feels dry, and positioned out of direct sunlight during the holiday season. Afterwards it will grow nicely in a sunny window.
In the last decade or so, vendors have offered Helleborus niger or Christmas rose at holiday time. These perennial plants are generally German hybrids with blooms in white or pink. The flowers stay on the plant for a long time, and, if you can keep the hellebore alive until spring, you can transplant it to the garden. The same is true of the potted dianthus or garden pinks offered at this time of year. Their winsome appearance and spicy fragrance brightens things considerably now. With a modicum of care and a sunny windowsill, pinks will soldier on through winter and be ready to take up garden residency when warmer weather returns.
Loving the Idea of Plants More Than the Reality: People in this category may adore a wreath or arrangement of “everlastings”—dried flowers and leaves, sometimes accented with equally desiccated fruits, pinecones or berries. Some of the everlasting wreathes are quite sumptuous and will last for years if they are stored properly in a cool place after the holidays are over.
Believe it or not, there are some individuals who really don’t care much about holiday cheer in the form of flowers, plants and greens. I find that I have to fight the urge to be judgmental. Even if you are vexed by people like that, it’s better to focus on spreading beauty around your own living spaces and those of your friends and relatives. That’s what I am going to do.
I just won’t be giving any paperwhites to my daughter.