Holiday plants brighten winter homes

- By Patricia Hanbidge

December 12, 2025

key points from this story:

• Amaryllis blooms easily indoors
• Christmas cactus thrives in low light
• Ornamental peppers add color variety
• Bromeliads suit low-light environments
• Most holiday plants are short-term
• Tips shared for care and re-blooming

It is hard to believe that we are almost to the end of 2025! ‘Tis the season to adorn our homes with beautiful living plants. What a wonderful way to help winter become more bearable. After all, when it is -40 C outside, what better thing to do than stay inside where it is warm and enjoy the splendor of beautiful plants.

One of the nicest plants to grow is the amaryllis. This bold and beautiful plant is so easy to grow that even those of us with the brownest thumbs can manage to be rewarded with spectacular blooms. Simply pot up the bulb, put it in a sunny spot and water and feed it as you would your other tropical plants. Once the bloom is finished you can cut off the flower stock and continue to water and fertilize the plant for a period of months. This can ensure that the plant recharges the bulb for another year of spectacular blooms. Once it is warm enough for tropical outside, set the plant in a shady corner of your garden which is out of the rain. The leaves will yellow and when they have died off, harvest the bulb and keep it in a cool dry place until you begin to see growth. When you see growth, pot it up and enjoy another year of bloom.

The Christmas cactus is another plant that can grace your home during the holiday season with the first of many seasons of blooms. It is what is termed a “short-day” plant which simply means that it responds to decreased day length of our winter days by initiating bloom. My Christmas cactus is literally covered in blooms right now which is so appreciated when it is so cold and white outside. This plant is another easy keeper that with a small amount of care will keep blooming for years to come. Water thoroughly when the surface of the soil feels dry and keep it in bright light.

Ornamental peppers are fun and festive and bring another style of bloom to your home. The plant will produce an abundance of peppers that are first green, turning white, purple, orange and finally a brilliant red. It is a great short-term plant as you often will get every colour of pepper on the plant at the same time. They take little care and don’t mind being a little bit dry – an ideal thing when our humidity is at an all-time low. They are unfortunately not a plant to keep for years but are generally discarded once the peppers are finished.

Another short-term plant is the bromeliad. These exotic looking plants are sure to bring an impact to any holiday events you might be hosting in your home. They thrive in lower light environments and take very little care. They should be watered about once a week. There is one small difference in the care of bromeliads in comparison to other tropicals. The foliage forms a rosette in the centre of the plant which forms a funnel which should always be filled with water.

There are countless other plants that can be purchased for this holiday season. Most should be considered short-term plants and can be enjoyed for a while before making their way to your compost.

May your holiday season be filled with flowers, festivities and happiness.