By Thom Morgan,
Springmoor landscape manager
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| Thom Morgan |
Are you scratching your head, trying to figure out what
gifts to give your friends and family for the holidays? You want to give them
something that will brighten their spirits, and that might brighten their
home—right? Carefully-selected plants can do wonders for the spirit and the landscape (inside and out).
Consider shopping at your local nursery this holiday season. You just might end
up walking out with a few festive treasures for yourself.
Before you get started, here’s the rundown on the most
popular holiday selections:
Poinsettias: These are easily the most popular holiday plant. There are more than 100 varieties,
and account for $140 million in sales in the United States. Poinsettias don’t
have a long shelf life, and you have to work to keep them alive through the
holidays; the lack of light and low humidity in homes and offices isn’t
conducive to the plant, so enjoy them while they last. And if you are
considering giving them as gifts, be mindful that the plants are mildly toxic
to dogs and cats.
Amaryllis: These
plants come in fire engine red,
pink, peach and white. Then there are dwarf varieties and various flowers, which
add up to about 50 varieties! For the experienced gardener on your list,
Amaryllis can be bought as a bulb and forced to flower by watering frequently. Amaryllis
can also be bought in bloom, and placed near a window during the holiday
season. Here in the Piedmont of North Carolina, we can plant the spent bulbs in
our gardens when the weather warms up. Don’t expect them to bloom next
Christmas though; Amaryllis left outside bloom in July and August unless you
dig them up and condition them indoors again.
Christmas Cactus: There
are more than 60 varieties of this plant, and after you have had the plant for
a few years, it will bloom at Thanksgiving or Easter as well. They last a long
time if you don’t over water them, and they are very easy to take cuttings from
and start new plants.
Live Christmas Trees:
While you’re unlikely to get these
as a gift for someone else, it’s important to have an understanding of the tree
when you go to purchase one for your own home. Some nurseries and Christmas tree
vendors sell live, balled and burlap evergreens to be brought indoors for
Christmas trees. One problem with this is that Spruce and Fir do not tolerate
our hot and humid Piedmont summers.
Another problem is that the tree has to be conditioned from being in the
cold outdoors for a week in a place like a garage, before bringing indoors.
Then when it is ready to go back outside, it needs to go to the garage for a
week, and then it can be planted. Eastern
Red Cedars would be the best tree for our area if you want to try a live
tree. Avoid the male tree especially if you have allergies. The warm
temperatures in your house will cause the male trees to produce pollen, and
nothing says Merry Christmas like a bunch of people sneezing. Female Eastern
Red Cedars are grayish in color, have gray berries on them and present little
problems. You still want to check your live tree, and even a cut tree for insect
caccoons . Some large species of moths like to use the shelter of evergreens to
lay their eggs, and Praying Mantis nests contain up to 200 larvae, which can
hatch when indoors for a couple of weeks.
December Focal Points:
Hamamelis vernalis
Vernal Witch Hazel are blooming now. The 70-degree temperatures we
experienced recently have forced them out. We have three on our campus. Can you
find them?
Camellia
sasanqua Sasanqua Camellia are still
blooming; they are planted throughout the campus.
Camellia japonica
“Governor Mouton” Governor Mouton Japanese Camellia look like a large
peppermint drop. This Japanese Camellia always blooms for us around Christmas.
You can find them blooming now along the putting green side of the West Apartments.
Prunus Autumnalis
Autumn Cherry are in bloom. I planted quite a few around the community.
Look for them by the putting green and entrances.
Chaenomeles speciosa
“Jet Trails” Jet trails Quince are just opening up along the bare branches
of this quince.
Mahonia fortunei
Chinese Mahonia are opening up among dark green leaf fronds. We have a few
Chinese mahonia by the Tattoo Wolf.
December Things to
do:
Fertilize your
fescue lawn to help see it through the winter.
Apply 10 10 10 or 8 8 8 fertilizer to your winter
vegetables such as collards, cabbage, kale and broccoli.
Soil sample Now
is a good time to take a soil sample around your flower beds, and vegetable
gardens. Ph should be around 6 for most shrubs and vegetables.
Remove spent
perennial stalks, and discard in the mulch pile.
Fall leaves: Even
the oak trees should be bare by now, so collect the leaves for compost. If you
have a mulching mower use it to vacuum up the leaves. Mulch mowers shred the
leaves, which helps speed up the decaying process.
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| Christmas Cactus |
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