Caring for Your Holiday Plants

Holiday gatherings often mean you receive a beautiful plant as a hostess gift. Don’t fret – you can keep it looking good with minimal care.

Remove the plants from the protective sleeve or wrapping as soon as they arrive to your home. Bend down the edges of the foil pot covering to allow the light to reach all of the leaves.

Then punch holes in the foil to allow excess water to drain out the bottom. Be sure to place the plant on a saucer to avoid water damage to your furnishings

Pour off excess water or place pebbles in the saucer, bottom of the foil if left intact, or decorative baskets, buckets or other decorative pot cover. The surplus water will collect in the bottom of the container while the pot rests above the water on the pebbles.

Water thoroughly and often enough to keep the soil moist but not wet. Place plants in a cool bright location away from drafts of hot or cold air to extend their blooming beauty.

A bit more information: Once the holidays are over and the flowers have faded, move plants to a sunny window. Apply a very dilute solution of any flowering houseplant fertilizer if needed. Water plants thoroughly and often enough to keep the soil moist. Or add the fading holiday plants to your compost pile. Not a waste, just a way of recycling this gift into your garden.