We grow a large portion of our holiday plants to assure the quality you deserve.

Christmas cactus or zygo make stunning holiday decorative additions to your decor but only if you can resist the temptation to fuss over them. The Christmas cactus is a pretty blooming plant that has flowers in shades of pink, red and white.It is a cactus and prefers dry feet but a good watering is appreciated occasionally. They can take cooler temps so they often fare well in a cooler room or bay window. They don't like sudden drafts and will drop their buds or flowers if they are exposed to cold temps(ask for them to be wrapped before leaving the nursery) Keep them away from frequently opened doors. Pruning lightly after flowering re-energizes the plant.

Cyclamen persicum, or the Florist Cyclamen, is often grown as a house plant and is popular from fall to early spring. Cyclamen make a wonderful holiday plant because they adapt well as houseplants, sometimes blooming again for next yearís holidays.Cyclemen bloom in shades of pink, red or white. Even without flowers the foliage is attractive, often having silver marbling on the top sides of the leaves.Water whenever the soil feels dry. Avoid getting water on the crown of the plant.

Amaryllis plants have been popular at Christmas time partly because they comes in so many shades of red. Also like Poinsettia, Amaryllis donít necessarily bloom at Christmastime, when left to their own devices. The Amaryllis is a huge bulb thatís actually very easy to grow and care for. The bulbs are widely available in December, so they make a great gift. However, many people prefer to force their amaryllis into bloom for the holiday season. Many ëpreparedí bulbs are sold in the fall, ready to pot up and have in time for Christmas. Here are directions for forcing your Amaryllis for holiday display, as well as general care for your amaryllis plant.

What Youíll Need to bring the bulb into bloom:
Amaryllis Bulb
A pot slightly larger than the bulb (1" to 2" bigger than the diameter of the bulb)
Well-draining Potting Mix
Bamboo Stake

Planting a New Amaryllis Bulb
1.Choose a bulb(s) thatís plump and still has some roots at the base.

2.Make sure the pot you chose is just large enough for the bulb. Generally a 5 - 7" pot will work fine. The bulb needs to feel crowded to bloom.

3.Partially fill the pot with potting mix and place the bulb so that top third of it will be exposed when you fill in potting soil around the sides of the pot.

4.Place a bamboo stake along side the bulb. The flowers can get top heavy and inserting the stake now will help you avoid damaging the bulb and roots later.

5.Water well.

6.Place the pot in bright, indirect light and keep the soil moist, but not wet.

7.A thick flower stalk should shoot up within a few weeks. The flat leaves will follow as the flower stalk matures.

8.Turn the pot every few days, so the flower stalk gets uniform exposure on all sides and grows straight.

9.You can feed your Amaryllis with a half strength water soluble fertilizer every 2-3 weeks.

10.When the flowers fade, cut the flower stalk back to just above the bulb but leave the foliage to gather food for the bulb. Keep watering the plant until it goes dormant.

Paperwhites,Narcissus tazetta, can bloom within 3 weeks of potting up. They donít even need soil. Paper whites are the original ìJust Add Waterî plant. While paperwhite bulbs can be planted in soil, more commonly they are grown in pots or dishes with some stones or marbles to anchor them in place and a little water.

1.Select a container that is about 3 - 4 inches deep (8 - 10 cm) and that has no drainage holes.

2.Spread an inch or 2 of stones, marbles or even gravel, along the bottom of the container.

3.Position your paper white bulbs, pointed end up, on top of the stone layer. Go ahead and squeeze them in. They not only look better in a large group, the tight fit will help keep them from toppling over.

4.Add another layer of stones to fill in any gaps and cover the bulbs up to their shoulders. The pointed tips should still be showing.

5.Add water so that the level just reaches the base of the bulbs. Allowing the bottom of the bulb to sit in water will stimulate growth. Covering the entire bulb with water could cause it to rot.

6.The bulbs donít need light at this point and they prefer to be kept on the cool side, at about 65 degrees F (18 degrees C.)

7.Check your bulbs daily to see if they need more water.

8.When you see roots developing, move the container to a sunny window. The sunnier the better, but try not to let them get too warm or theyíll grow leggy.

9.Once the plants flower, they will last longer if moved out of direct sunlight, to a cool spot with indirect or diffused light.
You can start pots of paper whites every couple of weeks, for a continuous display throughout the winter.