How to care for the holiday greens

STEVE KAWARATANI

“I once wanted to become an atheist, but I gave up -- they have no

holidays.�

-- Henny Youngman

“Nothing evolves us like love.�

-- Hafiz

The holidays beckon ... tempting the faithful with boughs of

holly, cedar garland and snowflake lights. The season’s music will

dominate the airwaves and malls and electronic reindeer will nod

knowingly at passersby in many neighborhoods. Retailers will offer

deep discounts and eggnog concoctions return as the drink of choice

for harried revelers.

With Thanksgiving now past, you will likely give or receive a

holiday plant in the upcoming weeks. But, have you ever killed a

poinsettia? Can’t decide on whether to celebrate with a living or

dead Christmas Tree? Stay tuned, because we’re going to share the

wonderful world of holiday plants.

The most ubiquitous of all holiday plants is the poinsettia,

Euphorbia pulcherrima. A native from Mexico, the red flowers we’ve

come to prize are actually modified leaves called bracts. Through the

efforts of Paul Ecke, the poinsettia is available in a number of

different holiday colors. Don’t expect them, however, to bloom nearly

as well as their first holiday, and grow them only in sunny,

frostless areas of Laguna.

The azalea is a popular year-round gift and is also a valuable

garden plant. Available in white, pink, red, salmon, purple and in

combination colors, these profuse bloomers are hybridized as either

shade or sun varieties. It’s a must to grow azaleas in an acid soil

that retains moisture and drains quickly.

The Christmas Cactus, Zygocactus truncatus, is a popular hanging

plant from Brazil. Not a true cactus, this one needs more water and

is a favorite houseplant of my mom’s. The pink, red, or white flowers

are very showy and its blooming schedule will let you know that

Christmas is coming.

Care of these Christmas gift plants is easy; just follow a few

instructions. Place the plant in a sunny window and avoid sudden

temperature changes. Keep the soil moist, but don’t let water stand

in the plant’s saucer or foil. Gradual leaf drop is an indication of

not enough light; crinkling, yellowing leaves may mean too much heat

or lack of water; and rapid leaf drop show exposure to cold or

standing water in the saucer.

Living Christmas trees are generally pines or other evergreens

shaped in the traditional conical manner. Planted in a container and

pruned regularly, these trees can be “recycled� for a number of years

before planted in one’s garden or donated to certain municipalities

or schools.

Reputable nurseries will sell only living Christmas trees that

grow successfully in their gardening area. Aleppo Pine, Pinus

halepensis, and Japanese Black Pine, Pinus thunbergiana, both grow

well in Laguna, requiring full sun and well-drained soil. To purchase

a Colorado blue spruce, Picea pungens “Glauca,� or Noble Fir, Abies

procera, for our local gardens is a marginal proposition at best.

Living Christmas trees should be sheared regularly to maintain

shape and to limit size. They should visit inside your home for only

two weeks. Prior to being moved indoors, they should be well watered.

They will be happiest and healthiest if they receive sunlight,

appropriate water and are kept away from other heat sources during

their indoors stay.

The holidays were meant to be a time of joy, however, it often

singles out the lonely and the rejected. This season let your loved

ones know they are wanted. For “Nothing evolves like love.� I wish

you and yours a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and beyond.

* STEVE KAWARATANI is the owner of Landscapes by Laguna Nursery,

1278 Glenneyre, No. 49, in Laguna Beach. He is happily married to

local writer, Catharine Cooper, and has two cats. He can be reached

at (949) 497-2438, or e-mail to [email protected].