Surviving Christmas
Surviving a modern day Christmas can be challenge enough for humans, but just imagine how diffi cult it is if you’re a plant. You’ve been reluctantly forced to fl ower, grown in a light controlled polytunnel and you’ve been force fed with growth stunting hormones to ensure you’re not too straggly when fl owering on Mrs Cratchit’s table …. and here’s me feeling sorry for the turkey!
It seems such a shame that after all the eff ort, you go and kill the poor thing after just one week of taking custody.
This year will be
diff erent though, because whether giving or receiving a houseplant this festive yuletide, help is at hand for keeping them alive (until New Year at least!).
House plants give such a wonderful display, and are sure to last longer than a bunch of fl owers. Choose from large fl owering Cyclamen, brightly coloured Azaleas, sweetly scented Jasmine and of course the traditional Poinsettia. Oh, and don’t forget about bulbs, ‘Paperwhite’ Narcissus are synonymous with Christmas, and forced Hyacinths too, but I can appreciate that their strong scent is best savoured in spring.
Before we go on to the care of houseplants, let’s just clear one thing up, houseplants hate houses! Dry central heating, low light levels and draughts are all things houseplants really don’t like, as most of these plants come from very humid, tropical parts of the world. The best way to ensure your fl owers bloom for longer and your leaves don’t go brown at the tips, is to ensure the right conditions for survival.
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• Avoid placing plants in a draughty location such as windowsills, or near to a frequently opened door, (they won’t appreciate the large fl uctuations in temperature)
• Avoid hotspots, such as in front of or above a radiator or fi re
• Water plants by plunging them into a bowl of tepid (not cold) water, and then allowing the water to fully drain out from the pot before returning to its location
• Azaleas like humid conditions, so stand these on a tray of gravel fi lled with water, (but ensure plants are not sat in water)
• Create a ‘plant area’ where groups of plants can be stood together, this will create more humidity
• Avoid direct sunshine •
•
Ensure the compost never dries out or is too saturated, water little and often
Remove faded fl owers to prevent disease and to promote fl owering
And fi nally, don’t get emotionally attached, think of fl owering houseplants as a medium term bunch of fl owers or a Christmas decoration, and after fl owering if they look a little jaded, return them to the compost heap in the sky - I don’t think there’s any worse house plant tragedy than a straggly Poinsettia in July with three stunted yellow leaves.
Poinsettias are popular because they look wonderful, but here’s a little word of warning, be careful not to get the sap of a Poinsettia on your skin as they can cause irritation, and always keep them out of reach of pets and children.
To advertise in thewire t. 07720 429 613 e.
the.wire@btinternet.com
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