December 12th is National Poinsettia Day, and if you’re a gardener (especially a container gardener!) this is basically a mini-holiday just for you. Poinsettias are more than pretty December décor. They’re living plants that, with the right care, can stay vibrant all season long… and yes, you can even keep them alive into the new year. Let’s celebrate this festive bloom with a PGS-style guide to choosing, caring for, and absolutely loving your poinsettias this December. 🎄 𝐀 𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐍𝐞𝐫𝐝 𝐌𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭: 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝐄𝐱𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬 Poinsettia Day honors Joel Poinsett, the first U.S. ambassador to Mexico, who introduced the plant here in the 1800s. In Mexico, poinsettias are called “La Flor de la Nochebuena” — the Flower of the Holy Night They grow as full-on shrubs and even small trees. Container gardeners don’t get poinsettia trees (sigh)… But we do get the most festive houseplants of the year. 🌺 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐚 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐲 𝐏𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐚 (𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭!) When shopping, look for: ✔ Bright, vibrant bracts (the colored part, not the flowers!) ✔ Fresh, perky leaves ✔ No yellowing or browning ✔ Tight, green or red cyathia (the tiny true flowers at the center) ✔ Full, bushy shape ✔ No broken stems or wilting 𝐓𝐢𝐩: Avoid plants wrapped in plastic sleeves that trap heat. They go downhill fast. 𝐃𝐨𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐓𝐢𝐩: If the plant has been sitting in a cold store entryway… skip it. Cold damage shows up later. ❄️ 𝐏𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐚 𝐓𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐓𝐢𝐩𝐬 (𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫) Poinsettias LOVE stable temps: 𝟔𝟓–𝟕𝟓°𝐅 𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝟔𝟎–𝟔𝟓°𝐅 𝐚𝐭 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐀𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐝: * Cold drafts * Heater vents * Fireplaces * Doorways * Windows that freeze at night * Riding home in a cold car (𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑅𝐸𝐴𝐿𝐿𝑌 ℎ𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡.) If it’s freezing outside, make sure the nursery bags the plant well before you leave. 🌤️ 𝐋𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐍𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬 (𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐃𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐒𝐮𝐧!) Place poinsettias in: ✔ Bright, indirect light ✔ 6–8 hours daily They will 𝑎𝑏𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑦 scorch in full sun, especially in a south-facing window. East windows or pulled back slightly from bright windows are perfect.

It’s December, which means amaryllis season is officially in full swing and nothing steals the holiday spotlight quite like those huge, dramatic blooms. But if your amaryllis is starting to lean like it’s whispering secrets to the poinsettia beside it… don’t panic. A leaning amaryllis is super common, totally fixable, and honestly kind of part of its charm. Here’s exactly what causes the lean — and what you can do to help your amaryllis stand tall again. 🌤️ 𝟏. 𝐆𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐈𝐭 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 (𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐈𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 #𝟏 𝐅𝐢𝐱!) Leaning usually happens because the flower stalk grows toward light. On dark December days, amaryllis often stretch and bend toward a single window. ✔ 𝐌𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐭 Bright, indirect light is ideal — east or south-facing windows are great. ✔ 𝐑𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐭 𝐝𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐲 Give it a quarter turn each day. This helps balance growth and keeps the stalk straight. If you skip rotation… you’ll get a very dramatic S-curve. ✔ 𝐈𝐟 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐤 Use a small LED grow light placed 8–12 inches above the plant. 💧 𝟐. 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐥𝐲 (𝐓𝐨𝐨 𝐌𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐂𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐛𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠) Amaryllis don’t like soggy soil. Overwatering = weak stems + floppy growth. 𝐒𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞: * Water when the top 𝟏-𝟐 inches of soil are dry. * Let excess drip out completely, but never leave it sitting in water. * If your bulb feels soft or mushy, it’s been overwatered and needs time to dry. 🪴 𝟑. 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐈𝐟 𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐏𝐨𝐭-𝐁𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 (𝐈𝐭 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐁𝐞!) Amaryllis actually bloom better when they’re in a tight pot. A pot 1–2 inches wider than the bulb is PERFECT. If the pot is too big, the bulb puts energy into roots instead of stability causing a weak, leaning stalk. If your pot is oversized you can add decorative stones or moss around the bulb to give extra support. 🦢𝟒. 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐈𝐭 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲 (𝐄𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐎𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐮𝐝𝐬 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐦) When the stalk gets heavy with buds, even healthy amaryllis can lean. Use: * A bamboo stake * A thin wooden dowel * A decorative metal plant support Insert it carefully into the soil away from the bulb, then use twine or a soft tie to secure the stem loosely.

Holiday cacti — Christmas cactus, Thanksgiving cactus, and even the lesser-known Easter varieties — are the shining stars of December. When they burst into bloom, they feel like tiny fireworks in the middle of winter. But keeping those blooms going? That can feel like a holiday miracle. Good news: it’s completely doable. With just a few small adjustments, you can enjoy flowers well past Christmas…and sometimes even into February. Let’s keep those blooms glowing! 🎄 𝟏. 𝐆𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲, 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 Holiday cacti love bright, indirect light — think “near a window,” not “pressed against the glass.” In December, sunlight is weak, so they won’t scorch, but drafts and cold glass can shock buds. 𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐬: * A bright east- or north-facing window * A few feet back from a sunny south window * Near grow lights, but not directly under them 𝐀𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐝: * Direct hot afternoon sun * Areas right next to exterior doors (cold blasts = dropped blooms) 💧 𝟐. 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐬 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐞 Overwatering is the #1 bloom-killer. Underwatering is #2. When blooming, holiday cacti like soil that stays slightly moist — not soggy, not bone-dry. 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧: * The top 1–2 inches feel dry * The pot feels noticeably lighter 𝐓𝐢𝐩: If your home is heated and dry, check more often. If it’s humid or cooler, extend the time between waterings. 🧪 3. Avoid Temperature Swings Holiday cacti are dramatic… in the cutest way. If temps bounce around, they’ll drop buds out of protest. 𝐈𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠-𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐦𝐬: * 65–75°F during the day * 60–65°F at night 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐝: * Heat vents blasting hot air * Fireplaces * Cold window drafts * Placing it on top of an appliance that gets warm Even a single cold gust or hot blast can cause a bloom dump. 🌬️ 𝟒. 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐇𝐮𝐦𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐲 (𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭 𝐖𝐞𝐚𝐩𝐨𝐧!) Indoor heating dries out the air like crazy — and blooming holiday cacti hate that. Easy ways to increase humidity: * Set the pot on a pebble tray filled with water * Group it with other plants * Run a nearby humidifier

New planting of raised containers.

I found a rose bush in the clearance section that looked so sad so I brought her home and repotted her and now she’s blooming like crazy! I couldn’t believe it worked really, the guy looked like I was crazy for buying her.