Are you looking for something new and fresh for your indoor holiday plant displays? Do you love your poinsettias but yearn for something different, other than the same-old, same-old everyone else is using?
Worry not; there are plenty of options out there. And plant sellers are finally getting the message that Christmas plants can be about more than the old classics.
We’ve put together a list of 10 of our favorite (not poinsettia) Christmas plants, along with a few bonus tips and ideas.
Jump to:
- More Than Just the Much-Loved Poinsettias
- 10 Top Christmas Plants for Festive Indoor Displays
- 1. Potted ivy
- 2. Amaryllis
- 3. Paperwhites
- 4. Christmas Cactus (See if you can find a true Christmas Cactus!)
- 5. Rosemary
- 6. Small Potted Pine and Evergreen Trees
- 7. Boxwood Trees
- 8. Orchids
- 9. Miniature Roses
- 10. Anthuriums
- Making Merry with Mixed Planters
- Pots That Make the Plant
- Whether Decorating or Giving Away, Plants Are Gifts That Keep on Giving
More Than Just the Much-Loved Poinsettias
Let’s preface this by saying that we have nothing against poinsettias. We love poinsettias! They are the classic Christmas plant.
But poinsettias are not the only Christmas plant that deserves a place in our holiday decorations. And the plants listed here can be lovely complements to them.
From buying to child and pet safety to watering and more, we have a lot of great guides here extolling the virtues of the much-loved poinsettia. Check them out!
10 Top Christmas Plants for Festive Indoor Displays
Here are 10 plants we think belong in your Christmas displays to make your home more merry and bright:
1. Potted ivy
We hear it sung about in Christmas songs; it’s green and bright, a hardy winter plant that can stay green even in the cold in many places. It’s an easy keeper and a nice plant to have around all year long.
It’s ivy. And we should be doing more with it all Christmas season long!
The plant itself is a Christmas statement, but you can dress it up by adding in some small twinkle or LED lights, too. It’s also quite complementary and pairs well with so many of the other plants and ideas on this list (not to mention a great way to spiff up plain poinsettias!).
Don’t think you only have to pot your ivy, either. You can arrange ivy in wreathes and let it dry or fix clippings into floral foam for living low-lying centerpieces or hanging wreaths.
2. Amaryllis
Amaryllises are favored as a bold and beautiful Christmas plant because they are large, bear the colors of the season, and can be forced easily in time for Christmas and the surrounding holidays. They have largely become synonymous with Christmas and gift-giving for many people.
With a little planning, you can time your plantings so you have Amaryllis in bloom for the big Christmas day (or any other seasonally timed celebration you have on your calendar).
3. Paperwhites
Paperwhites are the other bulb that is becoming synonymous with Christmas and the New Year. These, along with amaryllises, are popular because they don’t need to be chilled, and they’re fast growers.
Paperwhites can be in bloom in as little as two weeks, though four is more often the norm. They are the perfect partners for arranging with amaryllises, too. Like amaryllis, you can plan ahead and time the planting of paperwhites.
By the way—there's a neat little watering hack to keep paperwhites growing shorter and stronger so they stay neat and tidy without tipping over.
4. Christmas Cactus (See if you can find a true Christmas Cactus!)
Yes, we said we’re going beyond the classic Christmas plants in this list, but Christmas cacti are somehow not as classic as they should be. By that, we mean that people struggle to have them in bloom at the right time, and they don’t get the bright flowers they’d planned on for the holidays.
The main reason this happens is that the cactus many people keep as Christmas cactus isn’t a Christmas cactus at all. Often, what we have are actually holiday cactuses. The most common is a Thanksgiving cactus. These are a bit sturdier in shipping than Christmas cacti, and while festive and lovely, they usually bloom too early to be in bloom for Christmas and the days surrounding it.
If you’re looking specifically for plants for Christmas, and you love the sentiment of the Christmas cactus, you should seek out one that is a true Christmas cactus. Learn about the different types of holiday cacti here so you’ll know what you should be looking for.
That said, it is often hard to find a true Christmas cactus because growers have created so many hybrids, and because they are hardier plants, that’s what they prefer to grow, which means there just aren’t many out there.
So, if you can’t find one, maybe just put off buying your holiday cactus until it is closer to Christmas. Then buy one that is still mostly in the bud stage. The plant should blossom for a few weeks or more.
Next year, you can try to manipulate its bloom time by managing its light, water, and temperature (these are factors that bring a Christmas cactus into bloom).
You can read up on the right temperature and conditions for your Christmas cactus and the right way to water them for a long life here.
5. Rosemary
Who says decorative plants can’t be useful, too? Not us!
Rosemary is quite adaptable to living inside, and it looks like many of the evergreens that we cherish for Christmas. In addition to that, it is a nicely fragrant plant, which we can’t really say for many houseplants.
You can often clip and shape a rosemary for miniature tree-like decorations or just give it some Christmas flair.
Rosemary is a nice plant for a little kitchen Christmas spirit, but it works well all over the house.
The best part about it is that you have fresh rosemary for holiday simmer pots and cooking, and after the Christmas season is over, you still have fresh herbs for the rest of the winter and a savory one that is perfect for all the comforting winter favorites, from roasts to poultry to stews.
6. Small Potted Pine and Evergreen Trees
Small evergreens make lovely live decorations in any room of the house. They can bring Christmas cheer to a corner or work as a centerpiece for your table. If you don’t have room for a full-sized tree, potted evergreens are just what Santa ordered.
Something else that’s nice about small potted evergreens is that when you’re done, they can be acclimated (hardened off) and moved outside.
You can plant them in the ground to grow on or keep them as container plants for a couple of years for your patio. If you do that, they can be reused at Christmas for several years until they grow too big to come back inside.
Choose from the familiar and classic to the unique, like the Norfolk Island Pine. (Norfolk Island Pines are not winter hardy in all zones, so you may need to grow this one as an in-and-out patio plant or houseplant.)
7. Boxwood Trees
Boxwood has so many lovely uses, and it is quite a popular Christmas plant. Boxwoods are often shaped for topiary, and you can do the same when you’re using them to decorate for Christmas.
Boxwoods can be shaped into small Christmas trees, or you can shape them (or find them shaped already) into balls or round topiaries.
Work in some natural red berries or Christmas decorations to take things up a notch. This can create a nice sort of kissing ball effect for your plant, too.
Like some of the other plants, when you’re finished with your boxwood for the holidays, you can plant the boxwood outside for hedges, topiary, landscape accents, and more. Then, when they grow big, you’ll have plenty to cut for Christmas wreath-making!
8. Orchids
Orchids are stately and elegant, bringing a feeling of calm and beauty to your Christmas decorations. White orchids seem an obvious choice for Christmas, but there are many other color varieties, too.
Orchids tend to show up in stores in the fall and right before the holidays. Their blooms last for months, too, so this is a plant that you can plan on looking lovely all season long. You can rely on its blossoms to be there for Christmas, New Year, and for many weeks after.
Butterfly or moth orchids (also known lovingly as “Phals” for their formal name, phalaenopsis) are widely available and are easy to care for.
Full-sized orchids make a statement, but you can also find other size varieties, including small miniature orchids with petite blooms that top out at six or eight inches.
People often think that after orchid blossoms fade away, they’re done in, but that’s not the case at all. Orchids can and will re-bloom, often for several years. This means you can count on them to decorate your home—and likely your holidays—for a long time to come.
You may just want to move your orchid to a less-featured space while you wait for it to flower again. You can keep several in rotation and enjoy orchid blossoms for many months of the year. (Of course, if you like the foliage just fine, it’s fine to keep them on display, too!)
9. Miniature Roses
Roses are for every season, and the wonderful thing about potted mini roses is that they are also widely available in stores and in full bloom in time for Christmas.
Miniature roses are readily available in colors of creamy white and red, ideal for Christmas decorating, but there are as many colors of mini roses as there are standard rose color varieties. See what strikes your fancy. (If you have young children, maybe you could build a whole mini rose garden for Christmas fairies or Elf on the Shelf!).
Miniature roses are a delight all year long. In winter, they’re a wonderful way for a yearning gardener or flower lover to have some fresh-blooming flowers inside.
After winter, mini roses can be planted outside to add to your garden, or they can become pretty patio plants to grow in containers.
10. Anthuriums
Anthuriums have glossy green leaves and colorful flowering spikes that nicely brighten up a room. While there are different colors, red is one of the most common, making them the perfect plant to use in Christmas and holiday décor.
Anthuriums shine with the most seasonal colors. They give you the color and feel you want for the holidays but in a different plant with a unique flower shape, similar to that of a peace lily.
While anthuriums do look quite similar to peace lilies, they are not the same plant. Anthuriums have leaves that are more heart-shaped, and their flowers lay flatter and more open.
Making Merry with Mixed Planters
Don't feel like a single plant or type of plant is your only option. You can create a more festive feel and up your decorating game if you mix and match your Christmas plants.
Mix plants in their own pots in different decorative arrangements or mix different kinds of plants together in a single planter.
Classic plants like poinsettias can be upgraded by planting two or more colors together. You can also mix in low plants like trailing ivy or top with moss.
Pots That Make the Plant
Sometimes, it's not the plant that makes it festive; it’s the pot the plant is planted in. This is nice because it really opens doors. Let your imagination run wild!
You can even use plants and cuttings from houseplants you already own and plant them in fun pots—like fun shaggy succulents that make hair for a snowman in a snowman-shaped pot.
- You can dress up your regular houseplants for the season by placing their pot inside a festively colored, painted, or decorated pot. Then you don’t have to plant or repot at all.
- Wrap some wrapping paper, brown craft paper, or burlap around your everyday houseplant pots and tie them with a colorful ribbon.
- If you want to add more seasonal color, tuck some colored foil or tissue paper in the decorative pot or top the plant’s soil with green moss.
- Add a bulb or decorating stake to make things more merry.
The sky’s the limit, and there’s a lot you can do without spending much time or money at all.
Whether Decorating or Giving Away, Plants Are Gifts That Keep on Giving
Whether for yourself or another, potted, live plants make lovely, long-lasting gifts. Any of these festive favorites would be a wonderful gift to give to friends and family. They make especially nice host or hostess gifts for those who are having you as a guest over the holidays.
Put on your creative thinking cap and start deciding how you will decorate with these new Christmas plant favorites. No longer do poinsettias need to stand alone as the only choice for decorating with live Christmas plants!
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