Floral plants for the holiday festivities

The festive holiday season is never complete without the beautiful and colourful floral decorations. There are floral decorations that are traditionally associated with the season such as the Christmas tree, Christmas Cactus, Poinsettias, Christmas Wreath and Yule logs.

CHRISTMAS TREE: It is as if the festive season’s celebration is never complete without it as the focal piece. However, the conscious concern for the environment makes it imperative to consider using artificial beautifully decorated trees, rather than depleting our planet of its protective trees. Consider the millions of trees that are fallen every year just for a few weeks’ vanity whereas trees take considerably more time (years) to grow and replace. So, why don’t we think about saving our planet by leaving its protective trees alone? Going green with other live plants that are also colorful. They are fast growing and in some cases remain for decades like the Christmas Cacti.

Christmas Tree
Christmas Cacti
Poinsettia
Christmas Wreath
Christmas and Thanksgiving Cacti are called grandma plantsis because they can live very long lives often being passed down through generation.

There are different types of Holiday Cacti. They are epiphyte tropical cacti. There are three main types of Holiday Cacti: Christmas, which is probably the most common, Thanksgiving and Easter. The three different plants look very similar.
Here is a brief description of the three:

• Christmas Cactus
By its scientific name, Schlumbergera (genus) Bridgessii is a tropical plant native of South America. Its flat green leaves have rounded points along the edges, and it blooms long and lean around you.

• Thanksgiving Cactus
Thanksgiving cactus, scientific name Schlumbegrea truncata, is very similar to the Christmas cactus. To tell their difference is to look at their leaves. While both plants have flattered leaves, the Thanksgiving cactus has pointier tips on the leaves. It blooms long lean flower late November, while the Christmas cactus blooms some weeks later.

• Easter Cactus
Easter Cactus, or Rhipsalidopsis Gaetheri is from a totally different genus. However, its leaves look similar to the Christmas cactus’ leaves. It blooms in the Easter season (springtime) and its flowers aren’t as long and lean as the Christmas and Thanksgiving flowers.

Poinsettia
Another popular traditional holiday season plant is Poinsettia. It is native to Mexico. Poinsettia is in the Euphorbia family and is popular for the festive season because of the colorful bracts (leaves).

There is also a species that is used as a cut flower. They are most commonly used for decorating during this festive holidays, but are also attractive as green plants throughout the year to decorate the home.

Poinsettias change colour in response to light. Poinsettia flowers are actually made up of bracts, which look like petals, and the tiny yellow flowers in the centre, called Cyathia. The colourful bracts attract insects to the flowers and will drop after pollination.

Poinsettia come in many colours
You can find poinsettias to fit into almost decorative scheme. They come in creamy white to pink to the traditional bright red. Some varieties have bracts with pattern in red and white, pink and white, orange and white and even bright orange.

Flower forms vary as well with some looking like a rose. One can find unusually coloured poinsettia such as blue or purple. These are cream coloured varieties that are spray-painted. They are sometimes sprinkled with glitter.

Christmas Wreath:
Wreath have been used in symbolic ways for thousands of years and the customs have been passed along from such civilizations as the native Americas, Celts and Norse. Wreaths are traditionally an unbroken circle symbolising infinity or wholeness or perhaps the sun or moon or the cycle of the seasons
Have a lovely holiday season with as many floral decoration as you can.