Around Christmas, various flowers, bushes, trees, and other plants are frequently given as gifts. The looks and maintenance needs of these seasonal plants differ greatly. While some are little and can be kept indoors in pots, others are big trees and shrubs that need a large garden area. These fifteen popular Christmas flowers and plants welcome a festive atmosphere during the winter months and holidays as living ornaments.
15 Popular Christmas Plants and Flowers
Here are 15 plants and flowers to help you enjoy the holiday season and some tips about their care. One thing is certain... they will add just the right amount of joy and holly jolly Christmas vibes to your spaces. Take note!
1. Poinsettia (Euphorbia Pulcherrima) and Princettia
If you've never heard of or seen Poinsettia, aka 'The Christmas Star', you're behind in your Christmas game for the year. They are undoubtedly the signatory that the blithest and most high-spirited holiday for many is just around the corner, and in fact, Christmas is just a few days away. Because of their cheery red and green coloring, Poinsettias are subtropical plants that are native to Mexico. Additionally, it is thought that the poinsettia flower's form represents the star of Bethlehem. Poinsettias can be prone to root rot, so be careful not to overwater them.
Photo: @_mirandajewel_
When taking care of these flowers, make sure the container you place them in has enough drainage and water when the top 2 inches of the soil feel dry. Poinsettias also require a lot of bright, filtered sunshine to avoid growing leggy. But overall, this is the most popular and known Christmas plant in the world! You're sure to see it around everywhere, in every single shop as well. See also 'Poinsettia - The Popular Christmas Plant You Need to Know About'.
Nevertheless, Princettia flowers are a very similar option for Christmas and one that is gaining rapid momentum and popularity for the holidays. One of the most beautiful pieces of jewelry available for your living room is Princettia Euphorbia (Poinsettia). You can surely give these magnificent pink gems and white pearls a special place in your home and enjoy the sight of them. Princettia is a new Poinsettia (Christmas Star) variety with a compact growth habit and dense branching. As a result, it's a simple plant that anyone can grow! Enjoy these pink and white stars in borders or pots in your garden or on your balcony until the first frost in autumn and make them part of your Xmas ambiance.
2. Holly (Ilex Opaca)
Even in the coldest winters, holly bushes remain green and require little to no upkeep. Around the Christmas season, its branches are brimming with vivid red berries, ideal for decorating the halls or using them for wreaths. Holly was often thought to bring good luck because it never withered, therefore people would present holly wreaths to loved ones.
Just be sure to plant it in soil that drains well, as holly plants don't accept standing water. Additionally, the soil needs to be acidic because an alkaline soil pH might turn the leaves yellow. PS: This plant gives the perfect Christmas vibe, don't you think? Not only that but did you know Holly is one of the December birth month flowers?
3. Mistletoe (Phoradendron Leucarpum)
It's customary to share a holiday kiss under the mistletoe. Natural interactions between mistletoe and other plants occur. The female plants will yield numerous white berries, while the foliage is evergreen. Very little maintenance is required for mistletoe plants, but you must start with a strong, mature host tree.
Photo: @christineswreathsusa
This is one of the 15 most popular Christmas plants, with a special meaning behind it. Ever heard someone say 'Under the Mistletoe' during Christmas? This plant historically represents romance, fertility, and vitality. Here's all you need to know about mistletoe, its Christmas nuances, and why it is known as the famous kissing plant.
4. White Roses
White roses are popularly used in Christmas arrangements and decorations for their pure and elegant appearance usually along with tones of red, green, and gold. White is associated with purity, innocence, and winter snow, which can complement the overall festive atmosphere during the holiday season. People may choose white roses for Christmas to create a serene and classic aesthetic, or they might use them in combination with other flowers and greenery to enhance the overall holiday decor, making them one of the most popular flowers for the festive season.
It's important to note that Christmas traditions and decorations can vary widely, and personal preferences play a significant role in the choice of flowers and colors for holiday celebrations. All in all, white roses are a beautiful addition to festive arrangements.
5. Noble Fir (Nobilis)
Noble Fir cut greens are used for Christmas containers, wreaths, grave branches, and other decorations. It is useful to know that the beautiful noble fir that you use for your holiday decor once started on a tree. These are trees from the pine family. The Nobilis tree is a large, tall tree. It can reach a height of 70 m and has a trunk circumference of approximately 2 meters. It is an incredibly popular product during the Advent and Christmas seasons and one of the 15 most popular choices to have around the holidays.
Photo: @cfgreens
Read the article '10 Types of Fresh Christmas Greenery for Holiday Decorating' to know what other greens you can compliment your Xmas decor with!
6. Amaryllis (Hippeastrum)
Amaryllis flowers are commonly grown as winter houseplants to add a pop of color to gray winter days. The plants take about six weeks after the bulbs are planted to flower. So plant in November if you want blooms around Christmas time. The trumpet-shaped blooms come in reds, pinks, and whites.
Incorporating Amaryllis into Christmas designs can be both straightforward and impactful. Their substantial petals make them ideal focal points in centerpieces, while their tall, sturdy stems add height and structure to bouquets. Combining these with seasonal greens like pine or holly marks their festive appeal even more, creating arrangements that create a 'wow' factor for sure.
7. Paperwhites (Narcissus papyraceus)
Another popular Christmas flower grown indoors during the winter is the Narcissus Paperwhite, considered to be one of the December birth month flowers along with holly bushes. They have tall green stalks covered in clusters of tiny, fragrant white flowers. You just need to wait for the bulbs to sprout after placing them in a container with water and gravel. Make sure to transplant the pot to a sunny window when the roots start to grow for the best results.
Photo: @netherland_bulb
8. Juniper (Juniperus)
Because of their broad-leaved needles, juniper bushes are connected to Christmas. They also have a nice scent, and best of all, come in a variety of forms, from small shrubs and trees to low-growing ground coverings. Did you know they are even used as Christmas trees by some?
Juniper requires very little maintenance, making it one of the 15 most popular Christmas plants in the world. Young plants may need to be staked until they are established to ensure they grow upright and need soil that is consistently moist but not waterlogged. However, mature plants mainly look after themselves.
9. Red Roses
Red roses for Christmas...it seems like such a natural fit. Whether you want to add the most festive touch to your own home with the traditional symbolism of red for the holidays or send flowers to a friend or loved one this holiday season, red roses will do the trick. Red is a classic Christmas color, from Santa's robe to Rudolph's nose, but it's also the color of love and warmth. They are one of the most liked choices for Christmas festivities along with the most popular flower of all time... the beautiful red poinsettia. Read the article 'These Are Some of the Most Beautiful Red Roses for Christmas' to find out all about the red favorites for the season.
10. Cyclamen (Cyclamen Persicum)
Because of their lovely flowers which appear around the holidays, Cyclamen are common holiday plants. They make excellent plant arrangements for tables. This plant likes lower temperatures to flourish its white, pink, or red petals, which resemble butterflies.
Photo: @morel_cyclamen
They can bloom for up to six months if kept cool. It has leaves that are silver-frosted and most amazingly, these flowers become dormant in the summer because they are not prone to tolerating warmer temperatures. This perennial returns every year with a profusion of blossoms.
11. Helleborus Niger
Commonly known as the 'Christmas Rose', the Helleborus niger bears large, round, white flat-faced flowers above low-growing mounds of leathery, deep green foliage. As the weather warms, it produces large masses of bright white flowers on short stems. As with many landscaping plants, it should be noted that all parts of the Helleborus plant are toxic to both humans and pets, but that doesn't take away the fact it's a stunning popular Christmas choice.
Learn from the floral coach Amy Balsters why care and handling of your hellebores is so important.
12. Cymbidium
Cymbidium orchids are a highly decorative variety of orchids that can often be seen in homes during the Christmas season. The plant has beautiful flower spikes and is relatively easy to look after. These orchids are also known as 'boat orchids' and are the oldest cultivated orchid with evidence that they were grown in China 2,500 years ago. Make sure to get your hands on these splendid orchids to know what one of the most popular Christmas plants will look like in your home.
13. Christmas Cactus (Schlumbergera x Buckleyi)
Schlumbergera x buckleyi, commonly called Christmas cactus, is a hybrid, flat-stemmed, frost-intolerant, winter-flowering, epiphytic perennial cactus that is typically grown indoors as a container plant for the enjoyment of its colorful flowers which bloom during and after the Christmas season.
14. Red Anthuriums
A relative newcomer to the Christmas scene, Anthuriums are among the more unique plants to gift this holiday season. With its open and welcoming heart shape, the plant has come to symbolize hospitality and is a popular host gift. Although red is the most sought color for the season, white anthuriums will also look divine for the holidays. Anthurium flowers are the gift that keeps giving as the colorful spathe can last for months and re-blooms throughout the year.
15. White Phalaenopsis
The eyes that see them are treated to an absolute feast and delight, especially for the uniqueness of the Christmas season. White orchids are associated with elegance and grace, making them the ideal choice to have in your indoor spaces as decoration for this Christmas. Orchids are also frequently regarded as symbols of rareness and delicacy, representing the one-of-a-kind nature of cherished relationships.
Truth is, there are many other Christmas flowers and plants, but these are 15 of the most liked plants and flowers for the season. You'll be seeing lots of them even when you go for an afternoon stroll through town. Most flower and plant shops will have all of these around!
Header image by Krisztián Kövér from Botanic Art.
