If you’re looking around your home and feel ready for a holiday transformation, think about how to create a warm, authentic design with a connection to nature – not just a plastic bin full of decorations.
You can absolutely bring living, breathing magic indoors! This season, colorful houseplants can become the living centerpieces of your holiday celebrations.
Here are four indoor plants that will bring life and natural colors to your home.
- Amaryllis
A single, tall stem rising from a bulb, crowned with immense, trumpet-shaped flowers in brilliant reds, whites, or striped patterns. That is the one-of-a-kind Amaryllis.
Forget last-minute decorating, Amaryllis is the gift of anticipation. Watching that bulb come to life over a few weeks is a real connection to science and nature that you can enjoy inside, away from the cold. Amaryllis is a gift that keeps on giving, offering beauty long after the packaging is gone. It is one of the best ways to start your holiday decorations because it changes with the holidays.
- The Classic Poinsettia
Synonymous with Christmas, its vibrant red, white, pink, or marble “petals” are actually leaves called bracts. These plants are, without a doubt, the fastest way to inject that traditional Christmas decor into any room.
Forget the old myth that they’re impossible to keep. While they appreciate a steady temperature and dislike drafty windows, their care is simple: bright, indirect light and water only when the top of the soil feels dry. That’s it!
Use them in groups of three for an integrated display!
- Thanksgiving & Christmas Cactus
These quirky cacti will bloom when you need color the most, right as the holidays kick off!
- Thanksgiving Cactus (flattened, pointed leaf edges)
- Christmas Cactus (rounded, scalloped leaf edges)
They are jungle cacti; they grow on other trees in the wild. They thrive with humidity and indirect light. A little misting now and then makes them happy, keeping the blooms coming for weeks.
Will yours bloom for Thanksgiving or Christmas? The exact timing is often a mystery that is based on temperature, light, and a longer period of darkness leading up to the holiday.
- Cyclamen
With green heart-shaped leaves marbled in silver and delicate, Cyclamen creates butterfly-shaped flowers dancing high on skinny stems. They are a great companion for holiday decor. What’s often overlooked is the subtle, sweet fragrance some varieties possess. Placing one at an entryway gives your guests a colorful welcome.
Cyclamen like it cool—think 50-70°F—which is perfect for a windowsill or a slightly cooler room. Water from the bottom (in a saucer) to keep the crown of the plant dry, preventing rot. This will make sure your blooms last!
Bring the Outside In
Connecting with nature isn’t just about the plant itself; it’s about the feeling it creates. When you bring these living plants into your home, you’re decorating and you’re also creating a sanctuary. You’re creating a space that feels calm, yet connected, full of life during the darkest time of the year.
This holiday, we hope that you find a living centerpiece that will make your holiday celebrations breathe a little deeper and feel more colorful.