'Tis the season for holiday plants

Holiday plants add a special touch to homes and are ideal hostess gifts. Poinsettias are on many shopping lists, but some folks are hesitant to purchase some of the other options because they aren't sure how to keep them beautiful. Here's how.

Amaryllis

If an amaryllis is purchased already growing but not yet showing a bloom, keep the pot in a bright warm spot. Water just enough to keep the soil slightly moist. Overwatering may rot the bulb. It doesn't require any fertilizer.

If you are a holiday hostess lucky enough to receive a blooming amaryllis, set the plant in a bright location but out of direct sunlight. This will keep the color of the flower from fading.

If you want to keep the bulb for reblooming next winter, cut off each spent flower at the top of the stem, and wait for the stem to yellow before pruning. When all flowers and stems have been removed, move the pot to a sunny window and increase watering. Fertilize it once a month with houseplant fertilizer.

Move it outside after danger of frost has passed in spring, and let it grow all summer in a sunny site. Toward the end of summer, bring it indoors to a cool dark place and stop watering. Most of the foliage will shrivel and fall off. When new growth begins, repot if necessary and put it back in a bright warm spot.

Christmas cactus

A Christmas cactus prefers a location with bright, indirect light. Too much sun burns the leaves; too much shade reduces the number of flowers. Water when the soil feels dry to the touch. Setting the pot in a tray of pebbles filled with water provides the humid environment Christmas cactuses require. Do not fertilize during the holidays.

To keep the plant bushy, remove up to a third of the foliage segments about a month after it has finished blooming to encourage side branching.

Christmas cactuses are prompted by temperature and day length to re-bloom. If you want your plant to bloom in time for next Christmas, count back eight weeks and stop fertilizing and reduce watering. Provide 12 to 14 hours of darkness and temperatures between 50 and 55 degrees every day. When flower buds appear, no more dark treatment is required. Increase watering a bit but don't overwater. Too much water can cause buds to drop.

Cyclamen

Set cyclamen in a sunny window. They prefer cool daytime temperatures and even cooler nights. When it comes to watering, cyclamen are finicky. They want their soil to dry between watering, but if it dries to much, plants wilt. They also don't like their foliage to get wet. I said finicky, right? When watering, water thoroughly (below the foliage) until water runs out the drainage holes. But never allow the pot to sit in a water. To prolong blooming, remove spent flowers.

After your cyclamen finishes blooming, the leaves die and the plant goes dormant. Let it rest for a couple months in a cool dark place. After its hiatus, bring it back into a bright spot and water deeply (letting any excess water drain away). If new growth has not already begun, it will shortly.

Instead of shying away from these holiday plants, ‘tis the season to enjoy them!

• Diana Stoll is a horticulturist, garden writer and speaker. She blogs at gardenwithdiana.com.