The scents of gingerbread are in the air! The Christmas season is coming, and unless you are the Grinch, you must be thrilled about the much-awaited yearly celebration. Soon, the smells of cinnamon and vanilla will fill all the homes, and sparkling led-powered lights will work their hardest to keep the winter blues away.
If you aren't a fan of bright lights, you can decorate your house with plants associated with Christmas. They will work just as well for putting on a festive tone. We prepared an article summarizing the growing tips, traditions, and benefits of growing these darling-of-the-season creatures!
What Is the Most Popular Plant at Christmas?
It's hard to name the most popular plant of the Christmas season. Usually, people tend to pick green pets that bloom or stay green even in the harsh winter. Some plants have a long tradition of being a part of the holiday season. Back in the days when the only big winter event was house decorating for Christmas, people would set up parties using plants as the most significant decoration pieces. Today, even with various ornaments to choose from, people often use plants to bring some holiday spirit into the room. Red poinsettias, green hollies, and tall Christmas trees, to name a few, are some of the popular plants for bringing cheerful mood and happiness.
Top Plants Associated With Christmas
Like many other holidays, Christmas has a variety of hidden symbols neatly incorporated into traditions. Sometimes it's hard to notice the hidden meanings at first. Decorating the tree and using plants also has a deeper meaning than just adding a little color and a pleasant smell to the house. We split traditional Christmas plants into categories based on their growing habits: flowering plants, shrubs, trees, and others with unique characteristics.
Flowers
Flowering plants with brightly-hued petals are undeniably the most symbolic plant of the holiday season, adding 'Merry' to Christmas. At first glance, some choices might seem weird, but we can assure you that there is a good reason for naming these green pets a symbol of the holiday season!
Poinsettias
Botanical Name: Euphorbia pulcherrima
Space: Indoor
Hardiness zones: 9-11
Level of maintenance: Medium
Symbolism: a sense of community, goodwill, star of Bethlehem
Why it's traditional: A legend from the 16th century tells a story of a poor girl that once was selling plants next to the nativity scene. Miraculously, these plants bore beautiful red flowers. Of course, now we know that poinsettias bloom during the short-day season, but the coincidence was exciting enough to name poinsettias a symbol of Christmas.
Benefits: Once the colorful bracts or the false 'flowers' lose luster, you can plant them outdoors. They will grow and regain energy before the next Christmas!
Amaryllis
Botanical Name: Hippeastrum spp.
Space: Indoor or outdoor (for frost-free climates)
Hardiness zones: 7 and up
Level of maintenance: medium
Symbolism: Pride, strength, determination
Why it’s traditional: Amaryllis became popular at Christmas because it is usually given as gifts. This unique flower is a rare scene in December but is forced to bloom in winter. Its Latin name, coined as Amaryllis, has to do with a legend of a nymph who fell in love with a gardener.
Benefits: Plants are often sold with flowers, without flowers, or bulbs. If you want another surprising touch, buying a flowerless pot adds mystery and excitement to your gift.
Christmas cactus
Botanical Name: Schlumbergera bridgesii
Space: Indoor
Hardiness zones: 10-12
Level of maintenance: medium to high
Symbolism: warmth, protection, motherly love
Why it's traditional: Finding flowering plants during winter holidays might be tricky, especially in the northern hemisphere, where all the blooming happens in spring. The Christmas cactus, a tropical succulent with unique flowers, became a common gift among loved ones.
Benefits: Christmas cacti often have a second flush before the end of the winter. Hence, this plant can brighten your living space throughout the gloomy winter!
Cyclamen
Botanical Name: Cyclamen persicum
Space: Indoor or outdoor
Hardiness zones: 9-11
Level of maintenance: medium
Symbolism: love, devotion, empathy
Why it's traditional: Cyclamen blooms all winter month, which makes it a very popular gift option for plant loves. It shoots up a short, tulip-like inflorescence, available in many colors, that compliment the house interior in the holiday season.
Benefits: Cyclamens can become a great addition to your outdoors if you protect them from frost.
Shrubs
Shrubs are plants with a woody or semi-herbaceous stem that fall shorter than trees but bigger than bushes. They bring the Christmas spirit home because of their dark-green leaves, perfect for adding to glittered and shiny ornaments.
Holly
Botanical Name: Ilex aquifolium
Space: Outdoor
Hardiness zones: 5-9
Level of maintenance: Easy
Symbolism: Christianity, fertility, eternal life
Why it's traditional: Holly has been a popular plant for a long time. It's history with people traces back to early Rome. Villagers hang holly branches outside their houses, warding off evil spirits believed to cause unabundant harvests. Later, the Roman Christians regarded holly as a symbol of good luck and celebration. Its berries and pointy, serrated leaves also represent Christ's blood and the crown of thorns.
Benefits: Growing mainly in relatively colder regions, this plant is considered hardy and thrives without a fuss, whether in partial or full sunlight, and most soil types.
Bayberry
Botanical Name: Myrica pensylvanica
Space: Outdoor
Hardiness zones: 3-9
Level of maintenance: easy
Symbolism: good fortune, wishes, luck
Why it's traditional: People discovered that the fruit of the bayberry bush were secreting fragrant wax, a precious raw material needed for candle-making. However, there was one issue: producing a pound of wax was very costly. You would need 15 pounds of wax to produce one pound of material. Due to this fact, the bayberry candles were used only for special occasions, such as Christmas. People believed a bayberry candle would bring good fortune and abundance in the preceding year.
Benefits: Bayberries have extensive branching that can be used to make natural sight-blocking walls. It also thrives in nitrogen-deprived soil, thanks to the resident bacteria in the roots that help capture the element from the air.
Christmas cheer azalea
Botanical Name: Rhododendron obtusum 'Christmas Cheer'
Space: Indoor and outdoor
Hardiness zones: 7-9
Level of maintenance: medium
Symbolism: abundance, passion
Why it's traditional: Azalea is probably the closest pick instead of Christmas-blooming poinsettia. There are no traceable old beliefs ties to it, but Christmas Cheer Azalea is a remarkable variety that blooms early in winter. It's a great pick for a present for your loved one!
Benefits: This variety of Azalea has brightly-hued blooms, an excellent focal point when treated as a potted houseplant. Size up its container or plant it outdoors (if you live in zones 7-9) in spring, where it complements any landscape.
Trees
Everyone has a special picture in mind when hearing the words 'Christmas tree.' Of course, each person has their unique vision of a perfect holiday centerpiece, but there are some common features: the tree usually comes from different coniferous species, is evergreen, and will stay green and fresh-looking even when cut. The tradition of decorating trees during the winter holidays is quite old, and the trees in question would change depending on the century and country. Here are some of them:
Pine tree
Botanical Name: Pinus spp.
Space: Outdoor
Hardiness zones: 0-8
Level of maintenance: easy
Symbolism: rebirth, immortality, eternity
Why it's traditional: Pine trees, as well as other evergreen trees, were traditionally decorated with many ornaments such as candies, fruits, and paper flowers. Early Christians and pagans associated the tree with their celebrations of the birth of Jesus, and the winter solstice, when the nights become shorter and shorter.
Benefits: You can repurpose the cut pine tree into mulch, compost, stakes, or animal feed. If you decide to plant your tree in a pot, place it outdoors so you can enjoy them for eternity!
Fir tree
Botanical Name: Abies spp.
Space: Outdoor
Hardiness zones: 3-8
Level of maintenance: easy
Symbolism: determination, honesty, endurance
Why it's traditional: Fir tree is commonly addressed as the true Christmas tree. The tradition of viewing it as a symbol of the modern festive season originated in medieval Germany. It used to be called 'A paradise tree', adorned with apples, representing the Garden of Eve. Later, the fruit was replaced with cookies, candles, and other ornaments. With more and more decorations, the tree would soon become a centerpiece every year.
Benefits: Like other species of coniferous trees, fir also has an esteemed rich fragrance. Its needles are smaller than those of a pine tree, making hanging decorations like balls and candies much easier.
Cedar
Botanical Name: Cedrus spp.
Space: Outdoor
Hardiness zones: 6-9
Level of maintenance: easy
Symbolism: greatness, nobility, strength
Why it's traditional: Cedar, especially the Eastern red kind, can be a great alternative for a Christmas tree. The tradition of using Cedar trees during the winter festivities is linked to other evergreen species, embellished with sparkly decors and delightful treats.
Benefits: After using Cedar as a livingroom centerpiece for Christmas, you can repurpose it as fireplace wood. It emits a calming and cozy smell.
Other Plants
Some plants have a surprisingly deep and unique connection to the winter holidays. Flowers and herbs, considered parasitic in other times of the year, such as mistletoe, or food crops, found in your local market, can have a century-old Christmas tradition behind them. Here are some of them:
Mistletoe
Botanical Name: Viscum album
Space: Outdoor
Hardiness zones: N/A
Level of maintenance: N/A
Symbolism: romance, fertility, vitality
Why it's traditional: According to archaeological finds, the tradition of kissing under mistletoe originated in Ancient Greece. Initially, it was a part of festivals, and later it became more popular for marriage ceremonies, where mistletoe symbolized fertility. However, Celtic Druids were among the first civilizations to use this plant as decoration on important occasions, such as the winter solstice around Christmas.
Benefits: Mistletoe doesn't require special care. It's easy to spot growing mistletoe on a leafless tree in winter, from where you can gather and use it during the holiday season.
Radish
Botanical Name: Raphanus sativus
Space: Outdoor
Hardiness zones: 2-11
Level of maintenance: medium
Symbolism: protection, strife
Why it's traditional: The association of radish with Christmas is common in Oaxaca, a city in Mexico. Held every 23rd of December, La Noche de Rábanos, or the Night of radishes, exhibits many artistically carved radishes, which is a homage to the tradition of farmers sculpting the root crops.
Benefits: Carving radish might take a seasoned artisan, but you can never go wrong with your own version of a sumptuous radish dish!
Ivy
Botanical Name: Hedera helix
Space: Indoor or outdoor
Hardiness zones: 5-8
Level of maintenance: easy
Symbolism: fidelity, devotion, loyalty
Why it's traditional: The connection of ivy to the Christmas holiday emanated from the pagan festivals in which people would burn holly and ivy. This tradition probably inspired the famous Christmas song 'The holly and the ivy.'
Benefits: Ivy doesn't require special care. It's a beautiful trailing plant that will grow and branch out extensively when it's too comfortable. Light pruning of vines can quickly solve this.
FAQs
What Flower Signifies Christmas?
Many winter-blooming plants are associated with the holidays. Still, the poinsettia is undoubtfully most loved and the most common, known for its striking leaves or pseudo-flowers available in many shades of red, orange, and variegations of cream-white.
Why Are Poinsettias Associated with Christmas?
Poinsettias are houseplants associated with Christmas because their flowering season coincides with the festive holiday. Its inconspicuous flowers, whorled with what is usually mistaken to be the petals, also transform into a bright red hue.
