Christmas Cactus

For the last several days, I've been watching anxiously for my Christmas cacti to bloom. In the next week or so, buds will appear at the end of the leaves, looking a lot like old-fashioned Christmas light bulbs. Then, they will unfurl to long multi-layered blooms that will present a colorful show for several weeks. They're great signs of the holiday season. And an easy houseplant to add to your own home's interior landscape.

Christmas cacti come in a rainbow of colors. Red, white, pink and even orange. Since they're a tropical cactus, they require a little more water than other cacti or succulents. They should be watered when the top couple of inches of soil gets dry to the touch. To water mine, I put the pots in the bathroom sink and turn the water on. I plug up the sink and let the plants sit in a couple of inches of water for thirty minutes or so. Then I unplug the sink and let the water drain completely before I replace the cactus in its spot on a table, shelf or windowsill.

They do best in bright light, so I put mine in the sunniest spots in the house. They can even go outdoors during warm weather. Be careful though; direct sun will burn their leaves, so make sure you put yours in bright, but filtered sunlight.

Supposedly, there is a complicated method for getting your Christmas cactus to rebloom. Much like poinsettias, they supposedly take cool temperatures and periods of uninterrupted darkness. I've discovered it's just not that difficult. As long as they are happy in their sunny spots and get the watering I've described above, mine bloom faithfully every holiday season.

You can find Christmas cactus in full bloom in garden centers and even grocery stores right now. They're great gifts for the green (and not so green) thumbs in your circle of family and friends and are a simple way to make your own life more beautiful. From their year-round cascades of dark green leaves to their holiday finery, I think you'll love having them around.