Keep those holiday plants blooming

Holiday plants like poinsettias and Christmas cactus should be kept in bright light but away from direct sun and drafts. The temperature should be 65 to 70 degrees.

If foil or other wrapping blocks the pot’s drainage hole, pierce or remove the paper.

After watering the plant, let the excess water drain into a saucer, then discard it.

Cyclamen need more humid air than most homes provide in winter, so place the pot on a tray of pebbles and keep water in the stones. Moving the pots every night to a room where it stays about 60 degrees will prolong cyclamen blooms.

To keep paperwhite narcissi from flopping, tie the stems together with ribbon or twine.

Rotate the pots of narcissi and amaryllis so they remain straight.

Discard paperwhite bulbs after they finish blooming.

To save amaryllis, cut off the flowering stalk at the base after the flower fades.

Continue to water and feed the plant. Move it to a partly shady spot outside for the summer, then bring it back indoors in the fall. Let it rest, without water or light, for about two months.

Then put it in a light room; give it water and new growth should begin.