One of the best parts of the holiday season is connecting with family and friends. Whether you’re hosting a dinner for family or attending a friend’s cocktail party, offer the beauty of decorative holiday house plants.

Here’s a selection of blooming house plants we offer, along with a few care tips for each:

Bromeliads grow in rosettes of relatively large, strappy leaves around a central cup.
They’re perfect for your home, because they are very tolerant of fluctuations in temperatures and watering.

• Bromeliads have better longevity under higher interior light levels.
• Water when soil becomes dry. Prefers humid conditions.
• Well-draining soil (prone to rot if kept too wet), such as Espoma Potting Mix or Miracle Gro Potting Mix. 

Christmas Cactus flowers in response to cool temperatures and the shorter day length of winter.
Keep the plant in low light areas for about 12 hours a day from October 1st until it blooms.

• Place in high light in the fall and winter.
• Keep soil evenly moist, except in the fall, when you can let it dry between waterings.
• Maintain temperatures in the low 70s during the day and no lower than low 50s at night.
During the fall and winter, keep temperatures below 53 degrees – place it by a cool window.

Poinsettia, a classic Christmas plant, will bring the merry into your home.

• Be sure the plant is well wrapped before you take it outside. Remove the sleeve as soon as you get your plant to its final destination,
as keeping the sleeve on too long will permanently damage your plant.
• Poinsettias do not like temperatures below 50°, so keep your poinsettia inside between 68° – 70° and away from cold drafts.
• Place your poinsettia near a sunny window or other well-lit area.
• Keep the plant moderately moist.

A delicate beauty, Orchids have long-lasting blooms, available in shades of white, pink, purple, and yellow, to name a few.

• Never let the soil dry out between watering, but avoid overwatering.
• Prefers an east, west or shaded south window.
• Place on a tray over moistened pebbles and in an orchid pot (likes to breath).

Cyclamen, with upswept petals and marbled leaves, these flowers resemble hearts and bloom in red, pink or white.

• Most plants do best near a sunny window.
• Water plants only when the soil feels dry to the touch, but don’t over water.
• Blooms will last anywhere from a week or two to a couple of months, depending on the variety.
• Fertilizer is not necessary.

African Violets lush foliage is accompanied by dainty blooms of white, mauve, pink, magenta, and of course, purple flowers.

• Likes lots of light, but no direct sunlight.
• African Violets prefer 60-75 degree temperature range.
• Let soil surface dry slightly between waterings. One of the best parts of the holidays is connecting with friends and family, as well as the annual gift swap. Plants and flowers are a great “green” gift, particularly for the environmentally conscious recipient. And they’re perfect for brightening up a room during the winter months.