Holiday Hort Tips From Your Merry Master Gardeners
Deck the halls with boughs of holly, fiery red poinsettias and fragrant rosemary trees this holiday season. These affordable plants add a cheery note to festive décors and make excellent hostess gifts. To keep your gift glowing and growing, include a hand-made how-to card using tips from the Master Gardeners. Remember to remove the plant from the decorative wrapping prior to watering and drain thoroughly so the roots do not become waterlogged.

Poinsettia: These greenhouse favourites now sport creamy white and mottled-pink bracts and hang around living rooms long after the decorations come down. They like it humid, so mist generously between watering. Keep them away from cold drafts and heating vents, as they dislike extremes. And be sure to enclose them in a large plastic bag when travelling to and fro. Discard it on the compost heap after the festivities, as it’s a challenge to bring it back to its former glory.

Amaryllis: The gorgeous colours and stately demeanor of these bulbs make an elegant centrepiece. Keep it in a bright, but cool location. Good quality bulbs re-bloom next season with very little effort from the gardener. After flowering, cut the stalk close to the base; water and fertilize regularly until late summer. If outdoors, bring inside and allow the bulb to go dormant until early November when you will repot. Be sure to plant the bulb only two-thirds deep top leaving the top third above the soil surface. Place the plant in a well-lit spot and begin feeding and watering.
– Vena Eaton, Etobicoke Master Gardener
For more information on plants talk to your local Master Gardener at www.mgoi.ca, or drop by the Ask the Expert booth during Canada Blooms.
To find out Vena’s tips about Rosemary and Christmas Cactus visit: facebook.com/canadablooms.