Christmas Plants to Grow Indoors

Want an easy way to decorate your home for the holidays? Set out a few Christmas plants and you'll spread cheer to all who visit this season.

You'll find an assortment of plant colors, sizes and forms here to satisfy your style. From the velvety trumpets of amaryllis to tiny clusters of Kalanchoe flowers, you just can't ignore the burst of fresh color live plants bring to a room, especially in winter. 

And though each indoor plant is eye-catching on its own, why not arrange several together for a splashy display. To show off a group of plants to their best advantage, give them enough space to keep them from looking crowded. 

Already have a houseful of plants? Not to worry -- these seasonal plants play nicely among your existing indoor jungle. Many Christmas plants will look spectacular against a backdrop of green foliage houseplants, such as big-leaved philodendrons or delightfully textured ferns and ivies.

Holiday favorite Amaryllis is sought-after for its bright and festive flowers. Photo istockphoto

Amaryllis

Big, crimson trumpets of amaryllis herald the season on your mantel or buffet table.

Red still rules for the holidays, however new cultivars offer a spectacular variety of shapes, colors and patterns to choose from each year. 'Red Lion' is unsurpassed for its brilliant red blooms. Popular cultivar 'Minerva' brings cheer with a red and white starry pattern.

Red spider lilies are a relative of the amaryllis and just as easy to grow, if you can find them.

Red Spider Lilies

Red Spider Lily (Lycoris radiata), shown above, is another dependable bloomer in the amaryllis family. Its striking clusters of blooms add gorgeous crimson color to your home in an unexpected twist on the traditional.

Growing from a bulb, it's easy to please in a pot indoors. That is, if you can meet this  lily's need for moist potting medium and bright, yet indirect sunlight. And like amaryllis, you can expect festive flowers year after year.

Display Christmas Rose where all can admire its blushed blossoms. Photo: Couleur

Christmas Rose

Sweet, nodding flowerheads adorn this winter-bloomer. Christmas Rose (Helleborus sp.) is native to alpine regions of Europe and come into flower when the rest of the garden is blanketed in snow.

Chilly temperatures, a shady spot, and moist potting medium will help this gorgeous Christmas plant thrive indoors.

It has become increasingly popular as a houseplant, nudging its way into the holiday season.

Poinsettias are ever-popular Christmas plants. You'll find them in a range of colors.

Poinsettia

There's a reason poinsettia is the best-selling flowering plant in the U.S. -- just look at those vibrant red bracts! Newer varieties may be snowy white, burgundy or pink, but red is still the hands-down best-seller.

These holiday favorites are tropical, brought into bloom by greenhouse growers in time for Christmas. Keep them at room temperature, with potting medium barely moist at all times.

Easy-to-grow paperwhites are a beautiful holiday tradition. Photo © Amelia Martin

Paperwhites

Fragrant paperwhite blooms nestled in a pot make a glorious display.

Just about the easiest bulbs to force indoors, it's no wonder why paperwhites are popular Christmas plants. Newer cultivars have larger flowers...and more of them. 'Ziva' and 'Ariel' are just two prolific bloomers you'll want to try.

Paperwhites are often sold as kits for the holiday season. They're virtually foolproof -- just add water.

White-tipped Selaginella makes charming holiday decor. Photo © Swissmargrit

Frosty Fern

Variegated Selaginella plant has become a must-have Christmas plant. Looking like a mini pine tree dusted with snow, Frosty Fern is simply a charming addition to your holiday decor.

Although it may be easy to find at floral shops and garden centers around the holidays, it's not easy to please at home. This spike moss family member demands higher humidity than is found in a home, especially during the winter months. Use a room humidifier to keep it healthy and thriving through the season.

Count on azaleas for an abundance of blooms, making them gorgeous Christmas plants.

Florist's Azalea

Fresh blooms from the florist make ever-easy Christmas décor. You can count on azaleas for a generous showing of flowers that will carry through all your holiday gatherings.

No need to repot -- just slip the growers pot into a cachepot (a decorative container without drainage holes). I put small rocks in the bottom of cachepots to keep the inner pot above the drainage water.

Cyclamen pops up in florist's shops in winter. Pick one up to add fresh color to your home.

Cyclamen 

Winter-blooming cyclamen makes a beautiful Christmas plant for any room. Even those leaves are attractive, marbled with a silvery white pattern.

Unlike most house plants, cyclamen likes to stay fairly cool (around 60°F/15°C). Find a brightly lit spot for it, away from drafts and you'll enjoy several weeks of gorgeous, upright blooms.

Norfolk Island Pine

Let this small conifer stand in for your Christmas tree. Or simply set this Norfolk Island Pine on a table as a fresh accent for the season. Go ahead -- decorate its boughs with tiny ornaments, bows and tinsel.

Keep this conifer indoors year-round -- it's tropical, not hardy. Give Norfolk Island Pine lots of light and plenty of moisture, and you'll find it's practically care-free. Best of all, you'll enjoy it for years to come.

Magnificent pendulous flowers in all their splendor adorn tropical Christmas cactus every year.

Christmas Cactus

Given enough light, you can expect blooms every year in time for the holidays. Treat it right and you'll enjoy it for many years. Some of my visitors tell me they've had their Christmas cactus for 20 years or more. It's an easy plant to propagate, too, so you can start new plants and share cuttings with friends. 

Christmas cactus has become wildly popular as Christmas plants in recent years, and it's easy to see why. If you haven't grown one before, give it a try. You'll soon wonder why you waited so long.

Red, double-petaled flowers make this Kalanchoe a spectacular addition to the holiday season.

Kalanchoe Blossfeldiana

Small but mighty, Kalanchoe blossfeldiana makes up for its petite size with the sheer number of blooms. Each flower stem holds dozens of flowers for a captivating Christmas arrangement. Double-bloom varieties (shown above) remind me of bouquets of tiny roses.

Give this flowering succulent its place in the sun, and it will give you a delightful show of color for the holidays -- and into the new year.