Last Updated on April 9, 2024 by Real Men Sow
December is on its way, and so is our most celebrated holiday, Christmas. It is a great time now to start planning plants that flower in Christmas. Regardless of your gardening style, this page will help you find the best Christmas plant outdoors and indoors to bring the best your holiday season.
Best Christmas Plant Outdoors
Viburnum bodnantense ‘Dawn’
Viburnum bodnantense Dawn’ is a tall upright shrub that produces pink flowers from autumn through spring. These blooms open from redbuds. This shrub is easy to grow and can be grown in full sun or semi-shade. However, it can also grow in moist, well-drained soils which makes it ideal for many gardens.
Heathers – Shining Christmas Plant Outdoors
Winter Heathers is an excellent choice for winter planters as they provide texture that no other plant can match. They have fern-like foliage with spikes flowers.
Clematis cirrhosa ‘Jingle Bells’
Clematis Cirrhosa “Jingle Bells” is an all-white, yellow-flowering clematis. It is known as the “old man’s beard”. This is one of a few winter-flowering clematis.
Winter pansies
Winter pansies are a beautiful addition to your garden. They can be planted as soon as your summer bedding has reached its peak and is ready for replacement.
Helleborus niger – Christmas rose
Helleborus Niger has dark green leaves unlike any other Christmas plant outdoors. The large, multi-colored flowers produced by Helleborus niger come in many colors: pink, red, and white. This rose is also known as Christmas rose and is great for outdoor winter color.
Mahonia
Other options are also available for winter blooms outdoors, such as Mahonia’s stunning bright yellow flowers with spiked leathery leaves. It is also an evergreen, so it can be enjoyed all year.
Best Christmas Plants to Plant Indoors
Poinsettias
The most loved indoor house plant that flowers at Christmas is the poinsettia. These plants love direct sunlight and moist conditions because of their red flowers. However, they should be protected from cold drafts. They are best placed away from window sills since they can be more drafty. They are usually sold in supermarkets and garden centres in the weeks leading up to Christmas. However, you can keep them growing all year, so that they are ready to be displayed at Christmas.
Sarcococca
Also known as sweetbox, is an evergreen shrub that grows slowly and can reach a height of around 1-2 meters at maturity. These leaves have small white flowers and are very long. They can be grown indoors in containers that have moist soil.
Indoor Azaleas
The indoor Azaleas are small trees that look like a tree. They have bright green leaves and bright pink flowers. The plant can be placed in cool areas with filtered sunlight and enjoyed in adorable little pots throughout your home.
Best Christmas Plant Both Outdoors and Indoors
Christmas Cactus
The Christmas Cactus will flower red flowers in keeping with the holiday color scheme. They also come in white or pink. They can hang from a tree so that they can be spread across a table, allowing everyone to see the flowers. They are different from other cacti because their flowers are similar to daisies, and their leaves have rounded edges. They can be grown year-round in pots. To ensure that they bloom every Christmas, you will need to provide them with the right light conditions.
Rosemary
Rosemary is a must-have herb for any kitchen, garden, or herb garden. You can also add a lovely aroma to your home or garden by growing it in pots. Rosemary can also be grown outside and will quickly spread, eventually becoming bushy in appearance, with greenery for the winter. You can also take a few sprigs from the inside to spice up your Christmas dinner.
Amaryllis
Amaryllis bulbs, if grown indoors, are very easy to grow and produce stunning winter colors. They can be grown outdoors for an impressive display in spring, but they are also great houseplants if they are planted in October in small pots. The bulbs will flower in about 10 weeks. They can grow in either direct or indirect sunlight, but they will thrive in shade. You would plant them outdoors in spring along with other spring bulbs.
Holly – Ilex aquifolium
Also known as Ilex Aquifolium, is another iconic Christmas plant. Holly is well-known for its dark green leaves and white flowers. The red berries appear right around Christmas. You can plant holly in a variety of ways. You can use them as a winter hedge, border or potted plants. Or you can bring them inside to grow indoors.
Cyclamen
Cyclamen is a small, compact option for something that can be grown in smaller spaces or apartments. It has a sweet, hunter-green centre with yellow flowers and bright red, pink, or white flowers. The flowers require little attention and have a sweet fragrance. They bloom fully in winter, just in time for Christmas. Both indoor and outdoor varieties are available, but the indoor variety has larger flowers.
Miniature Narcissus
You can grow miniature Narcissus indoors or in your garden to create a mix of yellow and white. The flowers are tall and strong in winter, balancing the snowy whites with the golden rays from the sun. Many consider these plants to be a smaller daffodil, but regardless of their family history, the trumpet-shaped flowers that signify rebirth and new beginnings are the perfect symbol of the new year.
