Gardening – Gardens in Christmas colours

The Christmas holiday season is almost upon us and although I’m relatively cynical about the whole event, I can’t help but get a little carried away, mainly for the joy it brings to other people. For a gardener, what better way to enhance the festive spirit than with beautiful plants that bloom during Christmas time?

The poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) is perhaps the most iconic Christmas plant. Known for its striking red and green foliage, this plant is native to Mexico and was cultivated by the Aztecs long before it became associated with Christmas. It actually flowers in winter, so in the Southern Hemisphere it must be tricked into flowering by altering the day length using blackout curtains in the greenhouses. If planted outside, it will revert to winter flowering – not such a bad thing, as it forms a very flamboyant flowering shrub in our zone.

On the other hand, amaryllis (Hippeastrum), which is also a favourite Christmas indoor plant in the Northern Hemisphere, thanks to its dramatic blooms, is actually forced to flower out of season there. In our region, Hippeastrum are happily flowering outdoors from early November through to the end of January without any trickery involved. With most varieties being shades of white, pink and red, these are perfect for the Kiwi festive season.

Of course, nothing is more evocative of a Kiwi Christmas than our stunning pohutukawa (Metrosideros excelsa). Often though, the flowering is nearly finished by Christmas Day, so just in case, try making a pohutakawa cordial from the flower stamens. This delicious and vibrant red cordial is a real treat with soda water, champagne or anything else bubbly on Christmas Day! Just google it, for instructions on how to make it.

For an Aussie tinge, the bottlebrush (Callistemon spp.) is a fantastic choice. This tough Australian shrub features vivid red, lemon, pink, burgundy or even white brush-like flowers that bloom around Christmas time and yes, as a relative of our pohutukawa and you can make cordial from these flowers too!

Gardenia flowers are a fragrant treat during our Christmas season. Pick the waxy-looking, creamy-white flowers and pop them into a bud vase to flood your indoor spaces with its intoxicating scent, or enjoy the scent outdoors during balmy evenings on the patio. This evergreen shrub thrives in our climate, is ideal as a low hedge, potted plant or specimen in the garden and comes in a range of sizes and forms.

Hydrangeas are another plant that flowers prolifically during the Christmas season. Stunning as a background plant in the garden with their large, mophead blooms that come in shades of pink, blue and white. Hydrangeas are also great cut flowers for spectacular Christmas arrangements.

For a touch of tropical, I love my heliconia schiedeana, which flower prolifically with bright red and yellow bird of paradise type spikes. These last for months in the garden, or a week or two as a cut flower inside. The stems are so long that, if needed, the flower arrangement can be more than 1.5 metres high, big enough for the most spectacular Christmas arrangements.