How to Care for Christmas Themed Container Gardens

Keep the plants together as long as possible.

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Q . Can you give me some tips on caring for a festive garden that I just got? At what point should I change the plants to their own individual pots?

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A. Keep the plants together as long as possible. Most Christmas-themed container gardens will have a mix of tropical foliage and flowering plants. Bright indirect light, slightly cool room temperatures, and moderately moist soil are the right conditions for most of them.

Winter is not a good time to transplant. Trim off wilted flowers to maintain a neat appearance in the small plant collection and wait until early spring to transplant.

Check to see if the plants were kept in their own pots when assembled in a container. If this is the case, you will have the option of removing a plant if it becomes unattractive and replacing it with a new one.

A word about cyclamen: These showy plants, usually with red flowers on green leaves beautifully veined with silver, often appear in the gardens of Christmas dishes. Heat triggers lethargy. Flowering will stop and widespread dieback will occur. Bright, cool conditions without direct sun can keep plants blooming for long periods of time. Avoid applying water directly on the tuber. Aim around it.

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Q. The Paperwhites we planted have grown and bloomed well, but the flowers have absolutely no fragrance. In the past, they smelled the whole house. The flowers look the same as the ones we have grown before. What happened to the smell?

A. Perhaps, inadvertently, you bought the unscented variety called Inbal. It is a fairly new Paperwhite, for people who like flowers but have an aversion to fragrance.

Inbal resembles Ziva, probably the most widely cultivated variety. They are both white and single-flowered. Erlicheer is a double-flowered white, with a sweet fragrance. Grand Soleil d’Or has yellow flowers with orange centers.