Looking for a floral gift for the holiday season?
You’re in the right place.
As a florist, I advise my clients daily to help them find gifts that will delight their recipients. The holiday season is no exception: on the contrary, it’s a time when many plants are in bloom, making them wonderful gifts for your loved ones.
Among the traditional Christmas flowering plants, the most famous are the Poinsettia, the Christmas Cactus, and the Hellebore, as well as bulbs like Amaryllis and Hyacinths. These plants are easy to care for and will bring joy to anyone who loves gardening and nature. If you’re looking to give a bouquet or arrangement, you’ll find a wide selection of cut flowers at your local florist, including seasonal favorites like tulips, anemones, and ranunculus. Dried flowers presented as bouquets, bells, or decorative wall wreaths are also very trendy right now. Finally, if you want to give a unique and lasting floral gift, consider gifting eternal roses, either under a glass dome or in the shape of an adorable teddy bear.
Looking for more details to help you make your choice? Keep reading this article to find out:
- A selection of plants that bloom during Christmas
- How to care for these plants
- Cut flowers that can be used in bouquets and arrangements for the holidays
- What everlasting flowers are and why they make a wonderful Christmas gift
What are the traditional flowering plants of Christmas?
Some plants that bloom in December are associated with the year-end holidays in popular tradition.
Giving one of these plants is a meaningful gift for your loved ones that will brighten their home and remind them that you’re thinking of them.
To help you make your choice, I have put together a short list of these plants, detailing their characteristics each time.
You will also find some maintenance tips to help your gift last as long as possible.
The Poinsettia or Christmas Star
What is it?
This is originally a Mexican shrub that can grow up to 10 to 13 feet tall in its natural environment.
In our homes, it’s a plant that measures less than 20 inches tall. Its true flowers are tiny and yellow, but they are surrounded by beautiful leaves that can be white, pink, or red, depending on the variety.
How to Maintain It?
- Indoor Plant
- Water moderately, one or two times per week, to keep the soil slightly moist
- Light requirements: bright light without direct sunlight
- Temperature: 54 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit
👉 To care for your Poinsettia, repot it at the end of its blooming period and trim its stems back to 6 inches from the base. To encourage it to bloom again, place it in darkness for at least 14 hours a day at the end of fall.
The Christmas Cactus
What is it?
These cacti are, at their core, epiphytes, meaning they grow without being rooted in the soil, similar to orchids.
They are highly valued for their fast growth and long blooming period.
Their white to pink flowers, and sometimes even purplish, bloom at the tips of the drooping stems.
How to Maintain It?
- Indoor Plant
- Water lightly when the soil is dry
- Exposure: bright light without direct sunlight
- Temperature: 54 to 77 degrees Fahrenheit
👉 Once it starts to bloom, water it more frequently and avoid moving it. The flowers may fall off.
The Hellebore or Christmas Rose
What is it?
Native to Central Europe, hellebores are very resilient plants that grow wild in shaded woodlands and meadows.
These plants can grow up to 30 centimeters tall and produce beautiful flowers in the winter.
We can distinguish between the classic Hellebore, which blooms in white, and its hybrid varieties that come in many different colors.
How to Maintain It?
- Outdoor plant, to be replanted in the garden
- Regular watering, but avoid overwatering
- Light: Direct sun to partial shade
- Temperature: Tolerates up to 68°F
👉 In areas where it gets very cold or humid in the winter, I recommend waiting until spring to replant. The roots can suffer from excessive water during the winter.
The Amaryllis
What is it?
This bulbous plant blooms beautifully from mid-autumn to late winter: its large trumpet-shaped flowers range from 2 to 5, perched atop a stem that is 30 to 50 cm tall.
How to Maintain It?
- Indoor plant that can be planted in the garden in the spring, after the last frost risk has passed.
- Watering should be moderate, with increased frequency during flowering (2 to 3 times a week).
- Light: bright, but without direct sunlight.
- Temperature: 5 to 25 degrees Celsius.
👉 Once the blooming is over, cut the stem down to the bulb. It will bloom again year after year, often becoming more beautiful each time.
🛑 The entire plant is toxic if ingested, causing digestive issues. Keep it out of reach of children and pets.
The Hyacinth
What is it?
These are highly fragrant plants that bloom in white, pale pink, or fuchsia.
Some rarer varieties are even a beautiful shade of blue. You can plant them in a lovely container to add a festive touch to your home for Christmas.
How to Maintain It?
The care is the same as that of the Amaryllis, as explained earlier.
🛑 It is also a toxic plant when ingested.
What Cut Flowers to Give for Christmas?
Instead of a potted plant, would you prefer to give a bouquet or a floral arrangement?
It’s definitely possible! While our gardens may be less vibrant with flowers in winter than in spring, there’s a wide variety of flowers you can purchase to brighten someone’s day.
Keep reading… I’ll break it down for you in the following lines!
Seasonal Flowers: A Sustainable and Budget-Friendly Choice 🌷
Often grown in France, these vibrant flowers will bring a splash of color to your home as spring approaches.
In addition, they are often cheaper to purchase because the transportation costs are lower for the supplier.
- Hyacinth
- Amaryllis
- Tulips
- Ranunculus
- Anemones
- Snowdrop
Tulips / Ranunculus / Anemones
The Timeless Classics to Ensure a Delightful Experience 🌹
If you’re not very familiar with the flower preferences of the person you’re looking to gift, you can choose these flowers, which are available year-round at florists.
Roses, in particular, are often highly valued by the majority of my clients.
- Roses
- Lilies
- Carnations
- Gerbera and Germini
- Gypsophila
- Alstroemeria
Rose / Lily / Baby’s Breath
Exotic Flowers: A Luxurious Gift for Christmas 🌺
To bring a vacation vibe into your home, nothing beats tropical flowers!
These visually striking flowers come in a wide variety of shapes and colors. They are sure to impress the recipient of your floral gift!
Although they can be a bit pricey, just a few of these flowers arranged in a composition or a vertical linear bouquet can create a stunning gift.
- Protea
- Orchid
- Porcelain Rose
- Anthurium
- Heliconia
- Gloriosa
- Kangaroo Paw
- Bird of Paradise
Orchid / Anthurium / Bird of Paradise
dried flowers: a trendy bohemian gift 🏵️
If you’re looking to give a trendy and sustainable floral gift, consider choosing a bouquet made from dried flowers.
This can be a simple bouquet, but it can also be a bell or a wall wreath to hang up.
- Craspedia
- Statice
- Blue Thistle
- Achillea (Yarrow)
- Pampa Grass
- Cotton Flowers
- Roses
- Lavender
Craspedia / Blue Thistle Herbs de la Pampa
Seasonal Foliage 🌿
Some foliage is emblematic of the holiday season and can be used to create beautiful themed decorations.
Most of the time, you can find them while taking a walk in the woods.
These include the Fir tree, Holly, and the Dwarf Holly, which resembles it somewhat.
What floral gift to give with cut flowers? 🎁
Now that you know more about the plants you can get for Christmas, here’s a quick list of floral gift types you can give for this occasion:
✔️ Flower Arrangement
➡️ Round, classic, with or without a water reservoir
➡️ Large, while keeping the length of the stems, to be placed in a vase
➡️ Elevated, more graphic and modern
➡️ With a wool or wood structure, it’s perfect for Christmas, although it can be a bit pricey at times.
✔️ Composition, nestled in moss, in a beautiful container
➡️ Low, round-shaped
➡️ Up High
✔️ Advent Wreath
➡️ To be placed on a table, with candles
➡️ To be mounted on the wall
✔️ Dried Flower Crown
✔️ Dried Flower Bell
Giving Eternal Flowers: A Symbolic and Trendy Gift
If you’re looking for a unique and long-lasting floral gift for the holidays, preserved flowers are sure to delight you!
The most famous are the everlasting roses, which come in many colors.
How Are They Made?
To create everlasting roses, we first select beautiful fresh roses. Next, the sap is replaced with a natural preservative known as glycerin.
We also add dye to ensure that the flower retains its vibrant color for years to come.
This explains why we can find everlasting roses in blue or black, for example.
This technique is called stabilization, and it can be applied to many flowers and foliage, such as Hydrangeas and Eucalyptus…
What gift of eternal roses can you give? 🌹🧸
These flowers have the advantage of being able to last for years without water, making them practical and easy to showcase.
There are everlasting roses available individually, sometimes presented in a box. However, a very trendy option that’s perfect for expressing your affection or giving a decorative gift is the everlasting rose dome.
Do you like this gift idea? Find the one you love among dozens of options at our online store.
Finally, if you’re looking to give a romantic gift to a loved one or want to provide a decorative touch full of warmth for a child’s room, I invite you to explore our collection of everlasting rose bears. V
You’re sure to find the perfect color among the many shades we have available for you.
You now have all the tools you need to do your holiday shopping. Just a few more days to wait before you can unwrap your Christmas gifts… 🎄
Image Source: Pinterest