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The Gifts That Keep On Living

How to keep your holiday plants perky after the festivities have faded.

A holiday poinsettia is basically a semi-durable floral arrangement with roots. Tuck them in among your resident houseplants for a spot of color and cheer. But please, remove any foil or cellophane wrapping—what was festive in December looks a bit forced in January. Enjoy the display until your plant begins to look peaky, then give it a dignified toss into the compost. 

Amaryllis produce spectacular trumpet-shaped blooms atop stalks that can reach 24- to 30-inches tall followed by strappy, deep green leaves. Like poinsettias, amaryllis (Hippeastrum) are native to a warm growing region and like a cozy, draft-free location in bright light. Keeping your plant actively growing after flowering is the trick to getting the bulb to rebloom next year. The more leaves produced over the course of the growing season, the better chance you’ll have of a repeat performance.

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GROW in The Seattle Times