Mix Houseplants with Holiday Flowers and Plants

By now, you’ve probably given up on any intentions of putting up a Christmas tree. Sometimes during the holidays, there just aren’t enough days.

But that doesn’t mean you still can’t bring a little Christmas indoors. Sure, there’s the poinsettia, the Christmas cactus. All good, but why not think outside the box a little when it comes to indoor container gardens?

By combining holiday plants with tropical houseplants you can create a tapestry of color and texture that’s beautiful without necessarily screaming “Holidays!”

Most of these plants can be found in any garden center – dracaena, pothos, philodendron, ferns – and in winter, shelves spill with orchids, amaryllis and kalanchoe, to name a few. Everyone knows that red and green complement each other; take it to the extreme by combining the brightest of reds with chartreusey greens. Then throw is some starkly variegated plants of green and white. The contrasts can be a real eye-opener!

Here are a few ideas for container combinations from Becky Brinkman, manager of the Fuqua Orchid Center at the Atlanta Botanical Garden:

Combo 1: Red poinsettia, chartreuse ‘Limelight’ dracaena, ‘Small Talk’ red anthurium, chartreuse neon pothos and rabbit’s foot fern (Davallia).

Combo 2: Red poinsettia, ‘Pearls and Jade’ pothos, ‘Jade Jewel’ dracaena, ‘Mini Watermelon’ peperomia, accented with small succulents such as echeveria and agave.

Combo 3: Red poinsettia,  white amaryllis, ‘Jade Jewel’ dracaena, double white kalanchoe.

By now, you’ve probably given up on any intentions of putting up a Christmas tree. Sometimes during the holidays, there just aren’t enough days.

But that doesn’t mean you still can’t bring a little Christmas indoors. Sure, there’s the poinsettia, the Christmas cactus. All good, but why not think outside the box a little when it comes to indoor container gardens?

By combining holiday plants with tropical houseplants you can create a tapestry of color and texture that’s beautiful without necessarily screaming “Holidays!”

Most of these plants can be found in any garden center – dracaena, pothos, philodendron, ferns – and in winter, shelves spill with orchids, amaryllis and kalanchoe, to name a few. Everyone knows that red and green complement each other; take it to the extreme by combining the brightest of reds with chartreusey greens. Then throw is some starkly variegated plants of green and white. The contrasts can be a real eye-opener!

Here are a few ideas for container combinations from Becky Brinkman, manager of the Fuqua Orchid Center at the Atlanta Botanical Garden:

Combo 1: Red poinsettia, chartreuse ‘Limelight’ dracaena, ‘Small Talk’ red anthurium, chartreuse neon pothos and rabbit’s foot fern (Davallia).

Combo 2: Red poinsettia, ‘Pearls and Jade’ pothos, ‘Jade Jewel’ dracaena, ‘Mini Watermelon’ peperomia, accented with small succulents such as echeveria and agave.

Combo 3: Red poinsettia,  white amaryllis, ‘Jade Jewel’ dracaena, double white kalanchoe.