What’s in Bloom

In the late 1820’s Joel Poinsett sent cuttings of Euphorbia pulcherrima from Mexico to the United States.  When people saw that the bracts of this species turned red around Christmas, it was put into commercial production for holiday sale.  Thus, the poinsettia became a favorite emblem of Christmas.  By the mid-1900’s, poinsettia breeders began to experiment with bract color.  Today, poinsettias come in a range of colors and shapes and are the top selling potted flowering plant each year.

Native to rainforests in Brazil, Schlumbergera grow as epiphytes, mainly on trees or shrubs but sometimes in shady places among rocks.  They do not have true leaves but flattened succulent stems.  Schlumbergera flowers bloom directly from the stems at the nodules and come in a variety of colors.  The hybrid ‘Thor Carmen’ is a tough houseplant that has showy flowers that bloom in the late fall, usually around Thanksgiving, hence the common name Thanksgiving cactus.  Sometimes confused with the true Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera x buckleyi), however, one can tell them apart because the Thanksgiving cactus has claw-like appendages on its stems that resemble crab claws.

Florist's cyclamen, native to the Mediterranean region and once considered the national flower of Israel, come in a variety of flower colors with beautiful, mottled leaves.  They bloom from winter to spring and will go dormant in the summer.  In their native habitat they survive the hot dry summers because they have tubers, or storage organs.  When purchasing a cyclamen for the home in winter, it is important not to water directly over the tuber, which will lead to rot.  

An easy-to-grow bulb, which blooms about 6 weeks after planting, amaryllis is a sign of the season.  Native to tropical America, their long stems and large, long-lasting flowers are a stand out in our Christmas display.

Japanese camellias have glossy evergreen leaves and rose-like flowers in various shades of pink, red, and white that bloom at Longwood throughout the winter.  These beautiful flowering shrubs were one of Pierre S. du Pont’s favorite flowers and one of the first species planted in the Conservatory upon its completion in 1921.

Bonsai, which means "tree in pot," is the Japanese art of growing and shaping trees in containers. It originated in China as penjing, a practice of creating miniature landscape scenes. Bonsai trees are classified by styles that mimic nature, aiming to create mature-looking trees in landscapes. This art requires skill, dedication, and years of study, to gain horticultural, artistic, and technical knowledge.