Christmas flowers: Decorating for the holiday season
There are many types of flowers that can be found during the Christmas season, both live and artificial.
Poinsettias are not the only Christmas flowers to be had during this festive time of although they seem to be the most recognized. Christmas flowers range from amaryllis to roses and each of them brings their own unique joy to the holiday season. You can arrange live and artificial blooms in a centerpiece for your table – anywhere in your home actually – to simple decorate for the holiday.
One word of caution, however, about Christmas flowers that should be stressed right now is that some of them are poisonous. If you have small children and pets, keep your flowers to the artificial variety. Let’s take a look at the flowers of the season.
Christmas Poinsettias
Poinsettias are a flower native to Mexico and the most common colors found at Christmas time are white and red. There are other colors of this flower available, including a pink variation.
They were used by the native Indians to make dyes and medicines for the tribe, seeing the plant as a symbol of purity, and Franciscan priests used them to decorate the churches during fiestas.
The poinsettia first came to the United States through the US Ambassador to Mexico Joel Roberts Poinsett – which is also where the name of the plant came from – in the early 1800s and he grew them at his South Carolina greenhouse.
Christmas rose
The Christmas rose is the only rose that blooms in the middle of winter and it is native to the mountains of Central Europe, a very cold area of the world. It is traditionally white with pink tips on the petals.
The legend behind the story of the Christmas rose is that a lowly shepherd maiden followed the three wise men to see the baby Jesus and as she had no gift to take, she fell to tears in the snow. An angel was watching the young woman and to soothe her, the angel pushed away the snow where the woman’s tears fell and a beautiful white rose bloomed there before her. The woman picked the flower and took it to the baby Jesus. When the child reached out and touched the soft petals, the tips turned pink.
Christmas Amaryllis
The amaryllis is considered a Christmas time flower simply because it is very easy to get the bulb to bloom during any month of the year. The blooms are large, beautiful, and come in a variety of colors, making them the perfect gift for anyone who loves plants. Because they are also easy to care for, anyone who receives one of these lovely Christmas flowers can keep it alive until they are ready to plant it in the spring.
Artificial Christmas Flowers
Of course all of these flowers can be found in artificial variety at your local craft store. Anyone who is allergic to flowers, trees, and other plants through the warmer months may not be able to enjoy the gift of a live Christmas flower and would do better with an arrangement of artificial ones instead. Most florists offer arrangements in both styles and if you know the person you want to send flowers to is allergic, you have another option.
Christmas flowers are found everywhere throughout the season and they help chase away the gloom of winter. They also serve as a reminder that winter will not stick around for long and that the blooms of spring time are just around the corner.