Norfolk Island Pine
Pine and Fir make up most of the Christmas trees we see this time of year, so Norfolk Island Pine really stands out. Despite its everyday moniker, Norfolk Island Pine (which we nickname NIP here at the farm) isn’t a pine at all. Rather it’s part of an ancient plant family (that reached its heyday during the Jurassic period—yup, Jurassic as in Jurassic Park, the time of dinosaurs!) and is a tropical tree native to the South Pacific region.
In its native habitat, it can grow more than 200 feet tall and outdoors in frost-free regions (like here in South Florida) it can get more than 50 feet tall. But don’t worry—lower light conditions and a pot restricting its roots will keep it much smaller in your home.
Here at Costa Farms, we start our Norfolk Island Pines from seeds and we grow them for up to 5 years to get the large size (in a 10-inch-diameter pot) we offer you. Norfolk Island Pine is lovely for the holidays. But it’s also a long-lived houseplant you can enjoy all year long (without the decorations, unless you like a little year-round bling).
- Botanical Name: Araucaria heterophylla
- Light Needs: Bright light is best but tolerates medium light (within 2 to 3 feet of an unobstructed east- or west-facing window is ideal).
- Water Needs: Add water as the top half or so of the potting mix dries to the touch.
- Humidity Needs: Average to above-average relative humidity (at least 40 percent) is best.
- Temperature Needs: Average household temperatures (65-80F) are ideal. Note: Because it’s a tropical plant, Norfolk Island Pine cannot be planted outdoors as a landscape tree in areas that experience frost or freezing temperatures.
Poinsettia
Is there a plant that screams “it’s the holiday season” more than Poinsettia? This subtropical shrub (did you know it’s actually native to Mexico?) was introduced to the United States in 1825 and has been a staple of the season almost ever since. Though you might not guess by looking at it, Poinsettia is actually in the Spurge family. This makes it a close relative to succulents such as African Milk Tree (Euphorbia trigona), Crown of Thorns (Euphorbia milii), and Pencil Cactus (Euphorbia tirucalli).
Poinsettia is known for its colorful bracts, which are a type of modified leaf. These bracts naturally form and color up when the plant is exposed to darkness for about 13 consecutive hours. If it doesn’t get any light at night, it puts on a holiday show. (In your house, if you keep a Poinsettia from year to year and it grows in a room where you have lights on after the sun goes down, move it to a dark spot at night for about six weeks for it to show its seasonal color).
In frost-free areas where it can grow outdoors all year as a landscape shrub, Poinsettia can get more than 10 feet tall and wide, though modern hybrids tend to stay smaller. And it’s helpful to regularly prune them to keep them full, rather than letting them become leggy.
Here at Costa Farms, we grow Poinsettias from cuttings we plant in July. Our growers nurture the cuttings in our greenhouses in North Carolina or outside in shade houses in Miami while they grow. And we’ve largely phased out the use of insecticides to grow them. Instead, we use a lot of beneficial insects and fungi to keep our poinsettias happy and healthy.
- Botanical Name: Euphorbia pulcherrima
- Light Needs: Bright light is best but tolerates medium light (within 2 to 3 feet of an unobstructed east- or west-facing window is ideal).
- Water Needs: Add water as the top quarter to half or so of the potting mix dries to the touch.
- Humidity Needs: Average to above-average relative humidity (at least 40 percent) is ideal.
- Temperature Needs: Average household temperatures (65-80F) are ideal.
Holiday Cacti
If you think it’s kind of weird that Poinsettias are closely related to a lot of common succulents, then you might find Holiday Cacti really weird. While they are true cacti, they’re native to the tropical rainforests of South America, rather than arid deserts. And rather than growing in the ground, you’ll find them growing on tree branches like orchids. It’s kind of a wonder these plants became so popular during holiday times!
These epiphytic (they don’t grow in the soil) plants usually only stay less than a foot or so tall. But over time, they can spread to form a clump more than a couple of feet across. And when we say over time, that means years… Holiday Cacti can live for decades if given good care. And it’s not uncommon to see them passed from generation to generation in families.
Our Holiday Cacti are started up in Canada and there are a whole bunch of different hybrids bred from different species. So you may be able to find some with white, orange, red, pink, or even multicolor flowers! They typically rebloom every year for you around this time of year.
- Botanical Name: Schlumbergera hybrids
- Light Needs: Bright light is best but tolerates medium light (within 2 to 3 feet of an unobstructed east- or west-facing window is ideal).
- Water Needs: Add water as the top half or so of the potting mix dries to the touch. Take care not to overwater.
- Humidity Needs: Average to above-average relative humidity (at least 40 percent) is best.
- Temperature Needs: Average household temperatures (65-80F) are ideal.
Anthurium
There’s a lot to love about Anthurium. It’s a fairly forgiving houseplant that, if it gets enough light, can bloom on and off through the year. And depending on variety, it has flowers that can last for weeks or even months! The flowers last a long time on the plant and when cut for bouquets. There are hundreds of Anthurium varieties, and we’ve tested more than a thousand different varieties to ensure we’re growing the best.
These flowering Anthurium hybrids are bred from species native to areas of South America and are a part of the super-trendy Aroid family of houseplants. They vary in size from dwarf selections that stay under 12 inches tall to big varieties that can top 3 feet. And their flowers come in a wide range of colors, from the common red to shades of pink, orange, purple, and white.
Our Anthurium grower grows about a million Anthurium each year and his team cares for them by hand. Unlike some big growers, we don’t use robots or other high-tech solutions to cultivate these beautifully festive plants.
- Botanical Name: Anthurium hybrids
- Light Needs: Bright light is best but tolerates medium light (within 2 to 3 feet of an unobstructed east- or west-facing window is ideal).
- Water Needs: Add water as the top half or so of the potting mix dries to the touch. Take care not to overwater.
- Humidity Needs: Average to above-average relative humidity (at least 40 percent) is best.
- Temperature Needs: Average household temperatures (65-80F) are ideal.
Written by Justin Hancock
