flowers of Christmas

A few years ago, the Better Half [BH] had amaryllis plants that, at this time of month, were tallish and getting on toward the blooming stage for Christmas. This year there’s barely a sign of green from any of the bulbs. We may be looking at marking the New Year, or even Valentines, with amaryllis blossoms.

amaryllis of Christmas past

Photo by J. Harrington

Of course, as we traditionally have done, there are poinsettias on top of the piano, and a Christmas cactus is in the south window downstairs. The former were in bloom when I bought them and still are while the latter flowered prematurely this autumn and now holds not a bud.

Could it be that climate change is affecting even house plants? This year seems to have been much cloudier than normal and I’m wondering if that’s got the plants off kilter. Fortunately, none of these conditions are critical to enjoying the season, although the BH might quibble with me about the amaryllis and I’m close to adamant about poinsettias.

a Christmas amaryllis

Photo by J. Harrington

Christmas has lots of mentions of stars and angels and shepherds and wise men and some greenery but I don’t remember mentions of flowers in any of the gospels. However, the horticultural folks have a nice list of flowers of the winter solstice and the US Forest Service lists plants of the winter solstice. Combined, their lists look like this.

• Holly
• Yule log
• Amanita muscaria
• Mistletoe
• Poinsettias
• Amaryllis
• Paperwhites
• Christmas cactus
• Peppermint and, of course, the
• Christmas tree

Amaryllis

By Connie Wanek

A flower needs to be this size 

to conceal the winter window, 

and this color, the red 

of a Fiat with the top down, 

to impress us, dull as we've grown. 

Months ago the gigantic onion of a bulb 

half above the soil 

stuck out its green tongue 

and slowly, day by day, 

the flower itself entered our world, 

closed, like hands that captured a moth, 

then open, as eyes open, 

and the amaryllis, seeing us, 

was somehow undiscouraged. 

It stands before us now 

as we eat our soup; 

you pour a little of your drinking water 

into its saucer, and a few crumbs 

of fragrant earth fall 

onto the tabletop. 

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