You've decked the halls with live trees, beautiful wreaths, and plenty of gorgeous holiday decorations—but now it's time to round out your decor with live plants and flowers. Of course, it doesn't feel like Christmas without a brightly colored poinsettia or two—it's one of the most iconic Christmas plants around, after all—but it's not the only plant or flower that can make the holidays more colorful and festive.
Before we share our favorites, it's important to note that some Christmas plants and flowers are meant to be enjoyed for the season (hello, frosty fern), while others will live for years (we appreciate you, holiday cactus)—and maybe even decades—with proper care. Some are houseplants, while others can be planted outdoors once spring arrives for a lasting Christmas memory.
Ahead, we've listed our favorite Christmas plants and flowers beyond the quintessential red poinsettia. (Bonus: We explain how challenging each plant is to grow.) If remembering to water is not your greatest strength or you don't want one more chore to worry about during the holidays, stick with the plants we've designated as best for beginner plant parents. If you have some experience and are ready to try something new, check out the plants we've listed as best for semi-experienced plant parents. And if you're up for a challenge, or you love babying your plants, go with the ones we've designated best for expert plant parents.
Either way, 'tis the season to start planning—or should we say planting?—your holiday decor!
Amaryllis
This gorgeous trumpet-shaped flower with single or double petals comes in shades of red, white, pink, and even stripes. You can buy amaryllis as a kit containing the large bulb (sometimes as big as a softball), potting soil, and pot. Plant your bulb, and place it in a brightly lit window. Don't water the bulb until green pops up, and then water it whenever the soil feels dry. You should have blooms in about four to six weeks—and an amaryllis bulb is known to bloom well for several years.
Experience level: Beginner plant parent
Holiday Cactus
You'll see the Christmas cactus everywhere during the holidays— though, to be fair, it's probably a Thanksgiving cactus, which is much more commonly found for sale. Here's how to tell the difference: A Christmas cactus has rounded leaves (which are actually modified stems), while the Thanksgiving cactus has pointy leaves. Although even retailers sometimes misidentify these plants, they need the exact same care: bright, indirect light, and water when the soil feels slightly dry on top. Either can live for decades.
Experience level: Beginner plant parent
Frosty Fern
This adorable little fern-like plant is actually a type of moss. You'll see this irresistible plant available everywhere around the holidays, but we're going to be brutally honest: It's fussy to keep alive for more than a few weeks. Keep it consistently moist, or use a self-watering pot to increase the chances that it won't dry up and die. (Because once it dries out, it sadly won't make a comeback.)
Experience level: Expert plant parent
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Hellebore
This stunning winter bloomer produces exquisite flowers. It's a landscape plant that thrives in cold climates, but it's often sold as a houseplant around the holidays. Give it bright, indirect light and water when the soil feels slightly dry. If you can keep it alive until spring, you can plant it in a shady spot outdoors in USDA Hardiness zones 4 to 9.
Experience level: Semi-experienced plant parent
Poinsettia (That Isn't Red)
Okay, yes, this is a poinsettia. But what many people don't know is that poinsettias come in colors other than that iconic red—like light pink, hot pink, white, and even speckled varieties. Choose one that has bright greenish-yellow centers, and it should last well into January. This plant is a shrub that's native to Mexico, so in the wild it grows in full sun—but the plants you buy around the holidays are greenhouse grown, so they prefer bright, indirect light. However, you can display it wherever you want indoors since it's not meant to last for more than a season. (That's because it's tough to get it to rebloom.)
Experience level: Beginner plant parent
Moth Orchid
The moth orchid has a delicate, ethereal beauty, and its flowers bloom for weeks and weeks. Give yours bright, indirect light or use a grow light. Water only when its soil is nearly dry, about every seven to 10 days. Great news: It can live for years with the proper care.
Experience level: Semi-experienced plant parent
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Rosemary
This culinary herb is often sold in topiary form around the holidays. It adds a cheery, pine-like scent to your kitchen—and, of course, you can use it to cook. It's a little fussy about being indoors, so make sure it has the brightest light you can find or use a grow light. Water it when its soil feels mostly dry, but don't let it dry out completely: If it starts dropping foliage or gets crispy, it usually won't recover.
Experience level: Expert plant parent
Cyclamen
This pretty little tabletop plant has heart-shaped foliage and delicate pink, white, or red flowers. It likes bright, indirect light and water when its soil feels dry on the surface. Cyclamen will bloom for weeks, and then you can compost it. You can try to get it rebloom the following year, but the foliage dies when it goes dormant (which makes it a less-than-exciting houseplant), so it's usually not worth the effort to save it.
Experience level: Beginner plant parent
Norfolk Island Pine
This delicate-looking pine has soft needles and can live for years. Give it bright, indirect light—the more you give, the better it will look—and keep its soil slightly moist. It's a little fussy, so if you move it, forget to water, or overwater it, it will start to lose its lower limbs and look rough. Unfortunately, there's no saving it if it starts to drop limbs.
Experience level: Semi-experienced plant parent
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Paperwhite
Though it has a strong scent that some people love (and others despise), there's no denying how pretty this delicate white flower is. Grown from a bulb and sold in a kit like amaryllis, it blooms for a few weeks. Give it direct light before it blooms, then move it to indirect light—and water when the top inch of soil feels dry. Compost the bulbs after the blooms fade because they're unlikely to rebloom (they expend so much energy when "forced" to flower indoors).
Experience level: Beginner plant parent
Lemon Cypress Tree
This charming little Christmas tree alternative has a citrus-like scent and pretty lemon-colored needles. The ones sold around the holidays typically are dwarf varieties that won't get larger than three feet tall. A lemon cypress can be a little tough to keep alive indoors due to the dry air, but give yours bright light and water when the top inch or so of the soil feels dry (without letting it dry out completely), and you'll have a fighting chance. You can plant it outdoors in the spring if you live in USDA Hardiness zones 7 to 10.
Experience level: Semi-experienced plant parent
Kalanchoe
Give this cute little succulent that blooms for weeks bright, indirect light and water when its soil is completely dry. When it's done blooming, compost it—because like a poinsettia, the kalanchoe is a short-day plant that requires complete darkness at night, starting in the fall, to bloom again next year.
Experience level: Beginner plant parent
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Dwarf Alberta Spruce
This classic Christmas-tree-shaped evergreen is often sold in containers around the holidays. It can be displayed on your front porch all winter, but it typically doesn't do well indoors as a houseplant. Water it every week or so, and plant it in the ground in the spring if you're in USDA Hardiness zones 8 or colder.
Experience level: Semi-experienced plant parent
Gardenia
With its gorgeous glossy leaves and creamy-white fragrant blooms, gardenias are often sold as potted plants during the holidays. Give yours bright, indirect light, and water to keep the soil slightly moist. We won't lie: It's fussy, especially indoors, and typically doesn't like the dry indoor air. Plan to enjoy yours for a few weeks, then compost it when faded. If you manage to keep it alive until spring, you can plant most gardenias outdoors if you live in USDA Hardiness zones 8 and warmer.
Experience level: Experienced plant parent
Wintergreen
This low-growing groundcover can be tough to find, but it's a fun plant to try growing because of its glossy foliage and pretty red berries. (And yes, the leaves have a classic wintergreen scent when crushed.) Give it bright, indirect light, and keep it lightly moist. If yours makes it to spring, you can plant it outdoors in USDA Hardiness zones 3 and warmer.
Experience level: Semi-experienced plant parent
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Citrus Tree
A beautiful plant that has glossy leaves and edible fruit, this one needs tons of bright light—so if you're going to give it a go, make sure you have a grow light that you keep on for about 10 to 12 hours per day. Water it when the top inch or two of soil feels dry. Citrus trees don't love the dry indoor air, so they benefit from a humidifier that replicates its natural environment. The good news is, if given the right conditions, a citrus tree can live for years.
Experience level: Experienced plant parent
Lavender
The fragrant flowers and silvery foliage of a lavender plant makes it a favorite around the world. It's often sold as a topiary or sheared into a Christmas tree form around the holidays. Lavender needs bright, indirect light and benefits from a grow light if you don't have a sunny window. Water it when the top few inches of soil feel dry. (Heads up: It's vulnerable to disease when grown indoors.)
Experience level: Experienced plant parent
English Ivy
This handsome houseplant has a vining form, though it's often sold as a topiary during the holidays. Give it bright, indirect light and water when its soil is mostly dry. It can live for years with the right conditions—but keep an eye out for spider mites (they love this plant).
Experience level: Semi-experienced plant parent
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Yuletide Camellia
With glossy foliage and beautiful, lush flowers, yuletide camellia is a popular early winter bloomer. The landscape plant is sometimes sold as a houseplant around the holidays, though it doesn't love being indoors. Give it bright, indirect light and keep the soil consistently moist. If yours makes it to spring, you can plant it outdoors in USDA Hardiness zones 7 to 9.
Experience level: Experienced plant parent
Coralberry
Coralberry has shiny white, pink, or red berries and should be grown only as a houseplant in most of the country, as it gets invasive if planted in the ground—especially in warm climates. Give it bright, indirect light, and keep the soil evenly moist. It can live for years as a houseplant.
Experience level: Experienced plant parent
