This Christmas, make vintage back in fashion! Spruce up your home with these Forgotten Holiday Season Plants That Deserve A Comeback!
Christmas is nearly here, and it’s time to bring back some retro gems to indoor plant culture. These forgotten holiday houseplants deserve a comeback for that chic, vintage vibe this season. Loaded with nostalgia, you’ll wonder why you didn’t grow them sooner!
Forgotten Holiday Season Plants That Deserve A Comeback
1. Cineraria
Botanical Name: Pericallis × hybrida
Bold, floral designs and vintage go hand in hand. Hence, the first on our list is cineraria, known for stunning daisy-like flowers in purple, blue, and pink shades. While popular in Victorian gardens, it’s time to bring back this winter flower to your homes these holidays.
Preferring dappled sunshine, sow seeds about half an inch deep and ensure night temperatures are around 45-55 F (7-13 C) for flower buds to form.
2. Pocketbook Plant
Botanical Name: Calceolaria
Then, there’s the pocketbook plant. Pouch-like flowers with scalloped edges appear in warm, sunny hues. Leaf through vintage gardening books, and you are bound to find this fiery Central and South American native, as it fits right in with mid-20th-century fashion!
While tricky to grow, it gained immense popularity as a greenhouse and indoor ornamental for its unique, short-lived blooms. It thrives in spaces with natural humidity, like bathrooms and kitchens—any space that mimics its natural habitat.
3. Fairy Primrose
Botanical Name: Primula malacoides
Considered a weed in Himalayan rice fields until a Scottish botanist cultivated it from seed in 1908, the delicate fairy primrose quickly became a hit in American and European households.
With dreamy purple, pink, red, and white blooms, this winter flower flourishes in shaded spots and enjoys dappled morning sunshine. It is perfect for planting en masse in meadows, rock gardens, and indoors in pots.
4. Bayberry
Botanical Name: Morella pensylvanica
Native to North and Central America, this wild shrub with fragrant olive green leaves and bluish berries deserves a comeback for several reasons! Early American settlers started a quaint, warm tradition of Christmas gatherings with myrtle wax candles.
They extracted the aromatic, waxy coating of barberry fruits and made sweet-scented candles out of them, which are still used to this day in certain parts. This hardy plant is also a crucial winter food source and host for diverse wildlife—so get planting already!
5. Jerusalem Cherry
Botanical Name: Solanum pseudocapsicum
The bright Jerusalem cherry certainly brings back juicy memories. This bushy, perennial evergreen shrub was the go-to holiday shrub choice because of its red, yellow, or orange berry-like fruits.
During Victorian times, these plants were used to fill halls and corridors during the holiday season. Jerusalem cherry prefers full sun in a sheltered location, and for best results, plant it in loamy soils with a neutral pH.
6. Christmas Pepper Plant
Botanical Name: Capsicum annuum
With stark red and orange cone-shaped peppers against bright green leaves, this pepper plant looks like it was made for Christmas! A hit ornamental among kids, it’s even called a “Christmas light” pepper—but beware, true varieties are hot!
This forgotten holiday plant needs to make a comeback. It just needs lots of sunshine, cool nighttime temperatures, and moist, well-draining soil to grow, but it packs a punch for holiday decor!
7. Christmas Rose
Botanical Name: Helleborus niger
The white petals symbolize the miracle of Christmas and are steeped in folklore. According to tradition, a shepherd girl wanted to offer a gift when Christ was born but had little to offer. So an angel touched the earth, and the Christmas rose bloomed.
It is a bit fussy about growing indoors, but with proper care, it will bloom. Plant your Christmas rose in well-drained soil and direct sunlight, especially during flowering.
8. Holly Fern
Botanical Name: Cyrtomium falcatum
Finally, there is the Holly fern. With fronds that resemble holly leaves, this erstwhile holiday staple has no reason not to make a comeback to homes during the holidays! In fact, why did it even go out of fashion?
Evergreen, fresh, and easy to maintain, Holly fern thrives indoors in partial to full shade! And it provides a perfect backdrop for bright, shiny holiday decor. It needs ample humidity, so keep it in a cozy kitchen or bathroom if you don’t want to work too hard on its upkeep.
