I hope you received some nice gifts over the holiday! I know you were given a lot of cookies! Maybe you were fortunate enough to receive holiday plants. With these tips, I’ll help you keep them alive and looking good all year.

Want to challenge yourself to keep a poinsettia alive until next Christmas? It can be done! Most importantly, maintain its moisture over the next couple of months, meaning not too much water, but don’t let it dry out for a long stretch. Leave it in its current pot until late winter or early spring. Walter Reeves recommends trimming it back once the floral bracts (colored leaves) have faded. Move it outside after the last chance of frost. Poinsettias are unruly growers, so plan to repot it around April, and pinch out its growing tips monthly to keep it from getting leggy. Read more on what to do with them come fall here.

Amaryllis flowers were very showy and beautiful near the Christmas table, but if the flowers have faded, cut the entire stem away. Keep them in their pots near a sunny window for now. Plant the bulbs outdoors in late April and fertilize them a couple of times in the summer, all the while keeping those long leaves attached.

Certainly Thanksgiving and maybe even some of the Christmas cacti have finished blooming. Not much you need to do with these. They’re tough plants that, with the right care, you’ll enjoy for decades! Mickey Gazaway from Pike Nursery says you can wait until spring if you need to repot a holiday cactus, like I do. Plant them in a fast draining, coarse blended soil. Enjoy them as they continue to grow and drape over the pot’s edges.

The key to keeping any of your greenery fresh is maintaining its moisture. Perhaps during the holidays, you used an all-natural preservative like Wilt Stop. This can aid in extending the life of wreaths and garlands for an extra couple of weeks. Continue keeping greenery out of direct sun and away from heat vents and fireplaces.

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