A real, ceiling-high Christmas tree full of glittery ornaments and sparkling lights isn't always the most realistic option, especially if you live in a small space, have a tight budget, or have a pet who likes to play with (destroy) the decorations.
- 1 Tabletop Christmas tree
- 2 Large-fruited cypress, lemon variety (Cupressus macrocarpa var. goldcrest (Lemon cypress)
- 3 Christmas tree made from live succulents
- 4 Tillandsia in glass balls
- 5 Araucaria
- 6 Majestic palm
- 7 Crassula, or money tree
What can replace the traditional version? We offer a selection of indoor plants that can be decorated for the New Year.
5 Araucaria
Contrary to its name, Norfolk pine actually comes from the tropics, and is happiest near the South Pacific Ocean. This is a great option for an alternative live Christmas tree. The plant looks like a traditional cut tree, but unlike a living plant, it does not drop needles on the floor.
An easy-to-grow houseplant, it likes bright, direct light or direct sunlight and needs to be watered when 25% of the soil is dry. Consider measures to increase air humidity. You can even move it outside in the summer to encourage growth and enjoy a more tropical view on gloomy days. Read more about Araucarias here >>>
House plant that looks like a Christmas tree
The Christmas tree can be replaced with the following indoor plant:
Araucaria variegated (indoor spruce) is the only coniferous plant that is very similar to a Christmas tree that can be grown at home. Depending on the size, an indoor spruce tree in a pot can be placed both in the hall on the floor and on the New Year's table.
Prices for indoor potted Araucaria spruce vary widely and depend on the size of the plant and the place of purchase (store or private advertisements).
For example, in a store you can buy araucaria in a pot for $19 - $560 (and above), ranging in size from 15 cm - to 150 cm.
130 -150 cm – $560.
On message boards, you can find private offers for the sale of indoor araucaria in a pot, where it will cost you much less. Araucaria 50 cm high can be purchased for $11, and 100 cm for $43.
If you are not in a hurry, then you can save a lot by growing araucaria from seeds, which is not very difficult, you can read how to do this in our encyclopedia of indoor plants by following this link https://rasteniya.dp.ua/ru/komnatnie-cveti /dekorativnolistvennie-komnatnie-rasteniya/araucaria/.
You can buy araucaria seeds for $0.2 per 10 pieces. Araucaria seeds germinate in different ways - some after 2 weeks, others after 2 months. At first, seedlings develop very slowly. Therefore, if you have the means, it is better to buy an araucaria 30 centimeters high and decorate it for this New Year.
You can also decorate non-coniferous indoor plants as a Christmas tree:
But still, it is better to replace the New Year’s tree with a coniferous indoor plant in a pot - Araucaria varifolia, since it is most similar to the familiar New Year’s tree.
Araucaria - domestic spruce
Almost the only coniferous plant that can be grown at home is araucaria , in Latin Araucaria. Araucaria is a tree with a pyramidal crown. The branches of the plant are tough, covered with short but numerous leaves, in the form of needles.
The natural habitats of araucaria are mainly South America, sometimes the plant is found in Australia and New Zealand. There are about twenty species of this coniferous plant, and in the wild, araucaria can reach fifty to sixty meters in height. In its homeland, araucaria is used as a source of wood.
Despite such a significant natural size, at home araucaria remains undersized, its height does not exceed 1.5 m, while the tree grows very slowly, almost never blooms, however, it is popular as an ornamental coniferous plant, as in city apartments, and in greenhouses and winter gardens. Moreover, it is preferable to grow araucaria in winter gardens, since only there it is possible to provide the plant with the necessary conditions, namely cool temperatures in winter. Winter is a time of peace and rest for Araucaria. If the plant is kept warm in winter (more than 20 ° C), it continues to grow and develop, which leads to depletion. In addition, the dry air of city apartments also has a negative impact - the plant’s needles may turn yellow and subsequently fall off.
Araucaria heterophylla is best suited for growing at home and in winter gardens. The plant's homeland is the Pacific island of Norfolk, located between Australia and New Zealand. Araucaria variegata is a plant with a pyramidal crown and soft light green leaves-needles about 2 cm long.
Temperature, humidity, lighting
The temperature of the room in which araucaria is grown should be about 20°C in summer and no more than 15°C, or better yet 10°C, in winter. If you have a glazed loggia, preferably heated, the best solution would be to take the araucaria there in winter. In summer, the plant must be placed outdoors - in a garden plot, balcony or loggia.
It is important to maintain high air humidity in the room where araucaria is grown. As mentioned above, dry air leads to yellowing and death of needle leaves. To maintain the required humidity, the plant can be periodically sprayed with a spray bottle.
Araucaria does not like direct sunlight; diffused light and partial shade are best suited for the plant. To form an even crown, the tree must be rotated from time to time relative to the light source.
Watering and fertilizing
It is necessary to water the araucaria as the earthen clod dries out, in the summer at intervals of two to three times a week, in the winter a little less often. For irrigation, it is better to use soft, settled water at room temperature.
You can fertilize araucaria with the usual complex mineral fertilizer for house plants in the spring and summer. The amount of fertilizer should be reduced by half compared to the amount for other plants. In winter, fertilizer and fertilizing are not required.
Soil and replanting
For araucaria, universal soil for houseplants is suitable, half mixed with acidic soil for azaleas and rhododendrons. It is also possible to prepare the soil yourself: one part each of sand and peat, two parts each of leaf and turf soil. It is also possible to grow araucaria using hydroponics.
Plant replanting is carried out rarely, approximately once every four to five years. When replanting, it is very important not to damage the root system of the araucaria and monitor the soil level in the pot, in no case raising it relative to the previous one. Pots for the plant should be wide and high enough, with a good drainage system.
Reproduction
It is quite difficult to propagate araucaria at home; it is best to buy a rooted plant in florist shops. Methods of propagation of araucaria - by cuttings, seeds, grafting. The most common and simplest of them is propagation by cuttings.
In the spring-summer period, the semi-woody apical cuttings are cut off, dried in the shade for about a day, the sections are cleaned and planted in wet sand or a peat-sand mixture. The cuttings are covered on top with a transparent container with a hole for ventilation (cut top from a plastic bottle), periodically watered and sprayed.
Rooting occurs approximately two months after planting the cuttings.
Boxwood
The evergreen shrub is grown in parks and gardens. The plant tolerates pruning well, so on New Year’s Eve the boxwood is given the shape of a cone. Lighting and moderate watering will allow you to use it instead of spruce for a long time. The classic combination of green shrubs with red decor looks impressive. Boxwood consists of small leaves, so it is worth choosing small toys, bows or beads.
Poinsettia
The plant has long become a symbol of Christmas in Western Europe and North America. The Christmas star is a member of the milkweed family, which grows in Mexico. The flower does not like heat, so you should not place it near the radiator. The leaves should not come into contact with the cold window so that the poinsettia does not die.
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Shopping centers, temples and housing are decorated with flower compositions. To decorate plants with bright red, yellow or orange bracts, use medium-sized cones, spruce or pine branches, and green leaves. The base of the pot is covered with holly, climbing ivy or vine. Christmas tree decorations, golden bells, beads, multi-colored feathers or bows will add brightness to the composition.
tangerine tree
A dwarf tangerine tree appears in every Chinese home on New Year's Day. In China, this plant is considered a symbol of the sun. In Russia, tangerines are associated with the New Year holidays, so spruce is boldly replaced with such a tree in a pot. It is decorated with candies in bright wrappers, Christmas tree decorations, rain, red beads and bows. Yellow fruits are considered a bright decoration, so you should not use a large number of elements.
Beneficial features
Araucaria is a beautiful, bright plant that perfectly purifies the air, releasing special phytoncides into it that rid the room of bacteria and pathogenic microorganisms. Fresh greens, a pleasant smell and decorative properties make Araucaria an ideal plant for growing in large spaces - halls, bright rooms with high ceilings, insulated balconies.
Subject to minimal care recommendations, araucaria grows at home up to two meters in height and creates a unique microclimate in the room, very useful for children, the elderly and patients suffering from lung diseases.
General rules for choosing holiday conifers
Buying a live Christmas tree with the prospect of planting it in the garden is a reasonable decision based on the principles of respect for nature. In order for the idea to be implemented successfully, it is important to take into account some principles common to any coniferous plants:
- If the Christmas tree is treated with artificial snow or, worse, with glitter varnish, then it is better to refuse such a purchase; the tree has practically no chance of survival, since such treatment seriously disrupts the respiration processes of plants;
- Some conifers are initially grown in a container, while others are less fortunate - they are placed in a pot immediately before sale, cutting off the root system. In the second case, you will buy a tree that will live a little longer than the one that was cut down. Before buying, try to pull the Christmas tree by the trunk; in full-fledged seedlings, the earthen lump will easily come out of the pot and look like it is densely entwined with branches. The pot should be proportionate to the size of the crown; too small is a reason for suspicion.
- A coniferous plant with awakened buds and young growth is an indicator that the tree is currently alive. But maintaining a Christmas tree that did not start growing in time until spring will be much more difficult than dormant specimens. In addition, such untimely awakening weakens the plant.
- Try shaking the Christmas tree; if you notice increased shedding of needles, set the pot aside. The physiology of most conifers is such that needles can remain on the tree for a long time after its death. If the needles have already begun to fall off abundantly, then most likely you have a dead tree in front of you.
- The needles of a living coniferous tree usually have a slight shine and elasticity. Brittle needles of a pale grayish color also indicate that the plant has died.
Recommendation: It often happens that live Christmas trees are purchased completely spontaneously. But if you have a serious and deliberate intention to purchase a Christmas tree with the prospect of planting it in the garden, then it is better to go to a nursery rather than to a grocery supermarket for a seedling. In this case, you will get a healthy tree suitable for growing in your climate.
At the same time, be sure to ask in what conditions the seedling was kept before selling and try to maintain them. The best place for a tree from a nursery is a glazed, unheated balcony. To protect the root ball from severe frosts, it is better to insulate the pot, but sometimes nurseries sell Christmas trees in special frost-proof containers.
Horsetail - a weed or a healer?
Every spring, among the growing forbs, pale stems stick out in places, looking like densely spaced arrows. These are horsetails - mysterious and unusual plants. Indeed, no one has observed flowers on horsetails; the stems of some species change twice during the season. First, in the spring, arrows with brown tips grow (popularly called moths), and a month later they are replaced by green fir trees that do not wither until late autumn
Horsetail (Equisetum arvense) © Kristian Peters
With its rapid reproduction, the plant causes a lot of trouble for gardeners. In addition, it is difficult to fight horsetail: you cannot eradicate it by plowing - the roots lie deep, but digging takes a lot of time and also does not completely clear the crops. And yet, these measures and fruiting prevent the weed from accessing the furrows and ridges. In general, horsetail is an indicator of acidic and waterlogged soils. Liming and draining the area will help get rid of horsetails.
Horsetail herb, rich in valuable medicinal substances, has long been recognized in medical practice as a diuretic for kidney and bladder diseases, as well as a means of improving blood circulation. Horsetail is also used to treat old wounds. In this case, use herbal lotion or baths. For sore throat and inflammation of the gums, it is also a good idea to resort to horsetail infusion: soak two tablespoons of the herb in a glass of cold water, rinse your mouth or throat with the strained liquid. Horsetail has also proven itself in home cosmetics. Compresses made from its infusions and decoctions are especially beneficial for strengthening hair and for inflammation of oily and porous skin.
Only summer-green horsetail grass is harvested for medicinal purposes; spore-bearing arrows are not suitable for collection, as are all foreign types of horsetail: meadow, forest and marsh. Let's remember their signs. Horsetail is coarse, hard, its stems are grooved, its branches are located horizontally or even bent downwards. Its forest counterpart also has drooping branches and a grooved stem. The marsh horsetail is tall, its stem is almost as thick as a little finger, and a spore-bearing spikelet can be visible above the erect branches. Horsetail grass feels soft to the touch, with tetrahedral sharp branches pointing upward.
Horsetail (Equisetum arvense)
Horsetail is dried in attics or under a canopy. The finished raw material is a mixture of gray-green grooved stems with twigs. The smell, although weak, is peculiar; the taste of the herb is sour. They try to avoid crushed stems in the raw materials. Shelf life in a dry place is four years.
Let's also talk about the nutritional value of horsetails, especially since there is an opinion that they are all poisonous. Yes, some horsetails are fully justified in their suspicion of toxicity, especially for those species that contain alkaloids (for example, marsh horsetail). Frequent feeding of horsetail hay causes paralysis of the hind limbs - “crank” in horses. The disease, by the way, soon stops if they stop eating poisonous food. As for horsetail, of all its bristly counterparts, it is the least dangerous for animals. After all, it contains almost no alkaloids, and saponins, as toxic principles, have a very weak effect. In any case, this horsetail is not poisonous for cows, sheep and goats; on the contrary, in some northern areas it is, not without reason, considered a milk feed. It is better not to give this horsetail to horses.
It is interesting that when grazing, cattle almost do not suffer from horsetails, although they gain a fair amount of them in order to quickly restore strength and fatness.
Horsetail (Equisetum telmateia)
This is explained simply: other green herbs seem to soften the active principles of the poisonous plant and have a laxative effect on the body. Moreover, horsetails are not equally poisonous in all phases; they are most dangerous at the age of young “pines”. Typically, animals easily recognize local poisonous plants and try to avoid them, which, unfortunately, cannot be said about imported livestock, especially from areas where the composition of the grasses is completely different. Horsetails are not afraid of spring grazing; they are more oppressed by regular summer grazing.
In addition to its medicinal and feed value, horsetail also had some domestic use. Once upon a time, its tough stems were used to clean smoked dishes, polish wood and stone, and dye wool in gray-yellow tones with a decoction of roots collected in the spring. Green paint was extracted from the stems of marsh horsetail, popularly known as iron ore. In some places, tender shoots - spikelet shoots - were eaten as vitamin greens. By the way, horsetail nodules that grow underground are also edible, because they are rich in starch.
Historically, horsetails are the oldest representatives of earthly vegetation. Their distant ancestors were giants; together with mighty ferns, they formed coal deposits. Now, looking at the green stubble of grass, one cannot imagine powerful horsetail forests.
Horsetail (Equisetum pratense)
Horsetails are found on all continents, with the exception of Australia. The species diversity of plants is small - there are 25 species worldwide, about half of which are found within our country. Horsetail is popularly known as a fir tree, earthen cones, pestles, pigskin and pods. The scientific name translated means “horse tail”. Branched grass actually vaguely resembles a horse's tail, especially when you lower the erect branches with their ends down...
Conifer diseases
Coniferous ornamental plants are susceptible to infections, but timely detection of their signs and immediate treatment will help avoid dangerous consequences.
- Rust. It appears as orange coatings on the branches. The needles turn yellow and fall off. Weekly treatment of the crown with drugs such as Glyocladin and Vectra will help.
- Schutte's disease is caused by a fungus. Signs: the needles become covered with a white coating, darken and crumble. If the situation is not neglected, the plant can be cured by first spraying it with a solution of copper sulfate, then treating it with Alirin-B and Trichodermin.
Rosemary
Many people are familiar with rosemary as a spicy plant, the branches of which are added as an aromatic seasoning to a variety of dishes. But the plant itself looks very nice in a flower pot, which allows it to be used as the main decoration for the New Year's holiday. Rosemary placed in an elegant flower pot will look wonderful not only on the kitchen table, but also on the holiday table.
The tree-like variety of rosemary - the standard tree - will fit perfectly into the holiday atmosphere.
Features of care and watering. The main principle of growing a spice flower is maintaining the temperature regime. In summer, the plant feels great on a south-facing window, but in winter it is better to move it to the coolest windowsill or insulated loggia. Rosemary likes moderate watering, so moisten it as the soil dries.
How and when to feed. It is not at all demanding - once every three months, apply any fertilizer for flowers or vegetables - this is quite enough for the full development of rosemary.
In addition to the tree itself, you can use sprigs of rosemary to decorate room and table decor. To do this, they make elegant round or heart-shaped wreaths, weaving bright ribbons into them.
Rosemary sprigs are placed on the festive table, and they are also used to decorate New Year's cocktails.
In a word, if you have this plant, then on New Year’s Eve you can use any holiday decoration idea with it.
Let's add a little fragrance to your flower garden.
You always want your yard to delight you not only with its beauty, but also with its spicy, delicious aromas. Therefore, when choosing “perfume” for your flowerbed, pay attention to the following plants:
1. Lavender is notable not only for its scent, but also for its calming properties. After flowering, you can cut it and dry it, and then make decoctions that save you from insomnia, or simply put fragrant branches under your pillow. This biennial plant is successfully used in the design of various areas of the garden, rock gardens, and is ideal for creating borders.
Lavender is planted in islands or uneven curtains so as not to disturb the naturalness of the mountain landscape.
2. Mint and lemon balm - connoisseurs of delicious tea simply cannot do without planting these fragrant plants. However, it should be noted that mint grows very quickly and can turn into a real weed. To prevent this from happening, dig a fence made of ordinary rubber 40 cm into the ground. Since mint roots grow horizontally rather than deep, this solution will limit the space for growth.
A distinctive feature of lemon balm varieties is their pleasant lemon scent.
3. Sweet Pea - This climbing annual flower grows much better in the shade and loves moist soil. You also need to install a small metal grate, to which it will cling with its antennae. Flowering begins in June and continues until frost.
The main charm of sweet peas lies in the flowers of bizarre shapes and all kinds of colors, reminiscent of bright butterflies.
4. Night violet - it is also called: hesperis, Matrona's noctule or simply noctule (lat. Hesperis matronalis). This flower emits a surprisingly pleasant, intoxicating aroma mainly in the evening, so this plant is recommended for planting by everyone who likes to spend time looking at the starry night sky.
For some similarity with phloxes, the Matrona noctule is called in a number of places by a not entirely euphonious name - “bull phloxes”.
5. Lobularia (alissum) - this garden plant with a wonderful honey aroma spreads beautifully along the ground, creating a surprisingly bright carpet of white or lilac flowers. You can also plant alyssum in a pot, and the flowers will come down from it, like petunia.
Lobularia has another name - masonry, as it grows beautifully and looks great in rockeries, slides, between stone slabs and even in cracks in masonry.
In fact, making a beautiful, fragrant and healthy flower bed is very easy and inexpensive, the main thing is to approach the matter with soul and imagination.
