By Debby Looney, gardening expert

Almost as evocative of Christmas as the Poinsettia is the Christmas cactus, or the Schlumbergera truncata and with its flat, succulent, jointed leaves and colourful flowers, which brings cheer to any room.

These plants are indigenous to the Brazilian rainforest and are actually epiphytic, meaning they live high up in the tree canopy, nestled in the limbs of great trees. They therefore enjoy moisture, and relatively cool temperatures. Buds and flowers will drop off if the plant dries out completely, or if it is over or near a radiator or other heat source.

This is a plant which will survive for generations, there are some over a hundred years old handed down like heirlooms in families!

The trick for getting them to flower at the right time is to have them in a room where they get up to 16 hours of darkness in every 24 hour period, as well as giving them more water with a very small amount of feed added. It is important that there is absolute darkness, not even an occasional switching on of a light. When the buds appear you may move them to a different place. During summer months, keep them out of direct sunlight, as they scorch easily, causing the leaves to redden. Keeping in mind the fact that they are rainforest natives helps when taking care of them!

Mistletoe

Another epiphytic and parasitic tree dweller, equally synonymous with Christmas, is mistletoe. Popular for the tradition of kissing beneath a bunch of it, many gardeners ask me how they might grow their own. We are a romantic bunch! Mistletoe grows on host trees, such as apples, poplar, hawthorn, lime and many others. The berries are sticky and white, favoured by many birds. It is possible to grow it. You will need some fresh berries, preferably picked in March when they are ripe and a tree at least 15-years-old.
Those sold at Christmas are not ripe yet and will not germinate. Any younger and it will suffer due to the parasitic nature of the mistletoe. Simply take a good branch, make a little slice under the bark and insert the berries, maybe three or four together. Wrap with hessian or moss to prevent them falling out, and wait... About one in five should germinate, but the first year you will see nothing as it is only a root and a hypocotyl which grows. The second year you will see a small sprig, and after about five years you will be able to cut some for the house. It is a bit of a wait, but hopefully that kiss will be worth it!

I would like to wish all gardeners and readers of this column a Happy Christmas, and many thanks for all the positive and beautiful comments over the past year!