Ranging in warm shades that match the spirit of the season, Christmas cactus plants are a perfect pick for holiday gifting or adorning your own abode
By Mimi Vanderhaven
If you’ve been hearing those sleigh bells jingling, ring ting tingling too, it’s time to celebrate the simple joys of the season.
When shopping for festive hostess gifts or feathering your own nest in holiday cheer, this year why not bag the boring old poinsettia and opt for something a tad more daring? The Christmas cactus.
Mimi caught up with Lake Metroparks Farmpark Horticulture Manager Valerie Reinhardt, for the 411 on these fascinating plants.
“There are actually three species, named for the time of year they bloom, including the Christmas cactus, Thanksgiving cactus and Easter cactus,” she explains. “As rainforest plants, they come from Brazil and since they are epiphytic, they are found growing not in soil, but on trees and rocky nooks. People often call them crab cactus because the leaves look like claws. The ‘leaves’ aren’t really leaves, however, but rather a flattened portion of stem.”
The riotous colors range from shades of pinks, oranges and reds. Valerie also reports they are easy to care for and live a very long time (much like yours truly…).
“I have several that have lived for more than 25 years,” she says. “They get pretty big under the right conditions, up to 2 feet across. Since they come from the rainforest, under the tree canopy, shaded areas are where cacti flourish best.”
It turns out the same factors that cause leaves to turn colors in the fall—hours of daylight and changing temperatures—are also the reason these plants are triggered to bloom around the holidays.
Check out the abundant variety of cactuses currently blooming at the Plant Science Center at Lake Metroparks Farmpark. You may also want to get into the holiday spirit by experiencing the Country Lights Drive-Thru at the park.
Lake Metroparks Farmpark is located at 8800 Euclid Chardon Road in Kirtland. Country Lights Drive-Thru takes place December 7-10 and 14-22 from 6-8:30 p.m. To buy tickets and see the complete listing of holiday happenings, visit LakeMetroparks.com.