Keeping your gift plants alive: Care for them now and maybe (maybe not), they’ll rebloom next year

Christmas cactus is a traditional holiday gift.

Poinsettia is a traditional holiday gift.

Amaryllis plants like to spend summer months in the dark.

Poinsettias, Christmas cactus and amaryllis are all popular gift plants during the holidays, offering showy red blooms that make a festive display for little maintenance.

But now that the holidays have joined memories of Christmases Past, what do you do with these presents? Is it possible to keep them thriving for a few more weeks – even coax them to rebloom?

Here’s a quick guide with basic tips to care for the plant from Southern Living magazine and practical insight on whether they’ll rebloom from Ray and Beth Painter, owners of Green Thumb Nursery in Hixson.

AMARYLLIS

The plant: Large, trumpet-shaped blooms on sturdy stalks grown from a bulb. Attractive when displayed in a cylindrical glass vase so the stalks are visible.