Holiday cacti — Christmas cactus, Thanksgiving cactus, and even the lesser-known Easter varieties — are the shining stars of December. When they burst into bloom, they feel like tiny fireworks in the middle of winter. But keeping those blooms going? That can feel like a holiday miracle. Good news: it’s completely doable. With just a few small adjustments, you can enjoy flowers well past Christmas…and sometimes even into February. Let’s keep those blooms glowing! 🎄 𝟏. 𝐆𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲, 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 Holiday cacti love bright, indirect light — think “near a window,” not “pressed against the glass.” In December, sunlight is weak, so they won’t scorch, but drafts and cold glass can shock buds. 𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐬: * A bright east- or north-facing window * A few feet back from a sunny south window * Near grow lights, but not directly under them 𝐀𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐝: * Direct hot afternoon sun * Areas right next to exterior doors (cold blasts = dropped blooms) 💧 𝟐. 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐬 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐞 Overwatering is the #1 bloom-killer. Underwatering is #2. When blooming, holiday cacti like soil that stays slightly moist — not soggy, not bone-dry. 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧: * The top 1–2 inches feel dry * The pot feels noticeably lighter 𝐓𝐢𝐩: If your home is heated and dry, check more often. If it’s humid or cooler, extend the time between waterings. 🧪 3. Avoid Temperature Swings Holiday cacti are dramatic… in the cutest way. If temps bounce around, they’ll drop buds out of protest. 𝐈𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠-𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐦𝐬: * 65–75°F during the day * 60–65°F at night 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐝: * Heat vents blasting hot air * Fireplaces * Cold window drafts * Placing it on top of an appliance that gets warm Even a single cold gust or hot blast can cause a bloom dump. 🌬️ 𝟒. 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐇𝐮𝐦𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐲 (𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭 𝐖𝐞𝐚𝐩𝐨𝐧!) Indoor heating dries out the air like crazy — and blooming holiday cacti hate that. Easy ways to increase humidity: * Set the pot on a pebble tray filled with water * Group it with other plants * Run a nearby humidifier

New planting of raised containers.

I found a rose bush in the clearance section that looked so sad so I brought her home and repotted her and now she’s blooming like crazy! I couldn’t believe it worked really, the guy looked like I was crazy for buying her.

Chrysanthemums, better known simply as mums, are the unofficial flower of fall. They brighten porches, patios, and container displays everywhere this time of year. But if you’ve ever brought home big beautiful mums from a garden center only to watch them wilt and fade a week later… you’re not alone. The good news? 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐟𝐞𝐰 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐝𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬, 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐦𝐮𝐦𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐯𝐢𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫. Whether you're decorating steps, patios, balconies, or front doors, this guide will help keep your container mums looking crisp and colorful all season long. 🌼 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐅𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐃𝐞́𝐜𝐨𝐫 𝐌𝐮𝐦𝐬 Most mums sold in September and October are labeled as “𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐦𝐮𝐦𝐬” or “𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐦𝐬.” These are 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐦 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐰...but not necessarily to live long. That’s why they sometimes struggle after you bring them home. But don’t worry, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲’𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐝! With the right care, you can extend their life long past Halloween and maybe even into Thanksgiving. 🪴 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝐎𝐧𝐞: 𝐏𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐌𝐮𝐦 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 If you haven’t bought your mums yet, here’s what to look for: ✅ Choose plants with 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐮𝐝𝐬 and just a few flowers open ✅ Look for 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐠𝐞 with no yellowing leaves ✅ Avoid mums with 𝐝𝐫𝐲, 𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐨𝐢𝐥 or 𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬 ✅ Check for 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐲 𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐬 that are not circling or poking out the bottom 𝐏𝐫𝐨 𝐭𝐢𝐩: Avoid those already fully blooming dome-shaped mums. They may look stunning now, but they’re already nearing the end of their display. 💧 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 #𝟏 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐋𝐨𝐧𝐠-𝐋𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐌𝐮𝐦𝐬 If mums seem like drama queens, it’s because 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐝𝐫𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐭, even once. A single dry spell can cause crisp leaves, browning centers, and “collapse.” Here’s how to water correctly: * Check soil 𝐝𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐲, especially in sunny spots * Water 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭, not overhead * Keep soil 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐦𝐨𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐨𝐠𝐠𝐲 * If water runs straight through the pot, soak the whole pot in a bucket for 10–15 minutes to rehydrate 𝐀𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐝 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬: ❌ Letting mums dry out completely

When the days grow shorter and skies turn grey, many gardens begin to fade — but that doesn’t mean your containers have to! With the right late-fall flowers, you can keep bursts of color and cheer alive well into the chilly season. 🌸 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐋𝐚𝐭𝐞-𝐅𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐦𝐬 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 Late autumn color lifts the spirit and reminds us that beauty doesn’t stop when temperatures drop. Container gardens, in particular, make it easy to swap out tired summer plants for hardy, cold-tolerant blooms that thrive in crisp weather. 🌿 𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐤 𝐔𝐩 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐏𝐨𝐭𝐬 𝟏. 𝐏𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐞𝐬 & 𝐕𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐬 These cheerful little faces laugh at the cold! Available in nearly every color imaginable, pansies and violas are the MVPs of fall containers. They’ll bloom through light frosts and bounce back after chilly nights. 𝟐. 𝐎𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐊𝐚𝐥𝐞 & 𝐂𝐚𝐛𝐛𝐚𝐠𝐞 Not technically flowers, but their ruffled, vibrant leaves in pinks, purples, and whites make them show-stoppers. Pair them with pansies or dusty miller for a textured fall arrangement. 𝟑. 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐲𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐮𝐦𝐬 (𝐌𝐮𝐦𝐬) The classic fall bloom! Choose compact varieties for pots. Their bold golds, oranges, and burgundies instantly brighten dreary days. Deadhead spent blooms to extend the show. 𝟒. 𝐒𝐧𝐚𝐩𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐨𝐧𝐬 Surprisingly frost-tolerant, snapdragons can push right through early freezes. Their upright blooms add height and drama to fall containers. 𝟓. 𝐒𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐀𝐥𝐲𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐦 Low-growing and fragrant, alyssum spills beautifully over the edges of pots. It loves the cool weather and attracts late-season pollinators. 𝟔. 𝐃𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐲 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫 This silvery foliage plant adds contrast and makes bright flowers pop. Plus, it’s hardy enough to last well into winter in many areas. 💡 Design Ideas for a Late-Fall Container * Mix Warm & Cool Tones: Combine purple ornamental kale with golden mums for instant contrast. * Layer Heights: Tall snapdragons in the back, pansies in the middle, and alyssum trailing down the front edge. * Add Texture: Include foliage like dusty miller or ivy for dimension and visual balance.