You can force your Holiday cactus to bloom in December by keeping it in complete darkness for 12 hours per night, beginning in about mid-October. Leave it in the dark until buds appear. An even easier method is to subject it to cool temperatures (50-55 degrees) starting in November. Leave the plant on a windowsill at home when the heat is off and you are at work. You should see flower buds forming in weeks. (USDA zones 9-11). Two great choices are dragon tree (Dracaena marginal), which resembles a small palm tree and can reach heights of 10 feet, and lucky bamboo (Dracaena sanderiana), which isn’t bamboo at all. Both have stems that can be trained to bend or spiral. The stems are topped by clusters of slender arching leaves with narrow purple margins. They grow best in bright light and if allowed to dry out between waterings. Lucky bamboo is often grown in water, but once substantial roots have formed, it is much happier planted in soil. Even if allowed to wilt, dracaena will spring back after watering, although the leaf tips might turn brown. Dracaena will tolerate low light. (USDA zones 10-11) If you want to get creative with choosing your houseplant, you can pick a plant based on your zodiac sign.
