Staying with plants with Christmassy names, by this time of year the NSW Christmas bush (Ceratopetalum gummiferum) is also coming into its own. This shrub or small tree has blink-and-you-might-miss-them tiny white flowers that are followed by sepals so red they rival the poinsettia for show.
Poinsettias, which hail from Mexico and Central America and turn naturally red in winter, have to be cossetted in specially darkened, climate-controlled greenhouses to colour in time for a summer Christmas. The NSW Christmas bush requires no such fuss. It reddens in any temperate-to-warm climate where there is moist, well-draining soil and protection from heavy frost and strong wind.
Poinsettias are at their best in winter. There are better options for an Australian Christmas.Credit: iStock
Alternatively grow a small cultivar (such as “Johanna’s Christmas”) in a container that can be moved to suit the conditions to hand, including indoors for the festive season. Given a sunny enough spot, it can even be kept inside as a permanent houseplant. More temporary but just as high-impact are the cut NSW Christmas bush “blooms” currently available in florists. Remember to change the water every couple of days and they will last from now until 25 December.
The Victorian Christmas bush (Prostanthera lasianthos) has a less traditional colourway (white flowers with purple and orange markings) but the same floral timing and a knockout menthol fragrance to boot. This native mint prefers moist soils and protection from strong winds and – with regular watering – can also be grown in a container that can be moved indoors for a brief period over Christmas.
But back to conifers, which garner a particular devotion at Christmas. If a cut-off-at-the roots Christmas tree is not your thing, consider a live one cut into topiary or a bonsai small enough to spend the festive season on a mantelpiece. Some potted conifers, such as Norfolk Island Pines, can even become permanent houseplants.
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Alternatively keep a potted conifer just for Christmas and then, when the weather cools down in autumn, plant the tree outside. Do the same next year and you’ve got a festive tradition.
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