Christmas is coming in so quickly and I suspect I’m not the only one who still have presents to buy!

Although I’ve been receiving promotional leaflets and emails from a number of online horticultural outlets offering a range of gifts it can still be difficult choosing the right present. Though I suspect many readers will be thinking flowers and pot plants as a Christmas present.

Both have their merit, though pot plants do tend to last a lot longer. A visit to a garden centre or even to the supermarket and you will find a wide range of ‘Christmassy’ pot plants from early flowering bulbs such as hyacinths and narcissus to the bright and colourful poinsettias.

Buying pots of early flowering bulbs can bring a lot of colour to the house and in the case of hyacinths a pleasant scent. Though, many flowering bulbs do have a short flowering period and if grown in a warm location will soon fade. However, the bulbs can be recycled and planted in the garden for flowering the following year. Having said that, although many other pot plants will put on a Christmas display lasting some weeks, they ultimately will need some attention.

For example, there are some very traditional pot plants which seem to be part of Christmas such as the poinsettia, others include the cyclamen, the Christmas cherry and the Christmas cactus.

In all cases pot plants will have been grown for the Christmas market using controlled growing conditions providing precise light levels, warmth and feeding. So, it’s no wonder that when you then place the pot plant in your home it can struggle. Though regardless of the type of pot plants do place them in a light, though cool room, away from drafts and hot radiators. Also, it’s better to underwater rather than them sitting in water. Do remove fading blooms and foliage as the plant grows.

Whilst keeping with a Christmas theme, I was pleased to see my Christmas roses beginning to show colour as you can see from my photograph this week of my Hellebore ‘Winter Moonbeam’ which is aptly named. Regular readers will be aware I have talked about Hellebores, particularly the Christmas Rose ‘Helleborus niger’ and the Lenten Rose ‘Helleborus orientalis’

Normally I would advise cutting the foliage of these types of Hellebours down to ground level in the autumn which leaves the plant open for the flowering shoots to emerge and put on a display over the Christmas and Easter periods. However, Hellebore ‘Winter Moonlight’ is not a true Christmas rose as it is a hybrid between Helleborus niger and Helleborus sternii and as such is really called Helleborus × ericsmithii 'Winter Moonbeam' – I know it seems a bit complicated, though having one parent which is the Christmas rose Helleborus niger means the plant produces its flowers around Christmas, whilst its other parent Heleborus sternii which itself is a cross between Helleborus lividus and Helleborus argutifolius gives ‘Winter Moonbeam’ much added interest in that it has evergreen dark green leaves marked with metallic silver-grey veins! Because the leaves add so much interest, then it’s a Hellebore that I would lightly thin the leaves, not cut back to the ground.

Although it’s called ‘Winter Moonbeam’ the flowering bud although white do have a pink hue, however do become white when they open, however they change to pale pink to deep pink as the flower fades.

To complicate matter further, the flowers are not true flowers, in the sense that they are not flowering petals as they appear to be. They are colourful bracts which is a modified leave, similar to that of the colourful poinsettia. Also, as with most Hellebores when planting them, make sure it is in its final position in the garden as they hate root disturbance, lifting and replanting around the garden will result in them sulking and taking quite a while to establish again.