Introducing...
Christmas cactus
Botanical name: Schlumbergera
Common name: Christmas cactus
Prized for their vibrant flowering display over the festive season, these popular houseplants are easy to grow and long lived. They come originally from tropical rainforests, so need a warm location, out of direct sun, and prefer humid air.
Looks
These plants form clumps of succulent stems made up of flat, leaf-like segments. These start off upright, but over the years they get longer (up to 45cm/18in) and start to trail over the sides of the pot. Long, showy flowers appear at the stem tips each winter. Their colours range from red to pink, mauve or white, and occasionally yellow, and flowers can be either a single colour or several combined.
Likes
These tropical plants like warm temperatures of 18–20°C (65–69°F) in spring and summer, bright but indirect light, humid air and regular watering. They also prefer a drier, cooler spell in autumn, with a drop of about 5°C (10°F), to encourage flowering. Once the display fades, give them a second cool spell.
Dislikes
These are rainforest cacti, rather than desert cacti, so keep them out of hot midday sun, which can scorch the leaves, and don’t let the compost dry out completely, especially in spring and summer. Avoid overwatering too, as the roots can rot in damp compost. Too much warmth and water in autumn can reduce or prevent flowering.
Did you know?
It’s very easy to take cuttings from Christmas cacti, so once you have one plant, you can produce many more, which make ideal Christmas gifts – see our guide below for full details of how to take cuttings.
Growing guide
How to grow Christmas cacti
Everything you need to know to grow these popular winter-flowering houseplants successfully.
Schlumbergera truncata
common winter cactus
- 0.1–0.5 metres
- 0.1–0.5 metres
Schlumbergera × buckleyi
Christmas cactus
- 0.1–0.5 metres
- 0.5–1 metres
Schlumbergera truncata
common winter cactus
- 0.1–0.5 metres
- 0.1–0.5 metres
Schlumbergera × buckleyi
Christmas cactus
- 0.1–0.5 metres
- 0.5–1 metres
Schlumbergera truncata
common winter cactus
- 0.1–0.5 metres
- 0.1–0.5 metres
Useful advice
Bulbs for Christmas flowering
Christmas-flowering houseplants
Houseplants for different locations
How to grow houseplants
Humidity for houseplants
Get involved
The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.