Hibiscus

You recently covered Christmas and Thanksgiving cactus — I'd love to learn more about the third one you mentioned, Easter cactus. Can you tell me more?

Answer: An Easter cactus — also called a spring cactus or Rhipsalidopsis gaetneri or Hatiora gaetneri — is one of the three popular holiday cacti, joining the Thanksgiving and Christmas species I mentioned before. Just as the name suggests, Easter cacti typically bloom in spring, right around Easter time.

All the holiday cacti actually come from the tropics of South America, where they grow naturally on trees — how cool is that? Because of this, they share another common name besides "holiday cacti" — they're also called "jungle cacti."

An Easter cactus looks a lot like its holiday cousins, but there are definitely ways to tell them apart. The easiest? Just check when it blooms! Easter cacti bloom in spring — you'll see buds forming as early as February, with flowers from March through May. Christmas and Thanksgiving cacti bloom in late fall or winter, with Thanksgiving ones typically blooming about a month before the Christmas varieties.

Beyond bloom time, another way I tell them apart is by looking at the edges of their leaf segments. As I mentioned before, Christmas cacti have smooth, rounded edges and Thanksgiving cacti have pointy, jagged ones. Easter cacti? They have these cute little bristles along the edges of their leaf segments. Their flowers tend to be more star-shaped too, but in the same gorgeous shades as all three — reds, pinks, and purples, with some cultivars blooming in pure white.

All three holiday species generally enjoy the same growing conditions: shorter days and longer stretches of uninterrupted darkness to encourage flowering, plus well-drained soil. One thing I always watch out for, especially with Easter cacti, is watering. They're particularly sensitive to overwatering and it can really do a number on them. My advice — wait until the soil in the pot is completely dry before giving it a drink.

Whether you're team Easter, Christmas, or Thanksgiving cactus, all three bring such vivacious, tropical beauty into your home — they really add a festive touch throughout the holiday seasons._____________________________________________________Make sure your garden flourishes this spring with the Spring Gardening Digital Value Pack — I've found it really helpful.

Discover how to keep your houseplants thriving with tips from Smart Gardening Techniques: Houseplants and Houseplants 2 — they're wonderful resources.

I also love watering with the eco-friendly Eco Watering Spouts — they come in fun lime green, hot pink, and orange shades that brighten up any plant corner.

Still scratching your head over plant IDs? The A to Z of Plant Names will have you naming plants with confidence in no time.

Want to create stunning succulent container gardens, including other cacti? Succulent Container Gardens shows you exactly how — I keep coming back to it.