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Many who have holiday plants will do as they do with the Christmas tree; throw it out when it begins to look tacky. However, if you take care of some plants they can give you cheer during the darkest part of the winter and beyond.

When Deb Brown, retired Extension Horticulturist at the U of M, wrote on indoor plants, she separated plants that will bloom for a short time and those that last for months. Mums and azaleas can last about three weeks if kept in a relatively cool place, while greenhouse growers have developed plants that are adapted to grow under ordinary home conditions and from one season to another.

There are many new and beautiful varieties of poinsettias. To keep a poinsettia looking good for a long time, begin with a robust plant. It should have many large well-colored bracts or petals surrounding the little gold flowers at the tip of each stem.

Once you get it home, be sure the foliage receives some direct sunlight everyday. Don't leave them in a dark location for more than a day or two at a time. Water thoroughly whenever the soil surface begins to dry. The leaves will curl and yellow if you allow the plant to wilt repeatedly.

After about six weeks begin a light fertilization program. If you are up to the challenge you can put the plant outdoors after frost danger, then bring it indoors in early autumn and force it into bloom again. We have repeated this procedure for up to five years with our poinsettias.

The Christmas cactus is another plant that will only bloom for two to three weeks and can be made to rebloom again for years. It comes from the humid environment of the tropical and sub-tropical forest, which gives us a clue on how it should be taken care of.

When blooming, place them in bright filtered light, rather than a sunny south-facing window. Keep the soil relatively moist at all times, fertilizing it lightly every two to three weeks. Buds will hang on better and open flowers will last longer if the warm daytime temperatures drop to 60 to 65 degrees at night. Once flowers fade, allow the soil to dry out more between watering. Put them on a porch or outdoors in partial shade once danger of frost has passed. They can be forced to bloom each year by exposing them to cool nighttime temperatures and short days after you bring them back inside.

The cyclamen is available in many colors from pure white to pink to red and fuchsia. Again, if you select a plant with many buds you can enjoy the blooms for a long time. As the older flowers fade they will be replaced with new ones.

Two important factors must be in place to keep cyclamen blooming well. They need good bright light during the day, followed by cool temperatures at night. Ideally, night temperatures should be between 50 and 60 degrees, but even a drop to 60 or 65 degrees will help. Water and fertilize as you would with the poinsettia. Getting cyclamens to rebloom is possible, but difficult, so people often discard these once the plant begins looking tacky.

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