Why should the poinsettias get all the attention this time of year? The holiday cactus aren’t bashful. Thanksgiving and Christmas cactus are ready to help you celebrate the holidays. These show stoppers have brash, bold flowers in flamboyant colors.

Holiday cactus are easy-to-grow plants. They’re suitable for everyone. They’re commonly grown as year-round houseplants.

Just so there is no confusion, let’s look at the Latin names. Formerly these plants were typically referred to as Zygocactus. Now most books call them Schlumbergera, but there isn’t agreement on the names of the different species.

The Thanksgiving cactus is often referred to as Schlumbergera truncata. The Christmas cactus, (Schlumbergera bridgesii or Schlumbergera russelliana, depending on your source), usually blooms somewhat later than Thanksgiving cactus.

Some of the plants we find for sale in stores will be the Thanksgiving cactus, but most will be hybrids, probably of Schlumbergera bridgesii. This means we may not really know what we are buying unless it is clearly labeled.

One way you can sometimes tell is to look at the stems. In comparison to Schlumbergera truncata, Schlumbergera bridgesii stems will be smaller and have smooth edges. Those of Schlumbergera truncata tend to have fleshy spikes on the edges, which explains why they’re sometimes called crab-cactus.

Though you might think all Christmas cactus are pretty much alike, this isn’t quite true. There are many selections or kinds available. The growth habit and leaf characteristics may differ from one to another.

Christmas cactus may be cascading, semi-cascading, or upright. I have a white-flowering one with a neat upright form.

The ones with upright growth habits are quite suited to dish gardens and mixed container plantings. Cascading and semi-cascading Christmas cactus are often grown in hanging baskets.

When it comes to blooms and buds, you can take your pick of the Christmas cactus. The bud and outside color of the flower can sometimes be different than that of the open flower. ‘Stephanie’ has peach-colored buds or outside color, while the blooms are orange-red. ‘Golden Dancer’ features beige buds and apricot blooms. The blooms of ‘Beach Dancer’ are golden, while the buds and outside color is salmon.

The leaves of the Christmas cactus plants vary somewhat from one cultivar to another. These may vary in size from small to large. Some have rounded foliage, while others have long, narrow leaves. ‘Alice’ is noted for its holly-like leaves.

All of these holiday cactus should be treated alike. Being native to jungles and rain forests of Brazil, they need a moist, rich soil and indirect light. Direct sun would be bad for them.

The holiday cactus bloom naturally when the days are short and the nights are long. Beginning in the fall, they need about twelve hours of darkness. Most people do this by putting them in a dark, unused room where the lights won’t be on at any time in the evening or night. I’ve found this really isn’t necessary. Mine manage to bloom around the holidays without any special attention. Others may need to provide darkness for theirs to coax them into bloom. The difference may be that I live out in the country where it is truly dark at night. No houses or streetlights are close enough to cast any light at night.