A common holiday houseplant is the Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera bridgesii). I've had readers complain that their Christmas cactus bloomed closer to Thanksgiving. That's because it's not a Christmas cactus! What they probably have is the Thanksgiving or crab cactus (Shlumbergera truncata). The easiest way to tell the difference is to buy the plant in bloom. However, if you purchase your cactus when not in bloom, check to see if there are pointed or hooked spears on the front end of the leaf-like stem segments. If so, it's a Thanksgiving cactus. Christmas cacti have smooth stem segment margins.
All Schlumbergera enjoy bright indirect light, almost constantly moist but not soggy soil, and a bi-monthly feeding. Withholding watering in the fall encourages the plant to set flower buds. You can force your cactus to bloom again in the spring this way, though there will be fewer flowers.
One of my favorite plants, and I believe underutilized, is the flowering maple (Abutilon). Since they are hardy only to Zone 8, I grow them as garden annuals in the summer, and then move the best plant indoors in the fall to enjoy all winter long. Though not a maple at all, the leaves resemble those of maple trees, thus the common name. Striking as the leaves are, the crepe-paper hibiscus-like flowers in red, pink, yellow, or salmon shades are the real attraction for me.
If happy, a flowering maple should be constantly in bloom. They prefer bright light, moist soil, cool nights and warm days, and are very heavy feeders. They will drop their lower leaves if deprived of nutrients. I like to apply a generous scoop of a slow-release houseplant fertilizer, like Osmocote, to the pot to ensure constant feeding.
Though I have kept flowering maple plants for years, I rarely bother any more. They are very easy to start from seed, requiring no special treatment to germinate. Simply plant the seeds in any good potting mix and keep moist until germination occurs. The plants grow fairly rapidly, and are usually ready to plant out about a month after sprouting. Seed is available from Thompson and Morgan (http://www.thompson-morgan.com) or Park Seed (http://www.parkseed.com).
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