You've got to love a plant that thrives on neglect. Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera x buckleyi) isn't quite as drought tolerant as your average desert plant, but it is forgiving, and it actually holds onto its flowers better in cool temperatures than hot. So it makes a great houseplant. It doesn't even need to be coaxed into blooming, the way poinsettias do. Give it a bright sunny spot to strut its stuff and you have a holiday plant that keeps on giving.

It's easy to start new Christmas cactus from cuttings. The leaves practically root themselves. My one word of caution concerns cats. Don't worry, they're not poisonous. To the contrary, Christmas cactus seem to be cat candy. Leaves disappear one by one, until the plant is a sorry looking fraction of its former self. So keep the squirt gun handy as deterrence. Here are some more tips on caring for Christmas cactus.

Photo: Meve13/stock.xchng.

Forsythia set their buds on 1-year old branches and begin to do so shortly after flowering. That's why you need to get out there and prune your forsythia early; late summer or fall pruning will remove next year's flower buds. So it follows that a fall blooming will also have some impact on next spring's flowering. However, late season flowering is usually not extensive. The weather seems to change before the whole shrub bursts into bloom, so there is still reason to expect a decent show come spring.

Similarly spring flowering bulbs will sometimes sprout in late fall. While it's an unfortunate use of the bulbs stored energy and it will probably cause a less spectacular display than you might hope for, at least some of the bulbs should rejuvenate and bloom again.

Gardeners who've already experienced a cold winter can start cutting branches of forsythia to force as early as next month. That is, if you can make it through the snow and ice.

Mulching may not be on your list of things to do this time of year, if you live in a cold climate. But you might want to rethink that. Winter mulching makes sure that the plants you put to bed in the fall don't wake up before they're supposed to. It also helps them conserve whatever water remains in the soil during winter. And speaking of soil, winter mulch makes sure that all the things you added to your soil last season don't just wash away. Winter mulching is about keeping the ground cold, not warm. The hard part is knowing when to do it. But for you lucky gardeners buried under a foot or two of snow, nature has taken care of that for you.

Photo: © Marie Iannotti

I know that just about the last thing on anyone's mind in December is gardening, no matter where you live. But just in case you need to get outdoors to clear your head of all those lists and too much eggnog, here are a few garden chores that can be done now, without taking too much time from your festivities. And if you're lucky enough to have plenty of evergreens and berries in your yard, now if a good time to prune and have them do double duty as decorations. Happy December Gardening!

Photo: © Marie Iannotti