The Christmas rose needs almost no care. It will not harm the ornamental plant, also known as the snow rose or Christmas rose, if you simply let it grow in peace. Of course you can cut the Christmas rose if you think it makes sense. It's not really necessary.
Should you cut the Christmas rose?
Christmas roses do not require pruning, but can be pruned after flowering if necessary to remove wilted leaves or dead flowers. When caring for it, it is important to always wear gloves as the plant is poisonous.
Cutting back Christmas roses outdoors
The Christmas rose is completely undemanding in terms of care. It basically doesn't require any pruning. If dead flowers and wilted leaves bother you very much, you can of course remove them.
Cut off wilted leaves as deeply as possible. Wait until after flowering to prune the snow rose more vigorously. Then cut off all the spent inflorescences close to the ground.
You should not cut the green leaves so that the snow rose can gather strength for the next flowering period in the current gardening year. If you accidentally cut off too many leaves, it's no big deal. The Christmas rose develops new leaves quite quickly.
Prevent leaf disease by cutting back
You can prevent leaf disease by cutting off wilted leaves or leaves that are too close together. However, this disease only occurs very rarely in the robust Christmas rose if the location is right.
Cut Christmas rose as a cut flower
Christmas roses with long stems are suitable for the vase. Unfortunately, the beautiful flowers don't last long indoors. Without special care they will wither after a week.
You will have more of your Christmas rose bouquet for longer if you treat the cut snow roses as follows beforehand:
- Cut the stem crosswise with a knife
- Alternatively, pierce several times with a needle
- Put the stems in lukewarm water for some time
- Only then arrange as a bouquet of flowers
- Change water daily
- Keep the vase cooler at night
By piercing or crossing the stem a few centimeters below the flower, the flower can absorb water better.
Float the flowers in a bowl of water
The flowers of the Christmas rose will last even better if you don't put them in the vase, but rather keep them floating on water.
To do this, the stems are shortened to one centimeter below the flower. Then place the flower heads in a bowl filled with water.
Here, too, you should change the water every day if possible to extend the life of the flowers.
Always wear gloves when cutting
Because the snow rose is so poisonous, you should never touch it with your bare hands. The plant sap can cause nasty inflammation on the skin.
Use disposable gloves that you discard after use. Don't forget to thoroughly clean the scissors and tools used to cut the Christmas rose.
Tips & Tricks
Christmas roses reproduce themselves through seeds. If you want to prevent it from spreading, you should cut back the spent snow rose flowers in good time. This will prevent the flower from seeding itself.
