Ancient History. Poinsettias (pronounced either ‘po-in-SET-ee-uh’ or ‘po-in-SET-uh’) are native to Mexico and were introduced to North America by Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first U.S. ambassador to Mexico, and the plants were named in his honour.
Family Ties. Members of the Euphorbiaceae (spurge) family, poinsettias are perennial flowering shrubs that can actually grow as big as ten feet tall! Take a trip to San Diego around this time of year, and you’ll be greeted by poinsettias growing outside in common suburban gardens!
Your Attention Please. A little closer to home, you’ll find potted poinsettias in shades of white, cream, yellow, red, pink and peach adorning the shelves of virtually every garden shop and grocery store alike. But a word of warning…whichever colour you decide on, choose your plant carefully. Poinsettias are very sensitive to temperature fluctuations and their leaves will drop at the slightest provocation. While the price might be right, grocery store poinsettias are often placed outside or kept in a chilly, drafty spot by the door with little care or attention from unknowing clerks. There’s nothing more disappointing than whipping off that plastic sleeve when you get it home, only to watch half the leaves fall off onto your kitchen counter.
So here are some other dos and don’ts for Picking the Perfect Poinsettia:
Do
- Look for green foliage near the bottom of the plant which shows that the plant is still healthy and hasn’t dropped any of its leaves.
- Choose a plant that has little or no yellow pollen showing on the flower clusters in the centre of the bracts. If the poinsettia is already producing pollen, a portion of its display life has been used up and plants that have shed their pollen completely will soon drop their colourful bracts. Look for a small tight green button-like flower in the centre.
- Allow your poinsettia to dry out slightly between waterings. We recommend the finger test – water only when the soil feels dry to the touch; water deeply so it drips out of the bottom of the pot and then don’t water again until that top layer of soil feels dry.
Don’t
- Buy a plant that is already wrapped in a plastic sleeve. Poinsettias naturally release ethylene gas, which will cause the leaves to drop. Plastic sleeves trap the ethylene gas and will only accelerate the leaf drop.
- Buy a poinsettia from a place that doesn’t provide plastic wrapping to get the plant from the store to the car without injury!
- Put your poinsettia near draughts or heat sources such as on top of the TV, near a fireplace or anywhere near a door.
- Place your plant in direct sunlight. If direct sun can’t be avoided, diffuse the light with a curtain or shade.
Safe to give. No, Poinsettias are not toxic!
No other consumer plant has been as extensively tested as the Poinsettia. A study at Ohio State University showed that a 50 lb child who ate 500 bracts might have a slight tummy ache. Whew! How’s that for an experiment? However, when cut, poinsettias ooze a milky sap that can irritate the skin on some people if not washed off.
Short but sweet. Okay, we won’t pretend on this on. Poinsettias are difficult to cultivate year round and re-bloom. Most people discard them after their blooms have faded (or the leaves have dropped off!) The poinsettia only blooms during short days and long nights, so if you’re ambitious and really want to try your hand at re-blooming, you’ll be facing the challenge of keeping the plant in complete darkness for 14 hours each night, for eight to ten weeks starting on October 1st. Frankly, we’d rather spend our time planting fall bulbs and planning the spring garden!
Choosing that perfect flowering Poinsettia every December is like picking out the family Christmas tree – a Christmas season tradition we look forward to every year.
Happy Holidays!
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