Poinsettias

Red poinsettia as a focal point of a holiday vignette in my home

Nothing speaks to me more about the holidays than poinsettias. They are best thought of as a growing plant in the same niche as a floral bouquet, bought for color and discarded when they begin to look a bit tired.

Through trial and error I have learned to buy and bring them home on a day where the temperature are minimally at freezing and rush them indoors. Once there I check the soil. If at all moist I forego watering until it dries out completely and then flood it in the sink having removed the foil pot cover and allowing it to drain. Depending on the dryness of the air in your home and temperatures, poinsettia will last through January.

Poinsettia can cause contact dermatitis if you are exposed to the white sap as they are euphorbias. They are also poisonous to pets.



Photo Credit: Megan Bame
There is just something so wrong with spraying poinsettias every color in the rainbow. Some growers even ad glitter.
 

Poinsettias come in shades of green, white, pink, and red, and mottled combinations of these. Most other colors start out as whites and have paint sprayed on to achieve all the colors of the rainbow.