This is the garden column for use during the week beginning Nov. 28.
By Cindy Haynes
Extension Horticulturist
Iowa State University
I am always amazed at how quickly the Christmas season arrives each year. It seems like yesterday that I was passing out Halloween candy to traveling ghosts, goblins and princesses. But today, I see poinsettias in bloom and ready for sale. Maybe we can blame the earlier and earlier arrival of Christmas decorations on the poinsettia. This may be a bit far-fetched, but if the poinsettia wasn’t bred to be so easy to grow and last for months in bloom maybe we wouldn’t see it so early or expect them to last until St. Patrick’s Day.
Poinsettias weren’t always as long lasting. In fact, poinsettias haven’t always been a symbol of the upcoming holiday season. In less than a century, poinsettias have gone from being an obscure shrub native in Mexico, to a cut flower and landscape plant in California, to the number one flowering potted plant sold in the United States. In less than a generation, the traditional red poinsettia has morphed into a holiday plant available in a rainbow of colors that easily blend with any décor. Poinsettias are now pink, white, peach, plum, yellow, cranberry, marbled, spotted and can even be dyed blue. Who knows what the next generation of poinsettia breeding can bring to the holiday season decorations?
Picking the Perfect Poinsettia
In the next couple of weeks finding a poinsettia to purchase will be easy. However, choosing the best plant to last for months in your home isn’t quite as easy. Part of the trick to picking the perfect poinsettia is looking beyond the bows, baskets and pot liners. These decorations can make any plant look good, but a healthy plant will look good without decoration and last longer indoors. Healthy plants have a full complement of leaves. The leaves should be dark green and free of brown edges. The bracts (showy, colorful leaves which most people think are the flowers) should be fully colored and not damaged. Finally, check the true flowers in the center of the bracts. They should be greenish-yellow and sometimes have pollen. This means the plants are fresh and they should last a long time once you get them home.
When taking plants home, be sure to wrap them carefully to prevent injury from cold temperatures outdoors. Poinsettias can be damaged by even brief exposures to low temperatures. Transfer the wrapped plants into warm cars as quickly as possible. Once at home, unwrap plants carefully and place them in a bright, well-lit location, but away from hot and cold drafts. Ideal daytime temperatures are 60-70 F, and night time temperatures around 55-60 F are best.
Check the soil frequently to see if plants need water. Water when the surface of the soil dries out. Water thoroughly so that water runs out the bottom of the container. Discard any excess water that collects in saucers. Wait to fertilize plants in early spring – if you plan on keeping them that long.
Regardless of how early poinsettias arrive in your area this year, let’s remember this brilliantly colored plant also has a brilliant past…and future. And if it reminds us, for a long time before and after, of the joyful holiday spirit of Christmas – then by all means let’s blame the poinsettia!
Poinsettia Trivia
- Poinsettias were introduced into the United States by Joel Poinsett, our first ambassador to Mexico, in 1825.
- Dec. 12 is National Poinsettia Day.
- The showy colored parts of the poinsettia are called bracts and are technically leaves.
- Ninety percent of all poinsettias are exported from the United States.
- More than 60 million poinsettias, worth more than $200 million, are sold each holiday season.
- Almost 75 percent of Americans still prefer red poinsettias over other colors.
- Poinsettias are the most popular flowering potted plant, even though most are sold in a six-week period before Christmas.
- Poinsettias are not poisonous.
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