December has arrived, which means the holidays are upon us once more. Every year at this time, as we head closer to the festivities, it gets harder and harder to bypass houseplant sections in stores. There are so many cheerful choices available for purchase that I wonder – as I’m sure many others do - how I don’t come home with dozens of delightfully decorated baskets filled with an assortment of plants.

Just last week, I took a leisurely stroll through my favourite local greenhouse. I must admit I was pleasantly surprised – and overwhelmed – by the colourful display. I almost came home with - more than I need - flowering bulbs in pretty glass bottles but managed to walk away. I nearly scooped up half a dozen Amaryllis bulbs but suppressed that urge as well. I debated buying a Cyclamen and Christmas Cactus but waved away the impulse. Alright, alright, I admit I’m not that self-disciplined. Here’s my confession: I’ve already succumbed to holiday temptation. I have two Amaryllis bulbs growing at home, which I picked up from other shops a few weeks ago. I also recently picked up a Hyacinth bulb while grocery shopping. Okay, so I’m not beyond impulsiveness.

But the point is that it is very hard not to walk out with a shopping cart heavily loaded with living green no matter where you go this time of year. An abundance of alluring holiday plants awaits you. The charmers include the popular Cyclamen, Poinsettia, Christmas Cactus, Amaryllis, Hyacinth, Kalanchoe, Norfolk Island Pine and so on. Even the tropical plants are grouped together in holiday-decorated pots and containers with a small Poinsettia or Christmas Cactus added in to sweeten the deal. How do you resist that?

With such ample variety, I’m proud of myself for managing so far not to bring home any festive baskets overflowing with attractive holiday plants I’d like nothing more than to indulge in. I’m happy to say that I have not been overly influenced by the aggressive marketing that occurs this time of year. So far I’ve picked up a very modest selection of holiday-related flora. On the other hand, I won’t mention how many non-holiday-related flora I’ve squeezed into my home. That’s where my weakness is – marketing or not. Because although I don’t cave easily to the festive selections, their colors do draw me to the section where they are and - lo and behold - that's where the good old regular houseplants are too. But I won’t get into that. The crimes are too many.

What I will get into is a time-honored plant that I can’t – or don’t want to – walk away from – the Poinsettia. Every year I pledge I won’t buy one. And every year I bring one home. For many people, including myself, getting a Poinsettia during the holidays is just as necessary as anything else needed to celebrate the season. It evokes the spirit of Christmas with its charming presence. Although I try to resist, telling myself I really don’t need one, the dark green leaves and richly-coloured bracts of this traditional beauty convince me otherwise.

So just a little while ago, this celebrated classic followed me home once again. And I have a feeling a Poinsettia or two followed many of you to your homes as well. With that in mind, let’s learn a little about this majestic plant.


A Celebrated Classic

Poinsettias are the most popular of the holiday plants and one of the most delightful decorations at Christmas. They grace dinner tables, fireplace mantles and tabletops. They are given and received as gifts by family and friends who gather together to share the season’s celebrations. For many in North America, including me, the holiday season would not be the same without the presence of these ornamental plants.

The Poinsettia, native to Mexico and Central America, has been associated with Christmas celebrations in North America since the 19th century. This beloved plant - whose botanical name ‘Euphorbia Pulcherrima’ literally means “the most beautiful Euphorbia” - is the world’s bestselling potted plant, with well over 65 million of them sold every year in the United States alone. The traditional colour choice is red but Poinsettias are available in an endless array of shades including pink, white, cream, peach, marbled, speckled, yellow and gold-splashed.

This plant that we love to decorate our homes with is named after Joel Roberts Poinsett – a scientist and botanist - who was the first United States Ambassador to Mexico, serving from 1825-1829. Poinsett sent specimens of the ‘euphorbias with red bracts’ growing wild in the hills around Taxco to his greenhouse in South Carolina for his personal collection. It is there that he began propagating and distributing ‘Poinsettias’, sharing them with friends and botanical gardens.

The newly-introduced plant flourished and a few years later Poinsettias were being sold at Christmastime in and around Philadelphia and New York. Since then, plant breeders have introduced many different cultivars from this species, producing a variety of shapes and colours, and constantly striving for smaller, longer-lasting, vigorous plants that keep their leaves longer. The Poinsettia - despite its modest beginnings – increased in popularity steadily. Today, the annual sales of cultivated Poinsettias, which are hybrids and superior varieties, exceed the annual sales of all other potted plants combined. And even more amazingly, they do it within a few short weeks before the Christmas holidays, which is the only time of the year they are available for purchase.


How The Legend Began

The Poinsettia was the Mexican Christmas flower long before Ambassador Poinsett sent specimens of it to his home in the United States. In fact, there is a very charming, legendary story of how this delightful plant came to be Mexico’s holiday flower that dates back several centuries.

A young Mexican girl by the name of Pepita wanted more than anything else to present a beautiful gift to the Christ child at Christmas Eve services one year. But being very poor, she had no ‘appropriate’ gift to offer the newborn King. Her cousin Pedro urged her to offer a modest gift rather than an extravagant one.

“Pepita” He assured her. “I am certain that even the most humble gift, when given with a loving heart, is acceptable in His eyes."

Her heart was filled with sadness rather than joy as she walked to the chapel with Pedro who continued to comfort her. In desperation, the little girl knelt and gathered a handful of weeds growing by the roadside. She fashioned them into a small bouquet and continued to walk to the chapel with her cousin. She felt ashamed and saddened as she entered the small village chapel with nothing more to offer baby Jesus than the straggly bunch of weeds in her hand.

Pepita fought back tears as she approached the altar with her humbling offer. Pedro’s kind words flowed through her mind “...even the most humble gift, when given with a loving heart, is acceptable in His eyes”. With the encouragement of her cousin’s caring words, she felt her spirit lift as she knelt down to place the bouquet at the foot of the nativity scene.

Suddenly, the ‘straggly’ collection of weeds burst into blooms of bright red, star-shaped flowers - the most brilliant and sparkling gift presented that Christmas Eve to the Christ child. All who were present that night were certain that they had witnessed a Christmas miracle. From that day on that ordinary plant came to be known as the Flores de Noche Buena (Flowers of the Holy Night) for it bloomed every year during the Christmas season.

Today the plant with the lovely star-shaped, crimson flowers is known as the Poinsettia and has become a traditional symbol of Christmas.


Caring For Your Holiday Classic

The first step to long-term enjoyment of this beauty is selecting a healthy specimen. To assure that you are purchasing a young plant, select a Poinsettia with dark, rich green foliage right down to the soil line. An older plant will have experienced excessive leaf drop and the lower stem will be bare. Do not choose a plant that has a lot of green around the bract’s edges. Take your time in the greenhouse – or wherever you are making your purchase - and select a plant with bracts that are fully developed and completely coloured. Verify the maturity of the plant by examining the flowers located in the center of the coloured bracts. If they look fresh and are green or red-tipped, the blooms will last longer. If you notice signs of (yellow) pollen production, move onto the next plant. Once pollen begins covering the flowers, the plant has begun to age and the bracts will start to fade.

When you’ve decided on a few plants that appeal to you, draw them out of the crowded display and place them on the floor in front of you with enough space between each one to view them properly. Walk around them and select the Poinsettia that looks the most balanced, full and attractive from all sides. (Although it’s best to avoid purchasing a Poinsettia from jam-packed displays – crowding can cause premature bract loss – it’s almost impossible to avoid it with the number of holiday plants that the stores pack for maximum sales.)

Pick up the preferred Poinsettia and inspect it carefully. It should have stiff stems, healthy-looking bracts and be about 2 ½ times taller than the diameter of the container. There should be no fallen leaves inside the pot, no yellowing foliage and no signs of drooping or wilting. Smell the soil. It should have that healthy, earthy scent rather than an offensive odor. Make sure it is not overly-dry or overly-drenched. If the soil is soaked and the plant is wilting, even slightly, this could be an indication of root rot.

And last but definitely not least, before heading for the cash register, rule out any possibilities of pest infestations. You don’t want unwanted guests hitching a ride home with you and invading any other established plants you own. Don’t debate bringing a new plant home if there’s ‘just a small infestation’, convinced you can extinguish it. That minor pest infestation can explode into a major problem with the constant warm temperatures of your home’s indoor environment and the absence of natural predators to keep the bugs at bay.

When examining, look for mottled, chewed or discolored leaves, sticky secretion, fine webbing and overall poor health. Check leaf axils, the undersides of leaves, bud clusters and up and down stems for the most commonly-encountered pests on houseplants – spider mites, mealybug, scale, whitefly, aphids and thrips. Never check only the tops of leaves. Most insects live on the underside of the foliage. Inspect the soil as well for ‘dirt’ dwellers such as fungus gnats, springtails, sowbugs, pillbugs and millipedes.

Once you’ve purchased that healthy, pest-free Poinsettia and transported it safely to your home (see Getting Houseplants Home Safely), remove the paper or plastic sleeve, which will make the plant deteriorate quickly.

(Incidentally, it is better not to purchase a Poinsettia that has been sitting for long periods on a store’s shelf wrapped in plastic or paper funnels. That wrapping is used to prevent stalk breakage while the plant is shipped from the greenhouse where it’s grown to the retail store where it’s sold. Ethylene gas produced by the plant can accumulate within the sleeve and cause leaves to turn yellow and drop prematurely, sometimes before the holiday season is over.)

Your holiday plant loves high levels of light, so find a spot for it near a sunny window, which will provide at least six hours per day of indirect sunlight. The more light your Poinsettia receives, the longer it will last inside your home. In low light areas, this beauty will not hesitate to shed its leaves.

Keep your Poinsettia away from hot or cold drafts caused by radiators, air conditioners or open doors and windows. Place your plant in a warm room; it is extremely sensitive to the cold. Average room temperatures will suffice. If you are comfortable inside your home, so is your plant. To extend the blooming period, move the plant to a cooler place at night (never below 16°C / 60°F) if possible and move it back to warmer temperatures during the day.

Poinsettias are happiest when the soil is moderately moist – not too wet and not too dry. Water thoroughly when the soil is fairly dry and make sure to discard any excess water that collects in the saucer the pot sits in. Never leave the plant standing in water, which will lead to root rot. Poinsettias are undeniably susceptible to rot from over watering but they will also shed a great number of leaves if chronically under watered. Water carefully and do not fertilize during the blooming period.

The Poinsettia can retain its beautiful display for weeks if not months inside your home. The longevity of your plant’s attractiveness and its ability to last through the Christmas season and beyond will depend mainly on what type of care you provide.


After The Holidays

Sadly, most Poinsettias are treated as temporary gift plants and kicked to the curb once the bracts begin to age and the aesthetical appeal is lost. But Poinsettias are far from being temporary. They can be kept for a long time as an attractive foliage plant and - with proper care, dedication and a little luck - be encouraged to re-bloom for the next year’s holiday season.

By late March or early April, your Poinsettia will have lost its charming holiday blooms and begin to look tired. Cut the plant back to about 6-8 inches, continue watering regularly and feed with an all-purpose fertilizer. Vigorous new growth should appear by the end of May. Pruning may be required during the summer to keep plants bushy and compact, but do not prune after September 01st. If you prefer a shorter plant with more flowers, pinch out the growing tips at 3 to 4 week intervals – depending on how quickly your plant grows - to encourage branching.

After the danger of frost has passed and night temperatures do not drop below 12° C / 55º F, you can place your plant outside to enjoy the warmth of the spring and summer. Continue with regular watering during this growth period and fertilize your plant every 2 to 3 weeks right up until the fall.

(Note: If you are keeping your plant indoors, as I always do, keep it in a very bright location near a window and provide the same care as you would to a plant spending the summer outdoors)

At the beginning of June, repot your Poinsettia into a slightly larger pot with fresh soil that drains well. Plants outdoors can be grown in full sun but should be gradually acclimatized to it. Make sure you protect your plant from strong winds to avoid damage to the foliage. In the fall season, starting October 01st, check the Poinsettia for pests and diseases, bring it indoors and place it in a sunny location, preferably a southern window. During this period, your plant’s growth will begin to slow down as it begins the flowering process, so reduce fertilization.
The Poinsettia, like the Christmas cactus, requires substantial periods of continuous darkness every night in order to be able to flower and produce its colourful bracts. If you want blooms in time for the holiday season, you must provide 14 hours of continuous darkness every night for 8 to 10 weeks, beginning no later than the first week of October. A Poinsettia’s natural flowering period does not occur until the nights are longer than the days. That’s why when autumn arrives and the days start to get shorter, the plant begins the flowering process.

Shield your Poinsettia from any light sources starting from about 5 in the evening to 8 o’clock in the morning. You can accomplish this by placing it in a dark room or inside a closet (remember to move it back in the sun in the morning). It is important to understand that this plant must not receive any light at night during this period or the flowering may not occur. Poinsettias are extremely sensitive to this. No light means no light, none – not even the subtle glare of a street light. For added insurance, you can successfully accomplish complete darkness by placing a large cardboard box over the plant in the early evening for at least 12 hours. Remove the cover in the morning and place the plant back in the sun. Continue the ‘complete darkness’ ritual until there is definite colour on the floral bracts and they are almost fully expanded.

There’s no doubt that the flowering process of this colourful symbol of the Christmas season requires dedication and patience. But when your Poinsettia is in full bloom come the holidays, adorning your home with its brilliant tracts, the detailed care and added pampering will have been well worth the effort.


Poinsettias And Hydroculture

Albeit a great candidate for hydroculture, converting a Poinsettia to this alternative system is not for the faint of heart. The plant will drop all its leaves and bracts, leaving you with a bare stem, within a few days after you have begun the transfer from soil to pellets. Although somewhat alarming, the Poinsettia handles the conversion process by literally starting all over again. For those of you intent on moving your Poinsettia into the hydroculture system, I suggest waiting until after the holidays, preferably when spring is approaching. By waiting until then, you’ll get to enjoy your plant in its full glory during the festive season and begin the conversion process when it begins to look worn out and in need of pruning either way. That way, the dramatic response to the conversion will be much less shocking.

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