Poinsettia Hot Tips

The Poinsettia, often referred to as the Christmas Plant, was first brought to the USA from its native land of Mexico, in 1825 by the first ambassador Joel Robert Poinsett.  The botanical name for the poinsettia is Euphorbia pulcherriama meaning "very beautiful".

Joel Roberts Poinsett was the first United States Ambassador to Mexico being appointed by President Andrew Jackson.  At the time of his appointment, Mexico was involved in a civil war.  In 1825 he found a beautiful shrub with large red flowers growing next to a road.  He took cuttings from the plant and brought them back to his greenhouse in South Carolina.

Even though Poinsett had an outstanding career as a United States Congressman and as an ambassador he will always be remembered for introducing the poinsettia into the United States.  By an act of Congress, December 12 was proclaimed as a National Poinsettia Day.  The date commemorates the death of Joel Roberts Poinsett.

In the early 1900's the Ecke family of southern California grew poinsettias outdoors for use as landscape plants and as a cut flower.  Eventually the family grew poinsettias in greenhouses and today are recognized as mainstreaming poinsettias into a holiday tradition.

Today with the multitude of colors, sizes and shapes available, poinsettias offer an abundance of holiday cheer for every decor.  They are available in a variety of sizes and prices.  By choosing  a poinsettia from America's Best Flowers Garden Center you are getting the best varieties available.  You are getting plants that have not been stored in a box or wrapped in plastic.  Poinsettias are very sensitive to leaf drop and leaf yellowing if stored in a box or in plastic for over a  few hours.  By grown here under our ideal conditions by our expert grower, you are assured of healthy, showy, and long lived plants for an enjoyable holiday season.

The actual flowers of the poinsettia plant are the golden yellow cluster (cyathias) in the center of the colored bracts that we call  flowers.  The colored bracts are actually the plants leaves that change color to atract insects in there native habitat.  

Poinsettias are not poisonous.  For over eight decades, this rumor has continued to circulate  because of one unfounded story in  1919; that an Army officer's two year old child allegedly died after eating a poinsettia leaf.  While never proved by medical or scientific fact and later determined to be hearsay, the story has taken on a life of it's own.  According to the American Medical Association's handbook of Poisonous and Injurious Plants, other than occasional cases of vomiting, ingestion of poinsettia plants has been found to produce no effect.

Transporting:  When you walk out of the store with your poinsettia, remember that the plant needs protection from the weather, especially if the temperature is freezing.  When purchased your poinsettia was placed in a sleeve for the plants protection.  Your poinsettia should not be exposed to the freezing conditions for more than a short  trip to the car.  Do not leave your poinsettia in a freezing car while you finish shopping.  If the poinsettia is chilled it may begin to drop leaves.  Immediately unwrap your poinsettia when you arrive at your destination.  Enjoy!

At Home:  Locate your plant in a spot with bright natural light.  If in a sunny location make sure the plant never dries out.  Do not place your plant in an area that is exposed to drafts, heat  from appliances, radiators or ventilation ducts.  The color of your poinsettia will last longer with temperatures not over 75 degrees during the day and not cooler than 60 degrees at night.

Important:  If the poinsettia you bring home has a pot cover or foil wrapper, pierce the bottom to allow proper drainage.  The soil should be kept moist but not wet.  After the holiday season, fertilize once a month with a water soluble fertilizer like Mir Acid.