ONE plant for me which signifies Christmas more than any other is the poinsettia, with its traditionally red, velvet-soft bracts, or modified leaves which many people believe to be its flowers.
The poinsettia has a strong association with Christmas which began in 16th century Mexico, where legend tells of a young girl who was too poor to provide a gift for the celebration of Jesus’s birthday.
The legend goes that the child was inspired by an angel to gather weeds from the roadside and place them in front of the church altar. Miraculously crimson “blossoms” sprouted from the weeds and became the beautiful poinsettia we know today, and from the 17th century, Franciscan monks in Mexico included poinsettias in their Christmas celebrations.
Poinsettia is the common name for Euphorbia pulcherrima, a species which is indigenous to Mexico, and native to the Pacific coast of the United States. The name we use comes from Joel Roberts Poinsett, who was the first United States Ambassador to Mexico, who introduced the plant into the US in 1828.
Poinsettias are semi-tropical plants that thrive in consistently warm, mild temperatures, so keep them inside, away from cold drafts and heater vents and avoid water damage by removing any decorative foil or paper and placing the pot on a saucer (poinsettias prefer moist soil to direct water).
Ideally, poinsettias require daytime temperatures of 60 to 70°F and night time temperatures around 55°F.When selecting your poinsettia, remember to choose a plant with dark green foliage down to the soil line and that the bracts coloured.
Dont buy poinsettias with a lot of green around the bract edges or choose plants with fallen or yellowed leaves: the poinsettia should look full, balanced and attractive from all sides. The plant should be 2½ times taller than the diameter of the container and not showing signs of drooping or wilting.
If the plant is wet and wilted, this could be an indication of root rot. Check the true flowers which are located at the base of the coloured bracts: if they are green or red-tipped and fresh looking the bloom will “hold” longer than if yellow pollen is covering the flowers.
Poinsettias can be kept to the following Christmas: continue normal watering of the soil until the first of April, then allow the plant to dry gradually. Do not let it get so dry at any time that the stems shrivel. Following the drying period, store the plant in a cool airy location on its side or upright.
In May, cut the stems back to about four inches above the soil, and either replant in a pot an inch or two larger in diameter or shake old soil off the roots and re-pot in the same container. After new growth appears, fertilise every two weeks with a water soluble fertiliser.
In June, leave the plant in the pot, move it outdoors, and place it in a lightly shaded location. Continue watering and fertilising the plant while it is outdoors. Pinch each stem (remove an inch of terminal growth) in early July.Then, between August 15 and September 1, cut or pinch the new stems back, allowing three or four leaves to remain on each shoot.
After this second pinch, bring the plant indoors and again place it near a window with a sunny exposure.Poinsettias are short-day plants, which means they flower about 10 weeks after the daylight shortens to about 12 hours or less.
Therefore, to have the plant in full flower by Christmas, keep it in complete darkness between 5pm and 8am from the first part of October until early November. During this period, any kind of light exposure between 5pm and 8am will delay flowering.Remember to put the plant near a sunny window in the daytime and continue feeding the plant until mid-December.