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Poinsettias
An Easy Way to Decorate
By Nadja Meril

Several poinsettia plants strategically placed can quickly dress up your home for the holidays. Poinsettias are the most popular potted plant sold in the United States; the majority of them are sold in the 6 weeks before Christmas.

Native to Mexico, the poinsettia was cuetlaxochitle to the Aztecs. They used the colorful leaves to create a dye for use in cosmetics and textiles and used the milky white sap the plant produces in a preparation to treat fevers.

Joel Roberts Poinsett, who served as the first U.S. ambassador to Mexico, under President Andrew Jackson, introduced the popular Christmas plant to the United States. It is told that Poinsett discovered the perennial flowering shrub growing wild in the Mexican countryside in the 1820s and brought a few cuttings back to his greenhouse in South Carolina.

Pink Peppermint COURTESY OF HOMESTEAD GARDENS

Assigned the botanical name Euphorbia pulcherrima, which means very beautiful, by German botanist Wilenow, it was given the popular name of poinsettia in honor of Joel Poinsett by historian and horticulturist William Prescott. While Poinsett went on to serve in the U.S. Congress, he is best known for introducing the poinsettia to the United States.

The colorful parts of the plant, thought of as the blossoms, are actually colored bracts, or modified leaves. Often bright red, they are now also available in variations of white and pink. The flowers are located in the center of the colored bracts.

These popular plants thrive on at least 6 hours a day of natural indirect sunlight. Avoid placing them near fireplaces, appliances, or heating ducts, where they may be exposed to drafts or excess heat. Keep the soil in which they are potted moderately moist.

A poinsettia will dress up any holiday table.

After the holidays, maintain your plants by trimming them back to 8 inches in height as the colored leaves start to fade, usually in late March. By May there should be new growth. Keep pruning the plants over the summer and move them outside as soon as the evening temperatures stay at a minimum of 55º.

The poinsettia is a photoperiodic plant. If you want colorful bracts and blooms in time for the holidays, on October 1 start putting your plants in complete darkness for 14 continuous hours each night. Either move your plants to a totally dark room or cover them with a large box overnight. During October, November, and early December, the plants require 6–8 hours of bright sunlight daily, with nighttime temperatures between 60º and 70º F. Temperatures outside this range may delay flowering. Continue watering and fertilizing normally. Follow this regime for 8 to 10 weeks and the result should be a colorful display of blooms for next year’s holiday season.