Poinsettia Care and Design for an Elegant Holiday Season
With the exception of Christmas trees, poinsettias are the most quintessential holiday plant. These stunning plants originated in Mexico and were introduced to the United States by Joel Roberts Poinsett. They gained popularity in the early 1900s as holiday plants due to their green foliage and lovely crimson bracts (modified leaves).
When properly grown and cared for, any poinsettia can last with ease through the holiday season and beyond. At Roger’s Gardens, we offer only the highest quality poinsettias and will provide you with the best tips on how to care for your plants, plus some wonderful ideas for decorating with them!
Choosing a Healthy, Happy Poinsettia
We have all seen it: the sad, stringy grocery store poinsettia that snaps in three places the moment it gets through your door. Even if they survive through transportation, most poinsettias will begin to show signs of stress when they arrive home. This is because the majority of poinsettias grown in North America are grown in high-temperature greenhouses pumped with artificial light and humidity to produce colorful plants as quickly as possible. These strategies may produce plants quickly and inexpensively, but they result in a noticeably brittle and thin-stemmed plant that will struggle to last through the holiday season.
At Roger’s Gardens, we do things differently. We source our poinsettias through one dedicated, fourth generation poinsettia grower in San Diego County who focuses on producing the best poinsettias in the country, the old-fashioned way. Because our poinsettias are grown in low heat and naturally lit conditions, they have thicker and stronger stems with larger blooms. Most of our poinsettias contain three, four, five, or seven individual rooted plants, meaning when you buy through Roger’s Gardens, you are getting bigger, fuller poinsettia plants that will make it home easily and not suffer from a sudden change of environment!
Decorating with Poinsettias
Once you get your poinsettias home, you can do the fun part—decorating! Whether you opt for the traditional potted poinsettias flanking your front door or fireplace, or want to try something a bit more creative, you can rest assured poinsettias will brighten up your space and bring instant cheer. Consider arranging them artfully around your Christmas tree in wrapped boxes or even creating a pyramid of poinsettias as a tree replacement.
If you’re feeling adventurous and don’t have plans to replant your poinsettia once the holidays are over, you can use them as a stunning cut flower. Include your poinsettia blooms in floral centerpieces, place them in floral tubes—and tuck them into wreaths or garlands, or place individual stems in vignettes around your home.
How to Take Care of Your Poinsettia
Poinsettias are tropical plants first and foremost, so the most important thing to remember in caring for your poinsettia indoors or outdoors is to keep them warm. They’ll be much happier away from chilly windows and drafty areas, preferring plenty of sun and temperatures of 65–70 degrees. They also require regular watering; when the surface of the soil feels dry, it’s a good idea to give them another drink. Just be careful not to let their roots sit in water, and be sure any saucer under the plant is not holding water.
Keeping Your Poinsettias Alive
Until Next Year
When the holidays have passed and the Christmas trees are turned into kindling, poinsettias are often thrown out as well. While most prefer to source fresh plants each season, adventurous gardeners may delight in knowing how to take care of their poinsettia outside throughout the year. Our climate here in Orange County is perfect for poinsettias, and they will acclimate and continue to flower until March or April if routinely watered. Their blooms may change color or fade, but they are unique plants that will make quite the conversation starter. Plant in organic potting mix with a spring-fall all purpose fertilizer for the best results.
If you would like to persuade your poinsettias to rebloom the following year, it is possible—although we’ll warn you, blooms won’t always align perfectly with the holidays, like your purchased plants! Starting October 1st, keep your poinsettia in light for 10 hours a day with 6 hours of direct light and the rest in indirect light, and total darkness for the remaining 14 hours. This usually means moving the plant every day into a fully dark closet or putting a box over the plant. Even the light of the moon or a night light can disrupt the photoperiod and prevent blooming, so be careful! With some luck and a great deal of care, your poinsettia will rebloom in time for Christmas.
At Roger’s Gardens, we take the quality of our product, and your success, very seriously and are proud to only offer the best. When you visit us in Orange County and shop our fresh poinsettias for sale, you will see the difference for yourself.
For more information, view: Roger’s Exclusive Poinsettias