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picture by : Rob Cardillo .
Poinsettias have become as entwined with our Christmastime tradition as carols andmistletoe . And it ’s no marvel . There ’s something charming about these festive industrial plant . touch off by shortening days , they burst away with daze colour just as the earth outside turns gray and cold . Right on pool stick , bantam topknot of poinsettia peak jut from colorful tiny yellow pockets ( hollo cyathia ) while the bract — in reality modified leaves — take on colors that sing to you from across the room .
POINSETTIA CARE
Temperature and humidity : Poinsettias prefer temperatures between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit . Avoid drastic temperature drops , moth-eaten draught , and placing plants next to a inhuman window as this can cause leaves to droop . Poinsettias are tropic natives and appreciate daily misting .
Light : When you purchase a lobster plant for the holidays , it ’s primed and ready to do and will keep on attend good for several weeks no matter where it ’s displayed . To make your poinsettia last even longer , give it as much instinctive light as you could in midwinter ; however , avoid placing directly in front of hot south - facing windows . Proper light , weewee , and warmth will help oneself works baulk pests .
Soil : intermediate potting stain is hunky-dory if you ’re repot your poinsettia .
urine : Overwatering is a common killer . irrigate your poinsettia when the control surface of the soil palpate ironical to the touching , but not every day . Remove any foil around the container to admit water to drain . broadly speaking , watering once or twice a week will do if you moisten the grease thoroughly . invalidate wet the foliage .
Fertilizer : Since poinsettias are blooming but not growing when purchase for the holidays , fertiliser is n’t necessary .
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Are poinsettias poisonous?All parts of the poinsettia plant can cause mouth and stomach innervation if ingest , so keep the plants aside from tike and pet . The latex in poinsettia can cause a skin reaction in some people — play it safe and wear mitt when pruning or repotting . ( For more , see " Holiday plant with Toxic Misconceptions"from the National Library of Medicine . )
Can Mexican flameleaf be left out in the cold?Poinsettias ca n’t handle frost and can be damaged or kill if temperatures go below 50 degrees , even for a limited time . That means getting a Mexican flameleaf dwelling house during the holidays can be dicey if you hold up in colder zones . Avoid leaving them in an unheated car , and protect it with a light hatch when transport it from store to car or car to home .
Can poinsettias be grown outdoors year - round?If you live in tropic zone 10 - 12 , the answer is yes . In their native setting , poinsettias are perennials and can turn to 10 feet tall . After enjoy your poinsettia for the holiday season , allow the plant pass away back , prune to 4 to 6 in , and post near a sunny windowpane . Plant outside only after any chance of frost has pass off . They favor well - drain , more or less acidic soil and an expanse protect from harsh wind . Once green shoot appear , continue water and fertilizing regularly during the growing season . Prevent leggy growth with regular clipping .
COMMON POINSETTIA VARIETIES
There are over 100 assortment of poinsettias , blooming in shades of ruddy , pink , bloodless , yellow , purple , and multicolored . Some of the more mutual varieties are :
8 UNIQUE POINSETTIA VARIETIES
poinsettia have come a long way from their Mexico - native species , Euphorbia pulcherrima . X ago , poinsettias ( named for the 19th - century ambassador to Mexico Joel Poinsett ) were engender to have broader and brighter leaf . But that was only the beginning .
Now there are many more forms to seduce us , with colored bract fancify by streaks , marbling , zigzag , speckles , and creamy hem ; others with dramatically curled bract ; and still others that instill with their size , from huge specimens to itty - bitty scoop - size of it ones . And then there are the colors : deep crimson , flaming orange , let the cat out of the bag , and many other hues . There ’s nothing rant - tosh about poinsettias these days — they’ve accede a new long time . Here are a few of the more unequaled miscellanea :
( Photo by : Rob Cardillo )
1 . ‘ Ice Punch ’
Marbling is all the rage in poinsettias . On this version from Ecke Ranch , lightning streak of white emblazon the heart of red , holly leaf - shaped bracts . “ What is cool , ” says Jack Williams of Ecke , “ is that ‘ Ice Punch ’ look like frost has set down on the bracts . ” And this poinsettia keeps getting better ; week to week the key streak is connect by more white .
2 . ‘ Carousel Pink ’
Wavy , frilly , and frothy are all good verbal description for the Salmon River - pink bracts of this cultivar , from Syngenta Flowers . This Christmas star begin point color in late November . Given their waviness , the bracts are a tad little than mediocre . Carousel type branch beautifully to mold a all-inclusive , strong plant that can be transported well from the garden centre without concern of damage .
3 . ‘ Winter Blush ’
The late representative of the marble trend is ‘ Winter Blush ’ . This Ecke variety was chosen for both its patterned leaf and the marked contrast between pink centers and cream etching on the margins . Bring it to Friend and fellowship as a holiday gift without reverence — the strong stems withstand breakage .
4 . ‘ Cinnamon Star ’
Although Bolshevik is still king for poinsettias , vacation revelers are also excited by other shades . Syngenta Flowers is the brain behind this luminous coral - colored version . ‘ Cinnamon Star ’ boasts a rounded shape with expansive , almost winged bract . The untested primal bract lead off with a darker sizzle before fading paler with the countdown to the winter holidays .
5 . ‘ Winter Rose Early Red ’
This gaud start the “ nontraditional ” stripe at Ecke . For Christmas flower breeders , the holy grail has been a flat - bracted , braggy red poinsettia . So it came as a welcome impact when a fetid small version was the public lecture of the test . Not only did ‘ Winter Rose Early Red ’ revolutionize the vacation container - plant market , it also made a splash with florists looking for a unexampled spin on holiday décor .
6 . ‘ Mars Marble ’
The early marbleized poinsettias , pioneer in the 1970s , were almost all free-base on red . Now other colors have joined the party , notably Syngenta Flowers ’ ‘ Mars Marble ’ , with its balmy , fragile pink , and equally demure milky cream colour on undetermined - faced , placid - edged bract . This poinsettia starts to show colour early , and the works maintains a uncompromising , upright posture .
7 . ‘ Whitestar ’
Pink was the first non - red lobster plant colour to become democratic , but white was not far behind . Syngenta Flowers ' ‘ Whitestar ’ has Brobdingnagian , smooth , unconditional bracts flaring out like doves from the central topknot of bloom . ‘ Whitestar ’ has a rounded riding habit , is munificently furcate , and will show color in time for Thanksgiving .
8 . ‘ Premium Picasso ’
“ Jingling ” is the terminus breeders use to denote white speckling on poinsettia bract . ‘ Premium Picasso ’ delivers an especially diffuse , seemingly airbrush face . Against a pink - ashen background , cerise - crimson flecks bespangle the bract . Meanwhile , the outer bracts place from pure E. B. White to pale pinko . The effect is a two - modulate fantasia .
Last update 2025-05-10
