Green Thumb Tuesday: Purchasing a Healthy Poinsettia

Poinsettias ( Euphorbia pulcherrima ), originally from Mexico and Central America, are by far the most popular holiday flower. They are actually the largest flowering-pot crop in the U.S., selling 63 million plants a year. Poinsettias are named after Joel Roberts Poinsettia, botanist and first U.S. Ambassador to Mexico. He brought the plants home to his plantation in Greenville, South Carolina and gave them as gifts to all his friends. Contrary to popular myth, poinsettias are not deadly poisonous (if you were to eat enough of them you would get sick), but they are extremely susceptible to cold and frost; make sure to have them well wrapped and take them directly into your home. Do not leave them in your car while you holiday shop!

When buying poinsettias always select healthy plants. Look for lots of flowers and dark green leaves. The showy, colored parts of the poinsettia “flowers” are actually colored leaves and bracts. The much less conspicuous, small, greenish flowers sit in the center of the bracts. Do not select plants that are brown around the edges or dry. The “flowers” will remain full for several weeks, sometimes even until Valentine's Day. Keep the plants in a sunny room but not near a furnace vent or a fireplace; high temperatures will shorten the life of the colorful bracts. Temperatures between 60 –70 degrees are perfect.. Water the plants thoroughly; let the soil dry before watering again. Poinsettia plants may be moved outside after all danger of frost has passed. Place in a sunny area that gets afternoon shade and fertilize once a month with a houseplant fertilizer.

Western Pennsylvania Conservancy uses poinsettias to decorate their headquarters in downtown Pittsburgh for the holiday season.

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