The lovely hol iday poinset t ia has come a long way f rom a rangy wi ld state in i ts nat ive Mexico where it can achieve a height of 6’–8’. South Carol inian Joel Poinsett, an avid amateur botanist and the first ambassador to Mexico, spotted the plant growing in Taxco, Mexico, around 1825. He introduced the plant to the U.S. by sending cuttings to plantsmen and botanic gardens. Bartram’s Garden, the oldest American botanic garden, introduced the plant to the horticulture trade at the first Philadelphia Flower Show in 1829 where it generated much interest.

However, not until the 1900s did the poinsettia become a pot ted plant marketed as the Christmas plant.

One family of plantsmen is credi ted wi th br inging the poinsettia into the home for the holidays. The Ecke Fami ly Ranch in California bred and selected the first portable potted poinsettias. Breeding produced cultivars with many other colors than the traditional red bracts or modi f ied leaves including crème, whi te, yel low, purple, pink, peach, even spotted and marbled bracts.

Festive bract colors make poinsettias the best selling holiday plant. The Ecke family persuaded television shows like “The Tonight Show” and “The Bob Hope Chr istmas Specials” to decorate their sets with poinsettias. Consumers demanded the plants to decorate their homes as well. Today, 75% of holiday poinset t ias come from Ecke enterprises.

How can you insure your poinsettias last during the hol iday season and beyond?

• Place the plant in indi rect br ight natural l ight of a window away from drafts, cold panes, or heat.

• Room temperatures from 60º–70ºF are ideal.

• Water only when the top soil surface feels dry. Do not let roots rest in wet saucers.

This year’s plant can rebloom again next Christmas. • Do not fertilize while in bloom.

Af ter the hol idays, cont inue to enjoy the plant’s color ful bracts until Valentine’s Day. By March or April when bracts begin to fade, cut stems back to 6”. The plant will look unsightly in i ts rest per iod but eventual ly new growth will appear if kept near a sunny window. As soon as nighttime temperatures allow, take the plant outdoors to bask in the warmth. Water regularly during the growth period. Feed monthly wi th a water soluble houseplant fertilizer during spring, summer, and fall.

By June transplant to the next size larger pot. In fal l br ing the plant indoors before nighttime temperatures dip below 60ºF.

Poinset t ias are a shor t–day plant , which means they set thei r f lower when the nights get longer. By the start of October plants need to be in total darkness 14 hours each night with only six to eight hours of bright light. Plants will rebloom in time for the holidays only if the critical darkness per iod is adhered to. A closet is a common place homeowners use for the darkness period of eight to ten weeks.

Joel Poinsett is credited with introducing the poinsettia to the U.S.when he was ambassador to Mexico. An act of Congress proclaimed that December 12 is National Poinsettia Day. Celebrate by giving the Chr istmas plant to colleagues, confidants, and kin.
Bracts are the colorful modified leaves of the plant. The center contains yellow and green inconspicuous flowers.
Some garden centers stock a tree–like form of poinsettia simi lar to the natural shrub growing wild in Mexico.