Pity the poor poinsettia! The star of holiday decorating both outdoors and indoors, it's typically tossed in the trash soon after January 1 and forgotten until around mid-November, when new poinsettias are purchased to start the cycle again. This season, we ask you to consider the poinsettia in a different way - as an intriguing perennial that adds long-term interest to your Central Florida yard. With proper care, you'll be rewarded with a thriving foliage plant that can last for many years.
"The Central Florida area is one of the best places in the country to keep this low-maintenance plant alive and thriving," writes Theresa Johnston in About Orlando . "After a few months, the colorful leaf-like bracts will begin to fade out, leaving a beautiful, full, green bushy plant with just hints of its holiday red."
The same applies to potted poinsettias used as interior decorations. These hardy plants can likewise flourish indoors, and - with the proper care - even "rebloom" with colorful, showy bracts in December.
If you're catching on that there's much more to poinsettias than a few weeks of festive red or white foliage that dresses up your front porch and foyer, keep reading!
Poinsettias - A Brief History
Although poinsettias are usually associated with snowy climates - thanks to all of those Christmas movies and greeting cards - the plant originated in Mexico. According to University of Florida IFSA Extension , the ancient Aztecs called the plant "cuetlaxóchit," using it in their fall celebrations, as well as for the production of red and purple dyes, and for medicines derived from its milky white sap.
The poinsettia's long identification with Christmas began in the 17th century, when Franciscan friars used it to decorate altars and Nativity scenes. They named the plant "flor de Nochebuena" ("Holy Night flower") because it blooms around Christmas. The festive plant's good timing also boosted its popularity throughout Latin American countries, where it goes by such names as "pastora" and "flor de Pascuas," which mean "Christmas flower."
It earned its English name in honor of Joel Roberts Poinsett, the botanist and U.S. ambassador to Mexico, who introduced it to the United States in 1825. Poinsett sent one of these exotic specimens to his friend, Robert Buist , a renowned Philadelphia botanist with the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, who exhibited the plant for the first time at a flower show in 1829. A successful floral import-export executive, Buist introduced the plant in Europe in the 1830s and christened it "Euphorbia Poinsettia." Demand for poinsettias quickly spread, and the rest is holiday history.
Currently, there are more than 150 poinsettia varieties. However, those with red, white and marbled bracts are the most popular in Florida. For those who want to make a fashion statement, other available colors include pink, fuchsia, burgundy, yellow and even purple.
Where do all these poinsettias come from? Ecke Ranch, which is based in Encinitas, California, produces over 70% of the purchased poinsettias in the U.S. The ranch accounts for almost half the market of the plant in the world!
Planting Poinsettias Outdoors
Here's one more interesting fact. In the six weeks prior to Christmas, approximately 35 million poinsettias are sold, representing about $250 million worth of sales. That's a lot of money - not to mention a lot of fine, healthy plants - that get tossed out right after Christmas. This time, consider your holiday poinsettias as an investment in your landscaping instead of disposable décor! Removing them from their pot and planting them in your yard isn't that difficult - nor is their care and maintenance.
To plant and grow poinsettias outdoors, Sydney Park Brown of University of Florida IFSA Extension provides the following instructions.
'The best potted plants for establishing in the landscape are ones that have been in good light while indoors and have retained some green and healthy leaves. Choose a sunny spot that will not receive any artificial light at night. Plant your potted poinsettia(s) as soon as danger of frost is past. Cut off the fading bracts, leaving 4-6 inches of the stem on each branch and as many green leaves as possible.
"Poinsettias prefer moist, well-drained soils with a soil pH between 5.5 and 6.5. Place the plant in the soil at the same depth it was growing in the container. Gently firm the soil around the plant and water well. Keep the plant mulched and well-watered until established. Fertilize monthly, from March to October in central and south Florida and from May to September in north Florida. Use a fertilizer with balanced amounts of nitrogen and potassium (the first and third numbers of the analysis) and low phosphorus (the middle number). Follow the application directions on the product label.
"Prune in early spring when the floral display is finished and the danger of frost has passed. Cut back to within 12 to 18 inches of the ground or to living tissue if the plant was damaged by cold. Poinsettias may become "leggy" and unattractive if not pruned regularly during the growing season. Cut back once a month, if needed, leaving four leaves on each shoot. Discontinue pruning after September 10. Flower buds will begin to develop in October. Delay or disruption of flowering will occur if fall temperatures are too warm or too cold or if the required dark period is interrupted."
Did You Know? Once out of the pot and planted in the ground, a healthy poinsettia can reach a height of 10'!
Growing Healthy Poinsettias Indoors
If you want your potted poinsettias to remain a container plant - whether indoors or out - University of Florida IFSA Extension provides the following tips :
- Set on a porch or in a window with indirect sunlight for at least 6 hours per day.
- If kept indoors, room temperatures of 65°F to 70°F are best; keep them away from cold drafts and excessive heat.
- Water thoroughly only when the surface of the soil is dry to the touch; do not water too frequently.
- Indoors, fertilize lightly only every 4-6 weeks.
- In April, when the leaves and bracts begin to deteriorate and fall off, cut the plant back and give it sun, water and fertilizer regularly.
A big challenge is to get your potted poinsettias to "reflower" the next year. For those who know your poinsettia basics, the brightly colored bracts aren't flowers - rather, they're a cluster of modified leaves. The actual flowers are small, and clustered in the center of the bracts. To encourage them to put on their holiday show, start in October by keeping them in complete darkness for at least 13-14 hours each day, and in bright light the rest of the day. After about two months - just in time for Christmas - your potted poinsettias should give you the gift of a colorful display of blooms!
By the way, the persistent myth that poinsettias are poisonous is just that - a myth! Like most plants, they contain toxins, but not in dangerously high concentrations. While some individuals are mildly allergic to their milky sap, opportunities for it to make enough contact with skin to cause a reaction are pretty slim. Our blog post - " Busting Seven Common Yard and Garden Myths " - covers this topic in greater detail.
The Take-Home Message
Decorating with poinsettias is a favorite Christmas tradition that brightens homes and helps to make the season merry. With a little care and attention, they can truly be the gift that keeps on giving to your landscape or home throughout the year, for years to come!
Of course, once those poinsettias are growing in your yard, we can take care of them - along with all of your other plants! Daniel's Lawn Care & Pressure Washing is a full-service company that provides yard maintenance, landscape design , tree installation, tree trimming, pressure washing and so much more. today so we can do the work, and you can do the enjoying! We proudly serve all of Central Florida - including Orlando, Sanford, Longwood and Lake Mary! We look forward to helping you achieve your goals and bring your vision to life!