It ’s National Poinsettia Day next Thursday ( December 12th ) and to gee people up in advance and further sale at New Covent Garden Flower Market and elsewhere , houseplant styling expert Dr Susanne Lux of Stars for Europe ( SfE ) has released some insight into a plant that has played an integral theatrical role in Christmas traditions for hundred of year .
With their hotshot - mold bracts , poinsettias ( also known as the Christmas Star ) are for many people as much a part of this festive time of year as Christmas Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree , Advent calendars , gifts , and cards .
Dr Lux shares the story of how the Euphorbia pulcherrima became the world ’s preferent Christmas flora .
" The poinsettia originally come from Mexico , where it uprise as a bush up to 5 m mellow , " she say . " The Aztecs work the beautiful works , decorated temples with it , and used it to farm a dye for coloring apparel and as a medicine to reduce fever .
" It was in 1825 that a devoted amateur botanist called Joel Roberts Poinsett , who also happened to be America ’s first ambassador to Mexico became fascinated by the Holy Night Flower and start sending them home to South Carolina . A friend of Poinsett , Robert Buist , became likewise becharm , hollo the plants ' Euphorbia pulcherrima ' ( beautiful ) and started to sell them . "
By 1909 , she add , the German - born emigree , Albert Ecke , saw how the bract of wild Christmas flower around his farm turned red in December and decided he was onto a winner . He had the theme of civilize poinsettias to sell as cut flowers from his street stand in the rill - up to Christmas .
" After [ Albert ’s ] destruction in 1919 , his Word Paul I took over the family business and ground the Christmas flower as a festive symbolization under the name Christmas Star , " enunciate Dr Lux . " As early as 1920 he tried to grow Euphorbia pulcherrima in peck but former varieties were n’t suited for this eccentric of cultivation . It was n’t until the fifties that it became possible to breed varieties and from the sixties onwards , naturalize potted varieties progressively replace cut blossom . At the same time as growing poinsettias , the Ecke mob ran their own shops in Hollywood and empower a fate of time and energy into marketing activity .
" This help the poinsettia achieve huge popularity within a few years and it presently became an built-in part of American Christmas culture . The poinsettia also prove itself as a houseplant and Christmas flower in Europe from the 1950s forwards . "
Today , there are hundreds of Christmas flower variety in many colors , shapes , and size . As pot plant and cut flowers , they are an long-suffering symbol of Christmas , helping to blend ancient and advanced custom , beautify homes , and serve as thoughtful gifts . As Stars for Europe has shown over the class , they can also be used in all variety of festive DIY ideas , with cut and mini Christmas flower proving to be idealistic for originative crafter .
Christmas tree adorn with poinsettiasA decked - out Christmas tree is the quintessential festive symbolization and is hugely democratic , not just with children , tell Dr Lux . Poinsettias make the perfect living tree decorations .
" When it make out to festal Christmas interior decoration , poinsettias not only form bubbles as tree diagram decorations but also as decorations on presents and as a sea of flowers in this time of origin box used as a Christmas tree diagram resist . This is a real forestcore vogue !
With their vivid colors , they adjure up an unforgettable air and make other decorations all but redundant . "
Source : New Covent Garden Market
Frontpage pic : © Mickem | Dreamstime
