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picture by : Rob Cardillo .
lobster plant have become as entwine with our Christmastime tradition as carols andmistletoe . And it ’s no wonder . There ’s something magic about these festive plants . Sparked by shortening days , they burst forth with dazzling color just as the domain alfresco turns white-haired and stale . Right on cue , tiny topknots of poinsettia efflorescence jut from coloured tiny yellow pocket ( called cyathia ) while the bract — in reality modified farewell — take on colors that sing to you from across the room .
POINSETTIA CARE
Temperature and humidity : Poinsettias prefer temperature between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit . Avoid drastic temperature drop , cold draft , and placing plants next to a moth-eaten window as this can make leave of absence to droop . Poinsettias are tropic native and apprise daily misting .
Light : When you buy a Christmas flower for the vacation , it ’s undercoat and ready to execute and will keep on looking unspoiled for several weeks no matter where it ’s displayed . To make your poinsettia last even longer , give it as much natural light as you could in midwinter ; however , head off site directly in front of raging S - confront windows . Proper light , water , and warmness will help works resist pests .
Soil : intermediate potting soil is okay if you ’re repotting your poinsettia .
Water : Overwatering is a coarse killer . Water your Christmas star when the control surface of the soil feels juiceless to the touch , but not every day . slay any enhancer around the container to allow water to drain . Generally , watering once or double a week will suffice if you dampen the soil thoroughly . Avoid wetting the foliage .
Fertilizer : Since poinsettias are blooming but not growing when purchased for the holidays , fertilizer is n’t necessary .
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Are poinsettias poisonous?All component part of the Christmas flower plant can cause mouth and breadbasket annoying if ingested , so keep the plants off from child and pet . The rubber-base paint in Mexican flameleaf can make a skin chemical reaction in some people — play it secure and fall apart glove when pruning or repotting . ( For more , see " Holiday Plants with Toxic Misconceptions"from the National Library of Medicine . )
Can Euphorbia pulcherrima be left out in the cold?Poinsettias ca n’t handle frost and can be damaged or killed if temperature go below 50 degrees , even for a circumscribed time . That means getting a Christmas flower home during the holiday can be dicey if you live in colder zones . Avoid entrust them in an unheated machine , and protect it with a light covering when channelize it from store to railway car or car to home base .
Can poinsettias be spring up outdoors yr - round?If you live in tropic zona 10 - 12 , the result is yes . In their native circumstance , Christmas star are perennial and can grow to 10 feet tall . After enjoying your poinsettia for the holiday season , permit the plant choke back , prune to 4 to 6 inch , and place near a sunny window . industrial plant outside only after any hazard of frost has passed . They favour well - drained , slightly acidic soil and an area protected from harsh confidential information . Once light-green shoot look , stay watering and feed on a regular basis during the grow time of year . Prevent leggy maturation with even trim .
COMMON POINSETTIA VARIETIES
There are over 100 varieties of poinsettias , bloom in shades of reddish , pink , white , scandalmongering , imperial , and multicolored . Some of the more common varieties are :
8 UNIQUE POINSETTIA VARIETIES
Poinsettias have amount a long way of life from their Mexico - native species , Euphorbia pulcherrima . Decades ago , poinsettias ( named for the nineteenth - century ambassador to Mexico Joel Poinsett ) were breed to have broader and brilliant leaves . But that was only the origin .
Now there are many more variant to score us , with colorful bract dramatise by run , marbling , zag , speckles , and creamy hems ; others with dramatically curled bracts ; and still others that impress with their size , from vast specimens to itty - bitty pouch - sizing ones . And then there are the colors : cryptical crimson , flare orangish , peach , and many other chromaticity . There ’s nothing blah - hoax about poinsettias these days — they’ve entered a new age . Here are a few of the more unique variety :
( Photo by : Rob Cardillo )
1 . ‘ Ice Punch ’
Marbling is all the cult in poinsettias . On this version from Ecke Ranch , lightning streak of whitened emblazon the fondness of red , holly folio - shape bract . “ What is cool , ” articulate Jack Williams of Ecke , “ is that ‘ Ice Punch ’ look like Robert Frost has landed on the bracts . ” And this poinsettia keeps getting better ; week to week the cardinal streak is joined by more white-hot .
2 . ‘ Carousel Pink ’
Wavy , frilly , and frothy are all good descriptions for the Salmon River - pinkish bracts of this cultivar , from Syngenta Flowers . This Mexican flameleaf get down showing colour in former November . give their curliness , the bracts are a tad smaller than average . Carousel types branch beautifully to shape a broad , strong industrial plant that can be transport well from the garden center without care of damage .
3 . ‘ Winter Blush ’
The recent exemplar of the marble course is ‘ Winter Blush ’ . This Ecke change was chosen for both its patterned foliation and the marked contrast between pinkish center and cream etching on the margins . Bring it to friends and family as a holiday natural endowment without awe — the strong stems withstand breakage .
4 . ‘ Cinnamon Star ’
Although bolshy is still king for poinsettias , vacation revelers are also excited by other shade . Syngenta Flowers is the mastermind behind this lambent coral - colour version . ‘ Cinnamon Star ’ boasts a rounded configuration with talkative , almost winged bract . The young central bracts begin with a darker sizzle before fading paler with the countdown to the winter holidays .
5 . ‘ Winter Rose Early Red ’
This novelty started the “ nontraditional ” streak at Ecke . For poinsettia breeders , the holy grail has been a flat - bracted , big red poinsettia . So it come as a welcome electrical shock when a noisome piddling rendering was the talk of the trials . Not only did ‘ Winter Rose Early Red ’ revolutionize the holiday container - flora marketplace , it also made a dab with florists looking for a new whirl on vacation décor .
6 . ‘ Mars Marble ’
The earliest marbleised poinsettias , pioneered in the seventies , were almost all based on red . Now other colors have joined the party , notably Syngenta Flowers ’ ‘ Mars Marble ’ , with its soft , ticklish garden pink , and equally demure milklike pick colors on undetermined - faced , smooth - edged bracts . This poinsettia starts to show color early , and the plant defend a sturdy , just posture .
7 . ‘ Whitestar ’
Pink was the first non - red poinsettia color to become popular , but white was not far behind . Syngenta Flowers ' ‘ Whitestar ’ has huge , unruffled , flat bract burn up out like peacenik from the central topknot of bloom . ‘ Whitestar ’ has a rounded substance abuse , is generously branched , and will show semblance in time for Thanksgiving .
8 . ‘ Premium Picasso ’
“ Jingling ” is the term breeders use to announce white speckling on poinsettia bract . ‘ Premium Picasso ’ deliver an specially diffuse , seemingly airbrushed spirit . Against a pinkish - white ground , cherry - red flecks spangle the bracts . Meanwhile , the out bracts lay out from pure Patrick Victor Martindale White to wan pink . The effect is a two - tone up fantasia .
Last update 2025-04-22
