Poinsettia – No plant says it’s Christmas quite like this oneYvette

Common name: Poinsettia, Christmas star

Botanical name: Euphorbia pulcherrima

Products or arrangements it’s suitable for:

They look fantastic in table centrepieces but these guys really are beautiful left on the plant in a gorgeous pot. If you don’t have a gorgeous pot you can just decorate one or cover up a plastic pot, using hessian, wrapping, gingham material, a tote bag or anything that suits your style.

TIP; If you don’t want to plant it up in a stunning pot just leave it in the plastic pot and sit in inside one! That way when Christmas is over and you don’t want your Poinsettia to be the star of the show you can simply replace it with another plant and retire your poinsettia until next year.

Conditioning, care and storage needs:

These are tropical plants: don’t cool them and keep inside in cool or cold weather

If pots have a plastic sleeve, remove it

Keep them in a well-lit place, but out of direct sun

Keep the soil moist Keep inside over the cooler months and DO NOT water the leaves/bracts

Like everything they will not thrive around and away from car exhaust fumes, ripening fruit and cigarette

Colours it comes in:

Red, green, pink and creamy lemon

How to tell it’s good quality:

Choose fully coloured bracts/leaves

Avoid wilting or drooping leaves or any pots where leaves or bracts have dropped

The pots come in a range of sizes and therefore prices very greatly

Country or state, climate and conditions where it grows naturally; and its natural season:

Originated in central America (including Mexico)

These are tropical plants with the brightly coloured leaves/bracts on show all round.

Time/s of year when it’s available to us, where it comes from, lead time for ordering it:

Available all year round from glasshouse growers (mostly in QLD, NSW and VIC in Australia). The poinsettia plant is most readily available prior to Christmas and usually needs to be ordered in October, depending on the supplier.

Purchase from good florists or Nurseries 

Discover how to use Poinsettia in flower table centrepieces during one of our Christmas flower workshops in Geelong and Melbourne commencing the first week of December