Last Minute Decorating with Poinsettias
If you're rushing around for last minute decor ideas, don't overlook the beautiful deep red and green of the poinsettia plant - a traditional Christmas favourite.
25/12/2018
With its deep red bracts and dark green leaves. poinsettias are a traditional Christmas favourite for decorating a home. Synonymous with Christmas all around the world, how do growers manage to encourage flowers just in time for Christmas - all around the globe at the same time?
Euphorbia pulcherrima, more commonly known as Poinsettias are a plant that is native to southern Mexico. These plants usually flower during late autumn and winter. But to achieve a flowering period suitable to the festive season - no matter what part of the world you live in - growers manipulate the day lengths in their greenhouses - making the day seem much shorter than it actually is - to force the plants to flower at different times of the year.
GOOD TO KNOW: While buying Poinsettias in a pot is perfect for decorating a home for the holidays, this plant can grow into an attractive garden specimen that is up to four metres tall, and will add a bold splash of colour to any garden.
As a tropical plant, poinsettias do very well in our local climate and can quite easily be cultivated in temperate zones so long as they’re in a warm spot and protected from winds and cold snaps. When planted In the garden, they require fertile, well-drained soil in a spot that gets at least six hours of direct or indirect sun a day. Now you can enjoy Christmas in July - year after year.