Contemplating the perfect plant for Christmas? I suspect it would be green and red and have huge showy flowers all over. And it would be available in all sizes for the holidays.
If it sounds like the poinsettia is the ideal holiday decoration, read on.
The story of this obscure tropical shrub and how it became the world's most popular holiday plant begins in Mexico. The ancient Aztecs found it blooming in the tropical highlands during the short days of winter. They named it cuetlaxochitl. They had many practical uses for it. From its bracts, they extracted purplish dye for textiles and cosmetics. They made its milky latex sap into a preparation to treat fevers.
According to legend, the flowers were carried by Pepita, a poor Mexican girl, in a Nativity play. She had no gift to present the Christ Child at Christmas Eve services. Her heart was filled with sadness as Pepita, with her cousin, Pedro, walked slowly to the chapel.
Not knowing what else to do, Pepita gathered weeds by the roadside and made a small bouquet. She felt her spirit lift as she knelt to lay the bouquet by the Nativity scene. The bouquet of weeds burst into brilliant red blooms, and those who saw them thought they had witnessed a miracle. From that day on, the brilliant red flowers were known as Flores de Noche Buena, or Flowers of the Holy Night, because they bloomed each year during the Christmas season.
The plant might have remained a tropical curiosity had it not been for diplomacy. Our first ambassador to Mexico, Joel Roberts Poinsett (1779-1851), was responsible for the plant coming to this country. Poinsett had attended medical school, but his real love was botany. He found the plant growing in Mexico and sent cuttings back to his home in South Carolina. From cuttings shared with friends, the plants spread and were grown indoors and out in the warmer parts of the country.
John Bartram, a horticulturist in Philadelphia, got some starts and gave a few to Robert Buist, a Pennsylvania nurseryman. He is thought to be the first person to sell the plant under its botanical name, Euphorbia pulcherrima, which literally means "the most beautiful Euphorbia."
The story then shifts to Southern California. Albert Ecke was a grower who, with his son Paul, decided that these gangly, temperamental plants could be symbols of the Christmas season and could become an ideal holiday flower.
Each year several new poinsettia varieties are introduced. There are dozens of varieties, but the types generally can be categorized as follows: Red, bright red, dark red and other shades of red, including cranberry.
Add white, pink, cream, lemon yellow and orange.
Combine several colors to get marbled, spotted, peppermint and mottled types.
Look for these varieties at favorite nurseries or greenhouses. Some newer types may be hard to find, so shop early.
Poinsettia care is relatively simple. The plants are happy at room temperature, between 68-70 F. Generally speaking, if you are comfortable, so are the poinsettias. Do not let them get too cold or too hot. Never take the plants out on cold winter nights. Keep them away from drafts. Don't place them near heat vents, fireplaces or televisions.
The soil in the pot needs to stay moist, but overwatering is lethal. Make certain the plant has good drainage to keep it from developing root rot. If a plant appears wilted and the soil is moist, select another plant. This condition could signify irreversible root rot. Remove wrappers or decorative pots that do not drain well. Water plants when the soil feels dry to the touch.
Place plants in indirect sunlight for at least six hours per day. If direct sun cannot be avoided, diffuse the light with a shade or sheer curtain. Poinsettias will last longer if they have adequate light.
Choose plants with thoroughly colored and expanded bracts. (The bracts are the colored leaf portions of the bloom. The actual flowers are the yellow centers). Avoid plants that have too much green around the edges of the bracts. This means the plant was shipped before it was mature.
Select plants with healthy, abundant, plentiful foliage all the way to the base of the plant. The beautiful, green foliage shows good plant health. Select plants with stiff stems, without falling bracts, and with no signs of wilting, breaking or drooping. Aesthetically pleasing poinsettias are balanced, full and attractive from all angles. Look for plants that are approximately 2 1/2 times taller than the diameter of the container.
Avoid plants displayed in paper, plastic or mesh sleeves and those that are crowded too closely in sales displays. The plants need space. The longer sleeves stay on the poinsettia, the quicker the quality deteriorates. Crowding reduces light and air circulation around the plants and causes them to drop their bracts or develop other problems.
Protect poinsettias from chilling winds and temperatures below 50 F when transporting them. Reinserting them into a plant sleeve, wrapper or a large, roomy shopping bag usually provides adequate protection when conditions are cold and windy.
The plants that are just used for the holiday season usually do not need much else. They usually need no fertilizer unless you are trying to keep them for a longer time. Fertilize plants after the bloom season with a balanced, all-purpose fertilizer.
The widespread belief that poinsettias are poisonous is false. As with all ornamental plants, poinsettias are not intended for human or animal consumption, and some individuals may experience an allergic reaction to poinsettia sap. In 1992, the poinsettia was included on the list of houseplants most helpful in removing pollutants from indoor air.
Have a gardening question? E-mail it to us at features@desnews.com (subject: Larry Sagers), and we'll forward it to Larry for consideration for a future column.