December 12th is National Poinsettia Day. That's right, the US Congress actually gave the Poinsettia an official day of recognition. They are hard to resist at this time of year, especially with all the new colors, shades and swirls. I'm still partial to the red ones, for Christmas, but if I could grow them in my area I would definitely try growing the pastel varieties. Poinsettias are amazing when grown as tropical plants. Susan, a reader from Hawaii, sent in some photos of her 20 year old poinsettia plants. She said they are so large, "...tourists always pull over in front of my house and take their pictures with my poinsettias as the back drop."
Awhile back our Pool and Patio Guide visited the Paul Ecke Ranch in Ecinitas, CA, where they grow the bulk of the Poinsettias produced for worldwide distribution. I like to feature her poinsettia photo galleries as a reminder of the variety of poinsettias available and how to decorate with them. I hope you enjoy them.
Photo: © Marie Iannotti
Comments
I have grown Poinsettia’s for 20 years. I chop them back in the “A” months (april and aug). If I cut the end of beginning of Aug. I get poinsettia flowers in full bloom for Thanksgiving, but if I wait until the end of Aug. I get the flowers for Xmas.
tourists always pull over in front of my house and take their pictures with my poinsetta’s as the back drop.
Susan, you should set up your own “Have Your Photo Taken with My Poinsettias” business. That kind of ease with poinsettias is hard for most of us to fathom. What zone are you gardening in?
I too would like to know what Zone she lives in. I am in zone 5…and I cannot keep Poinsettas alive past April.
Hi – I am also impressed with your Poinsetta success – do you have any ideas for using them in planters???
I live on the Big Island of Hawaii in Kailua Kona. My poinsettia’s are over 20 years old.
How do I send you photos of my poinsettia’s
so you can see them?
Susan
Marion: Ponsettia’s in flower boxes look great until the bloom is over. Always cut at an angle back to the first knuckle on each branch. The angle cut stops the plant from holding water and rotting. Miracle grow is always good too.
I received a gift from a Meals-on-Wheels volunteer,
a small, less than 2″ pointsetta.It had red leaves!
How is this possible?
Susan, email them to me and I’ll publish them for everyone to see.
Hi, I tried to grow the pointsettia 2 years now. It is healthy 7 green but no flovers. I only pinched the new leaves in april 7 august. also from october 1st to thanksgiving I kept it in the dark from 5 pm. to 8 am. I also fertilized until 3 days ago. so can you please tell me what i am doing wrong & how can I get it flowering. I really appreciate it I am from Michigan & I think the zone is 5 or 6
Thank you.
Anna, reblooming a poinsettia is a frustrating task. It sounds like you’ve done everything right. The only tips I can think of are to make sure the plant is kept cool throughout the winter (about 50 F.), to keep it dormant. Usually you would do this when the bracts drop, but since you didn’t get any this year, you can start in mid-January.
Than maybe provide a couple of extra weeks of darkness. Move it into the dark in late September and out in early December. Perhaps it didn’t have enough time to set buds.