At this time of year, poinsettias are very popular. This is my poinsettia. It doesn't look like a poinsettia right now. It doesn't matter as I like this poinsettia even though it doesn't quite look like a poinsettia. What makes it special to me is one of my kids gave me this poinsettia last Christmas and there is a story behind it. For the very first time, I managed to keep the poinsettia alive during the year and now here it is. I'm not sure if it will get the classic red flowers this year but so far the plant looks pretty healthy! So why is this so remarkable especially for someone so much into gardening?
I admit to having a green thumb and at one time our home was overflowing with houseplants but by no means would I ever say I was and expert. Unfortunately most of the houseplants had to go due to health reasons so growing has been confined mostly to outdoors. This raises two concerns not the purpose of this entry but over the past couple of years I have slowly been re-introducing houseplants in our home. That explains the houseplant issue, sort of except I am a little rusty on keeping some houseplants.
This poinsetta was very special to me so I was determined to keep it alive despite not know how to do so. I was really flying by the seat of my pants. During the holidays, I kept the poinsettia watered but not really wet. After the holidays, I removed the foil pot cover and set the plant on a saucer. It looked like it was dying anyway so I cut it back to about 4 inches and kept the soil moist but not wet. Then when the weather turned warmer I moved the plant to my small greenhouse. All of a sudden this plant just came to life and it is now as in the picture taken a couple of days ago. When I shut down the greenhouse the poinsettia was moved back into the house and appears to be doing just fine.
So my tips for keeping poinsettias are:
✰ Keep watered but not really wet.
✰ Cut back to allow for new growth.
✰ Provide a warm, sunny spot for growth.
✰ Even if it doesn'b bloom, enjoy as the plant is pretty regardless
Garden Gnome
© 2006
