Garden Tips

By Eudora DeWynter

One of the most popular plants of the Christmas holidays is the Poinsettia. Poinsettias are very easy plants to keep and with proper care can last in bloom for several months past the holiday season. When you are ready to purchase you plant for the holiday season, there are a few things that you should look for before buying it.

First of all if the leaves and flowers are brown around the edges move on, you are looking for plants that have an abundance of dark green leaf foliage and brightly colored (Bracts) flowers that are completely opened. Poinsettias are slow to bloom but when they do their flowers remain for weeks.

Poinsettias do not like the cold so when you purchase them make sure to take them from the store well covered to protect them from cold temperatures and wind and take them straight home, do not leave them in your car if you are living in a cold climate, even a short exposure to cold can damage them. Once you get them home do not place them in drafty areas or near the high heat of furnace or fireplace vents, the best temperature for them is 65-70 degrees.

Allow the soil to dry between watering and water thoroughly. If they seem to be drying out water them, if their leaves start turning light green, give them more sunlight, these plants tend to make a quick come back. Many people believe that poinsettias are poisonous, but they are not, if eaten they will however give you a stomach ache so try and keep small children away from them.

Believe it or not, if you managed to keep your poinsettia healthy during the winter months, you can move it outside come late spring and either plant it directly into the ground or plant it in containers on your deck or patio. To give them some added beauty when you bring them outside, give them a good round trimming and apply a general purpose fertilizer every two or three weeks, and as the weather starts to cool bring them back inside long before the first frost.

Eudora DeWynter offers tips on Caring for Your Holiday Poinsettias on her blog at http://www.gardentoolguru.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Eudora_DeWynter