Can this self-described ‘poinsettia killer’ keep her holiday plant alive?
In December 2020, I made a big confession: I am a poinsettia killer.
A lot of kind readers called or wrote to sympathize with my Christmas plant plight, or to offer suggestions on poinsettia care.
One of those emails was from Virginia Walter, horticulture emerita professor from Cal Poly. She taught greenhouse production for many years and undoubtedly had a hand in the San Luis Obispo university’s annual poinsettia sale.
She told me that so-called “decorative flowering plants,” such as potted chrysanthemums, Easter lilies, cyclamens and poinsettias, that are grown in environmentally controlled greenhouses are “sold for their beauty … designed to last a while, but do not take kindly to the environment in a typical home.”
“They are not house plants … and are almost impossible to reflower for the next Christmas,” she added.
Virginia shared a wealth of guidance and handy hints including watering instructions and the importance of not moving a poinsettia from someplace where it’s obviously happy. She also advised me to avoid putting a poinsettia in the path of cold drafts, and warned against planting poinsettias outdoors.
“They are natives of Mexico, after all,” Virginia noted.
She then kindly assured me that “you are not a poinsettia killer via DNA,” which made me feel a bit better.
Can Christmas poinsettia plant survive?
It all started when dear friends gave us a poinsettia for the holidays.
Unlike the previous holiday gifts from our friends, that poinsettia wasn’t a luxe, hand-raised poinsettia from Cal Poly. Our present was instead a hardware store purchase, which added another layer of surety to my “it won’t do well” mindset.
At the time, I was certain the festive plant would probably not last until Christmas, and would soon go to its final reward. However, hope springs eternal, even in the heart of a nongardener.
Fast forward to now.
The poinsettia is still alive and apparently thriving! Will wonders never cease?
Until recently, there was still one reddish bract left over from last Christmas, although it had faded to a shadow of its former scarlet self.
The plant is about the same size as it was when we received it, but it continues bravely on, staunchly sending out new, bright green leaves.
I’m sure not going to take drastic measures to nudge it toward reblooming, as some garden shops recommend.
Lock it in a closet for months? No, no! I’m afraid my little friend would go into shock and join its predecessors in the garden of the great beyond.
To tell the truth, I’ve gotten rather fond of the stubbornly sturdy little plant that, so far, has been determined to break my poinsettia killer curse.
Indoor plants a good option for nongardener
Even though I love plants and flowers, I’m so not a gardener. I lack the knowledge, the time and the commitment to do justice to flowers, greenery and produce at ground level.
I’m in awe of people who hold down jobs, volunteering gigs and caring for homes, kids and parents — but still manage to maintain gardens suitable for display on the covers of Better Homes & Gardens or Country Living.
I have had some very sporadic luck with some houseplants.
Believe it or not, notoriously finicky orchids do well in our great room. It must be the muted daylight from the skylights. And some particularly hardy specimens have thrived outdoors, despite my dedicated regimen of ignoring them.
Then there’s the indoor garden machine, a gift from Son Sean, who obviously had gotten tired of hearing me whine about my lack of gardening success.
The machine keeps the herb and flower plants properly watered, fed and lit as long as I respond quickly enough to the nagging, blinking lights that remind me that it’s time to add water and food.
Given my success with the electrified plant tender, I bravely branched out (pun intended) and added a couple of supplementary herb options from the grocery store — 2-inch fiber pots that hold bushy basil or mint plants.
I plopped each pot into a clear individual mug. As instructed, I try to keep about a ¼-inch of water in each mug.
They’re doing great so far, thank you, but my goodness! Their upkeep is a daily lesson in basic botany for nongardeners, a sobering lesson about how much water a plant really does need every day.
Keeping the herbs alive has proven to me why some of my previous indoor and outdoor gardening efforts had been for naught.
Having those indoor plants could be a great, very visual way to teach kids about plant care.
“Yes, dear. Even in a drought, you DO need to water the garden today, please. Remember the mint that died?”
But whatever you do, don’t move the poinsettia!
Cal Poly poinsettia sale
Cal Poly’s annual poinsettia sale kicked off Dec. 3 at the Poly Plant Shop and will run through mid-December.
The colorful holiday plants are grown by students who work in the Horticulture and Crop Science Department’s greenhouses, according to a news release. They come in shades of red, white, pink and variegated varieties.
Sizes range from small plants in four-inch pots to large poinsettias reaching three feet high in 14-inch pots. Prices range from $8 to $75, Cal Poly said.
“In addition to poinsettias, the Poly Plant Holiday Sale also features student-made wreaths, centerpieces, succulents, ornaments and gifts,” the release said.
For more information, call 805-756-1106 or visit www.polyplantshop.com.
