Poinsettias are the iconic holiday plant in North America. They come in many different colours, and are often given as gifts and selected because of their cheerful appearance.

Not everyone knows that you can keep a poinsettia alive as an indoor plant all year round, and they can even flower every year in the winter.

Poinsettia Facts

Poinsettias are from the genus, Euphorbia, and like other Euphorbias, keep in mind that the sap can cause skin irritation. You don’t want to get the sap on your skin. Be sure to wash off any tools you use that may have sap on them.

The brightly coloured flowers aren’t exactly flowers. Those coloured leaves are bracts, and the flower is actually the tiny yellow part in the center.

It’s not hard to keep them alive, but getting them to flower each year is a bit trickier. In order to get them to flower again, they need to be treated a lot like other flowering indoor plants. That means giving them less light and less water in the off season (spring and summer), and then more light, more water, and more fertilizer in August, September and October so that they will bloom again at Christmas.

In general, euphorbias are pretty hardy. There are species that are perennials for the outside garden, and there are lots of others that can be grown inside as houseplants like the “Crown of Thorns.”

Tips

Just remember not to over water them. Repot them if necessary. It’s okay to prune them back well before August or September when you want them to start branching out and reflowering. And if you need more information, come and visit us at our store in Surrey!

Art Knapp has 15 locations across British Columbia and is well known as the go-to garden centre for everything garden-related. Art Knapp, himself, began the business in the 1940's, and now, 80 years later, you can find more than he ever dreamed of in our stores. Come and see us on King George Boulevard in Surrey.

If you have any questions about this article or want to talk to us about gardening, just give us a call at (604) 596-9201.