I couldn’t believe it - a blue poinsettia flower! Actually it was pale purple and blue with a little sparkle. The longer I looked at it, the better I liked it. In the right setting it would be stunning.
For those who prefer the traditional bright red poinsettia plant, there are lots of them around and there are many creative ideas for including them in your Christmas decor.
Christmas Decorating With Poinsettia Plants
- Wrap that green pot with burlap for a country theme or pretty new foil paper for something more contemporary.
- Set one or more plants in a pretty garden pot, a decorative basket or even a bucket. Use saucers under the plants and fill in the spaces with moss, evergreen trimmings or cones.
- Cut the poinsettia “flowers”. Immediately sear the stems with a flame to seal in the milky sap. Then arrange them as you would any other cut flowers in slightly warm water to which you have added a flower preservative. Add or change the water every few days.
- Arrange the red poinsettia with green foliage plants that you may already have in your home. Add a showy white amaryllis or bright paperwhites. Then tuck in some silvery ornaments if you wish.
How to Choose a Poinsettia / Poinsettia Care
When choosing a poinsettia plant, look for one with tight yellow buds and fresh-looking colored bracts, just opening. Water when the soil feels dry on top, but don’t let water sit in the saucer. Poinsettias like warm temperatures, bright light and no drafts.
My choice was a bright red one surrounded by English ivy. I dressed it up with some pine and berry sprigs and several pine cones. (If you are concerned about bringing twigs or cones into your house, wash them with soapy water, rinse, lay them on a cookie sheet and bake them in a very low oven for half an hour. You will kill any little critters and the cones will open up nicely.) After Christmas when my poinsettia gets a little straggly, I can remove it and still have a lovely ivy - one of my favorite houseplants.
Here’s a picture of my Christmas poinsettia arrangement.
Oh, and about that purple and blue one I saw - I read that they are white poinsettias, spray painted! Maybe next year.
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