Gardening: Poinsettia, the plant which oozes Christmas joy | Brian Kidd

This is the perfect time to buy a poinsettia, a traditional Christmas favourite.

Wow! Aren’t they beautiful? You have three colours to choose from but most people like the red ones best, simply because the colour smacks of the season.

The beautiful red bracts are at their best right now. The actual flower is very small and you will find it at the centre of the bract.

Poinsettias are actually small evergreen trees.

They originated in Mexico and they were introduced into greenhouses here in England in 1834.

However, since then they have been hybridised. This means the breeders have selected strains which keep reasonably small and are therefore easy to grow.

The best idea is to buy one from a garden centre where they know how to look after plants.

It's not a good idea to buy one from somewhere where the plants are left out in the open in the cold.

Why? Because the plant may have pneumonia before you buy it!

How can we keep them going?

Too much water is the main cause of failure.

You must keep them on the dry side. If in doubt, feel the compost on top of the pot. If it’s dry put some water in a saucer for 10 minutes and the pot in the saucer and the roots will then absorb all the water the plant needs.

Give the plant plenty of light but do not put it in a very sunny window; a window with morning sun is good, but even at this time of year a sunny window may get too hot.

Do try to keep the temperature above 10C (50F) at all times.

If the lower leaves become yellow, the plant has been over-watered.

This may not be your fault. Take off the yellow leaves and water the plant only when the compost feels dry.

Lots of people do manage to keep poinsettias for many years when they can become very large.

In spring, around about the middle of March, they can be pruned back.

To do this, cut all shoots back to half their length. The cuts will bleed with white sap so use a tissue to mop it up.

If you want to get your poinsettia to produce more wonderful red bracts it is important to remember to allow the plant to enjoy natural light from a window. It also needs to be in a room where the light is never turned on.

If left in a warm greenhouse with a minimum temperature of 10C (50F), the plant will produce lovely red bracts around about February.

How do the experts get them looking so good for Christmas?

They are grown in greenhouses with extra light. The growers are really clever, they use lighting to turn two days into one. I shall not begin to go down that road!

Don’t over-water, lots of light but not hot sunshine and keep them in a temperature not less than 10C (50F).

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