Forget blue and gold, poinsettias return to classic red and white

By Sheba R. Wheeler
The Denver Post

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Traditional rosy hues are making a comeback among poinsettia varieties this year as the holiday staple fills garden centers nationwide.

In the past few years, colorful, spray-painted poinsettias decorated with glitter were popular, especially among younger, trendier buyers wanting a new look for an old icon. Fashionable colors included blue, orange, fuchsia, lilac, yellow, turquoise, gold and silver.

"These are not your grandma's poinsettias," says Krystal Keistler, the annuals/indoor plant area manager with Echter's Greenhouse and Garden Center in suburban Denver. "Funky and fun, these fantastic colors will liven your surroundings for months to come."

But market experts say consumers are more sentimental this year, choosing to buy the more customary red and white poinsettias, as well as rosy mixes of the two. Popular varieties this winter include Carousel Dark Red, Silent Night Crimson Red, Lipstick Pink and Polly's Pink.

Ice Punch, a red bract with a frosty center that debuted in 2006 at Home Depot stores, "will be a direct hit for home decorators as it bridges the 'red' and the 'non-red' color range," says Andy Higgins, president of Paul Ecke Ranch, a California-based market leader in poinsettia research and breeding.

Growers are continuing to unlock unique colors and varieties.

There are more than 100 varieties available, accounting for more than $220 million in plant sales during the holiday season.

"Now we are starting to be able to bring forth natural yellows and oranges, such as the orange spice," says Ecke Ranch horticulturist Jack Williams.

Jon VanZile, About.com's house plant expert, said professional growers recommend consumers purchase plants that have eight to 18 unopened bracts.

A healthy plant plus proper care can keep flowers blooming on your poinsettia until Valentine's Day or beyond, says Richard Cowhig, assistant professor of ornamental horticulture at Delaware Valley College in Pennsylvania.

Cowhig says to look for large, dark-green foliage and well-expanded, richly colored bracts with modified leaves. The yellow centers, which are the true flowers, should be showing a faint trace of pollen, with only a very few open flowers. Too much pollen is a sign of an old plant.

"Choose a plant with strong, sturdy branching of secondary shoots," says Cowhig. "There should be leaves down to the soil line, with no leaf yellowing, which can be caused by diseases or poor nutrition."

Keep your poinsettias at about 55 degrees, and in their plastic or paper sleeves until you get home. They prefer homes constantly heated between 60 and 68 degrees, but cannot tolerate direct heat or drafts. Turn plants around several times a week so they get as much light as possible.

Water them when the soil is dry to the touch or the pot is light, but don't overdo it. Water so that only a little runs out of the bottom of the pot, and discard any collected drainage.

Fertilize as needed after the bloom cycle is complete.

The United States' first ambassador to Mexico, Joel Poinsett, after whom the plant is named, is credited with introducing the poinsettia to the country. He sent several poinsettias back to his home in Greenville, S.C., in 1825.

A Mexican legend claims that the plants came to be associated with Christmas when a poor child picked weeds from the side of the road to give to the Christ child. The humble gift, because given in love, was miraculously transformed into the red and green flowers we know as poinsettias.

Poinsettias grown in the Northern Hemisphere begin to flower during the shorter days after the autumnal equinox in September.

That natural flowering date puts them in full bloom right around the holidays.

"There aren't that many plants flowering at this time of the year," Williams says. "We have cut Christmas trees and cut mistletoe, but poinsettias are the living symbol of Christmas."