Henny Penny Farmette

When you see the ubiquitous poinsettia plants showing up everywhere, you know Christmas is near. The potted plant offers spectacular color during the Christmas season with displays of red, white, pink, purple, yellow, green, or variegated, depending on the cultivar.

Although orchids are the most popular potted plants sold in America, poinsettias clearly occupy second place. Over 100 different varieties have been cultivated and patented.

Indigenous to Mexico and Central America, poinsettia plants were once cultivated by the Aztecs. Today, the plant is much beloved because of its deep green foliage and flame-red bracts–the two colors most often associated with Christmas. Poinsettias have small yellow flowers known as cyathia. They protrude from each bunch of bracts and add to the beauty of the plant.

Unfortunately, many poinsettias plants are discarded after the holiday. If you are lucky enough to live in an agricultural hardiness zone with mild temperatures (for example, zones 9 through 12), you can grow your poinsettia outside in the garden. Otherwise, transplant it into a pot and follow the temperature, water, feed, and pruning guidelines below.

GROWING A POINSETTIA

1. Keep the plant soil moist but ensure the roots do not sit in water or they will rot. If pot is wrapped in foil, poke some holes in the foil to ensure adequate drainage.
2. Maintain a temperature of 65 to 70 degrees.
3. For medium or large plants, trim back branches two to three inches to encourage lateral branching.
4. Feed with a general purpose fertilizer mixed in water when you see new growth.
5. Prepare to move the potted plant to the garden during the third week of June, choosing an area where the plant will get 4 to 6 hours of part sun daily. For plants that will remain potted, a bright, warm window works best.
6. Put on gloves (to protect hands against the sap that can cause dermatitis) before handling the plant.
7. To place in an outside garden, dig a hole three or four inches bigger than the pot.
8. Place the plant in the hole and fill with good-quality soil mixed with peat moss or compost to ensure drainage.
9. Water thoroughly.
10. In autumn, shut out the light from the plant for 12 hours each day, using a bucket. This will stimulate the plant to begin to produce its spectacular color.

If you enjoy reading about country living and gardening topics, check out my series of cozy mysteries. All are based loosely on my life as the proprietress of the real Henny Penny Farmette. A Beeline to Murder, The Murder of a Queen Bee, and A Hive of Homicides are all available online and wherever books are sold. Visit my author’s page on Amazon.com and also at my publisher’s site at https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Meera-Lester/2137649823 for information on my nonfiction books.