At Christmas time, poinsettias make their festive appearance in the flower shops and Christmas stores. When I have time to throw a holiday party, I like to decorate with lots of big poinsettia plants and then give them away to my guests as they head home. A good gift idea for an adult is a poinsettia, a bottle of wine, a bag of cracked pecans, and a pound of fudge, arranged in a basket with or without a bow. You can throw in a Christmas western for good measure and envision them sitting in their favorite chair reading, sipping the wine, and eating pecans and fudge as they gaze at their poinsettia between chapters. Of course, their feet would be propped up and a fire would be crackling in the hearth nearby.

So, what started this daydream? Oh, yes, the poinsettia.

Lena Lowis [Public domain] via Wikimedia Commons

Did you know?

1. Poinsettias came to America from Mexico and Central America?
2. Poinsettias are named for Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first Ambassador to Mexico.
3. Today, December 12, is poinsettia day. Mr. Poinsett died on this day in 1851.
4. Poinsettias are not poisonous.
5. The bright colored leaves on the poinsettia are called bracts.
6. Poinsettias are susceptible to frost.
7. In the tropics, poinsettias grow to 10 feet tall.
8. Poinsettias are propagated by seeds.
9. You can set your poinsettia out in the garden in the spring.
10. To make a poinsettia bloom for the holiday it needs a strict 12 to 14 hours of dark and 6 hours of light a day, starting in September.

Want to check my facts? Go to the gardener’s network http://www.gardenersnet.com/flower/poinset.htm

Patrick@InvestorsLendingSource.com

512-213-2271

Austin, Texas