A classic flora symbol of Christmas would have to be the poinsettia.
Here are some top tips on how to care for yours:
- When selecting your plant, chose one with a minimum of five heads as they will have a longer lasting display
- Make sure the poinsettia is sleeved before taking it outside or back to your car.
- Once you are at home place your poinsettia in a warm place, draught-free spot. Don’t place on a windowsill where the curtains are closed at night.
- Poinsettias are best suited to a warm house but try and keep them away from draughts and sources of heat for best results.
- The compost should dry out between watering and if it is in a saucer then make sure you empty this out too.
- Your poinsettia can also be fed with houseplant feed once a week.
- A tip if you want your plant to pop up again next Christmas, trim your poinsettia in June down by about half and pot it up again using multi-purpose compost.
- Keep your plant in natural light from the end of September onwards and make sure it isn’t exposed to any artificial lighting. This could prevent the plant from colouring up again in time for next Christmas.
It’s so important to have houseplants at home as they work wonders for your wellbeing, especially this time of year, and with the current restrictions, when we’re all spending more time indoors.
Head to https://gca.org.uk/find-a-garden-centre/ to find your nearest garden centre and pick out your own festive poinsettia. Before visiting, please check local COVID restrictions and also check with your garden centre regarding opening details.