You received a Poinsettia as a gift and you’re wondering how to take care of it? How can you maintain it to see its leaves turn red again next year as the holidays approach?
I will help you.
As a florist, the Poinsettia, also known as the Christmas Star, is one of the iconic plants of the holiday season in my eyes. Its vibrant red color and beautiful leaves are perfect for decorating your home during these times of gathering and family celebrations.
Today, I’m sharing with you everything I know about this plant, so you can enjoy it for many years to come!
The Christmas Star is a beloved festive plant that truly lives up to its name. Its beautiful star-shaped leaves remind us of the star we place atop the Christmas tree, delighting both young and old. To keep it looking vibrant and to enjoy it year after year, I recommend keeping it indoors, sheltered from direct sunlight, but in a bright location with consistent warmth. To encourage it to show its colors again for the holidays, you should prune and repot it in the spring, and then feed it regularly until September. After that, it will need to be placed in the dark for about 14 hours a day until its leaves regain their color to form the famous star.
Would you like more details? Keep reading to find out:
- How to identify a Poinsettia,
- What is its meaning and who to give it to,
- How to make the Poinsettia’s leaves turn red,
- How to care for it daily (watering, lighting, pruning…),
- Other festive flowers for the holiday season!
What is a Christmas Poinsettia, also known as Hellebore?
Commonly found in garden center aisles at major retailers and at florists starting from late November, the Poinsettia is a lovely plant whose foliage resembles a Christmas star. In the following lines, I’ll share a wealth of fascinating information about it, so it will hold no secrets for you. 😉
A Beautiful Festive Indoor Plant
Although we typically know it as a 16 to 20-inch-tall plant, the Poinsettia is originally a Mexican shrub that can grow over six feet tall in its natural habitat. It belongs to the family of spurges, like many desert plants, which often resemble cacti.
Contrary to what you might think, the part of the plant that turns red around Christmas isn’t a flower! It’s actually leaves: its true flowers are tiny and yellow, and they can be found nestled in the center of those large colorful bracts that we admire, at the top of the stems. While most of them turn red, some Poinsettias allow us to enjoy other colors during the holiday season: white and pink. These rarer varieties add a unique touch to holiday celebrations.
What is the Meaning of the Christmas Star?
Due to the star-shaped form created by its leaves when they change color, the Poinsettia is also known as the “Christmas Star.” This flower symbolically represents the joy and enjoyment of time spent with family during the holiday season.
For believers, the Christmas star may also refer to the Star of Bethlehem. In the Christian faith, it is the star that is said to have announced the birth of Jesus Christ on Christmas Day to the wise men. Another star, known as the Shepherd’s Star, guided them to visit the newborn. The motif of the star is thus prevalent in the symbolism associated with Christmas festivities, which explains the popularity of this plant with its distinctive foliage.
Who and When to Give It?
This is an easy-to-give plant that will be perfect for decorating a Christmas table or a home during the holiday season. It lasts longer than a bouquet of flowers and requires less care, as there is no need to change the water or trim the stems. Therefore, it will be ideal for:
- Give a special gift to the host during the Christmas meal to show your appreciation,
- Decorate your home to create a festive and elegant atmosphere,
- Send warm holiday wishes to a colleague, client, or business partner,
- Present a personalized gift to a loved one who enjoys plants and gardening,
- Offer a thoughtful gesture to an elderly person in a nursing home or someone hospitalized during the holidays to brighten their season.
🎂 It’s also a perfect gift for someone celebrating their birthday or holiday on December 24th or 25th!
How to Care for a Poinsettia
Many people see the Christmas star as a temporary plant, one that is only kept during the holiday season. However, it is possible to keep this plant year after year and enjoy its beautiful colorful foliage again.
Taking care of a Poinsettia isn’t necessarily complicated; however, it is a plant that requires some attention, as it can be quite delicate. For this reason, I recommend placing your Poinsettia in a location where you can regularly check on its condition.
👉 After this simple and effective tutorial video on how to care for your Poinsettia, you’ll find some basic maintenance tips to help you take good care of it.
How to Water a Poinsettia?
Watering the Christmas star plant can be tricky! If it receives too much water, you’ll notice the leaves wilting and becoming soft. On the other hand, if it lacks water, the leaves will start to dry out and drop off. Keep an eye out for these signs so you can act quickly and prevent your plant from suffering for too long.
This plant should be watered with room temperature water, one to two times a week, to keep the potting soil moist but not soggy. It should always be potted in a container with drainage holes to allow excess water to escape. Ideally, place this pot on a bed of clay pebbles, which will help increase humidity around the plant and support its growth.
How to Store It? Where to Place It?
The Poinsettia needs plenty of light, but it should never be exposed to direct sunlight, even through a window. Its leaves are very sensitive to sun rays and could get burned. It enjoys warm and consistent temperatures: I recommend keeping it away from drafts as well as thermostatically controlled heaters that can cause temperature fluctuations. Your Poinsettia will be perfectly happy between 65°F and 72°F.
To give it a boost, you can provide a fertilizer for flowering plants every two weeks during its blooming period, and then switch to a fertilizer for green plants from April to September, following the instructions on the package.
My Poinsettia is Losing Its Leaves: What Should I Do?
Leaf drop in Poinsettias, a common concern for novice gardeners, is a warning sign from the plant that can indicate several issues:
🔸 This one needs water: this is especially true if the potting soil is dry. In this case, resume a regular watering schedule, but be careful not to drown it.
🔸 She got cold: these plants are often given as gifts during the Christmas season when it’s chilly outside. When you transport your Poinsettia, wrap it up. If it’s in your home, try to keep it away from doors and entrances to avoid drafts.
🔸 The air is too dry: If the soil is moist and your plant is sheltered from wind and cold, this might be the issue. In this case, move your Poinsettia to a humid, well-lit, and warm room, such as the kitchen or bathroom, until it regrows its leaves. Place it on a saucer filled with wet clay pellets or near a humidifier.
🔸 The air is polluted: Poinsettias are very sensitive to carbon monoxide and ethylene. Carbon monoxide can be present in your home, and its levels should be monitored, as it can be harmful to you as well. Ethylene is produced by the plant itself: if it stays in its packaging for too long, it breathes in this gas it has released and can suffocate. Therefore, be sure to unwrap it as soon as you receive it.
How to Make a Poinsettia Turn Red?
You received a Poinsettia as a gift for the holidays, and now it has lost its vibrant colors? That’s completely normal: the plant only changes color during its blooming period, which happens when the days get shorter.
To help it bloom again and regain its beautiful colors by next Christmas, I recommend trimming it down to about 20 centimeters as soon as it has no more colorful leaves.
Next, keep it until fall by regularly providing it with fertilizer. You can also repot it into a larger pot in the spring, which will help it grow. After repotting, maintain a temperature of around 58°F (14°C).
Starting in October, when the nights become longer than the days, place your plant in the dark (in a closet or a room without windows) for 12 to 14 hours a day. It should only be exposed to sunlight for a few hours each day; this deprivation triggers the leaf coloration. This process should last at least six weeks to be effective. 😉
Explore Other Flowers to Give for Christmas
The Christmas Star is not the only plant gift that you can give to please your loved ones during these festive times. Here are some ideas to mix things up, especially if you’ve already tried the Poinsettia or if it doesn’t quite match what you’re looking for.
A Christmas Rose
Also known as Hellebore, this flowering plant can be replanted in the garden outdoors and thrives in the cool winter temperatures. It comes in a variety of colors and blooms year after year with little to no maintenance, as long as it’s placed in a suitable location with shade and some light. It prefers soil that is rich in humus and somewhat alkaline. It can also be planted in a pot, on a balcony or terrace.
Christmas Rose / Hyacinths
A Bulb Arrangement (Hyacinths, Daffodils…)
These are often the first plants we have the opportunity to grow during school projects. Hyacinth or Daffodil bulbs are therefore very easy to grow and relatively low-maintenance. All you need to do is water them regularly while enjoying their beautiful blooms and delightful fragrance indoors. Once the blooming period is over, you can trim back any excess growth from the bulb, then place it in a cupboard (without soil and without watering) or plant it in the garden to enjoy it again next year.
👉 To switch things up a bit, you can also give an Amaryllis as a gift. Check out our article dedicated to this flower to learn more!
An Eternal Rose in a Lighted DomeFinally, if you’re looking for a unique flower gift that requires no maintenance, you can also choose an eternal rose under a dome. You can find these stabilized natural flowers in our online store, available in a variety of colors!
To keep the festive spirit alive, we offer you several luminous models that will also serve as decorations in your home during family gatherings.
I hope this article has helped you take care of your Christmas star and decorate your home with a festive and warm atmosphere for the holiday season! To learn more about Christmas flowers, check out this blog post dedicated to the topic! 🎄