CHRISTMAS JOY™ Red Poinsettia

The CHRISTMAS JOY poinsettia series was developed to be in flower as early as Thanksgiving. As the name suggests, dark red bracts surround the non-showy yellow true flowers and contrast well with the rich dark green foliage. Poinsettias will retain their colorful bracts under even the darkest of indoor settings but to retain the skirt of dark green leaves the plants will need to have bright light and moderate watering. Poinsettias adapt well to patio culture once the outdoor temperatures are above 50 degrees F and can grow to quite large sized specimens. In the wild under natural daylength the plants come into flower in January/February - only through manipulating the daylength do growers bring them into flower for Christmas - a challenge many gardeners have taken up in their homes but few have mastered. Reputed to be poisonous, the toxins are contained in the milky sap when are so acrid they pain in the tongue/lining of the cheeks and if swallowed induce vomiting; thus the number of actual deaths due to ingestion of poinsettia are quite low.