Even after the holidays are gone, your poinsettias don't have to be. With a little care, they can still brighten up your home for months to come. Or if you prefer, you can let the plant die about mid-February and get a new one for the next holiday season.
Poinsettias are native Mexican plants.
They love the holiday season because they are short-day plants that require long nights to launch their color change. The colorful bracts of these plants are leaves, not flowers, with the most common bract color being red. The flower buds are the red or green buttons in the center of the bracts that open to a small yellow flower. Healthy poinsettias have dark green leaves below the bracts and foliage all the way to the base. Poinsettias are named after Joel Roberts Poinsett, who was the first ambassador from America to Mexico.