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December 20, 2011

Poinsettias and Christmas

Feliz Navidad!  
I was curious about why the Poinsettia 
has become so customary to have at 
Christmas time (at least in the U.S. it is).  
I don't know what other countries
do for their holiday decorating but the 
Poinsettia is definitely a favorite around 
Christmas here in the U.S.
This year I picked out three small
plants and put them in the basket so
it would look like one larger one!
This one is called Jingle Bells-
a particular favorite of mine!

As I said before I was curious about the
reason for the poinsettia becoming a
tradition and so I looked it up and
this is what I found:
 "The holiday's connection to the poinsettia originated with a Mexican legend. With nothing to give to the Christ Child, a youngster picked a bouquet of weeds as an offering. As the gift was presented, the weeds transformed into brilliant red blooms. Since then, the plant is known in Mexico as Flores de Noche Buena (Flowers of the Holy Night), or just nochebuena for short. The poinsettia's red "flowers" aren't actual flowers. They're bracts (modified leaves), and the little yellow centers are the flowers."

They don't like to get too cold and 
they are definitely not hardy to the 
freezing temperatures.

I'm pleased to show you that my
Amaryllis really grew and it looks
like I am going to have a bloom
for Christmas!
The other identical one has leaves but
no flower coming yet.  I guess that
will be a couple more weeks away!
My Christmas Cactus has just finished
blooming but there are a new set
of buds coming on it so I'm pleased
to see that!
I'll have to read up on this again.
It seems to me that sometime next
fall I have to put it in a cool, dark room
for a while so it will promote it
to bloom again?  Something like that.

Well everybody I hope you're not 
getting stir crazy already! It's hard
to go from being outdoors in the garden
and doing yard work to being indoors so 
much of the time.  
I'll bet you are all plotting your 
next dig in the spring!!

Take care and have a
Very Merry Christmas!
Peace, Love, and Joy to All!


7 comments:

  1. Your Poinsettias look good together like that. I am getting ready to have some renovation done here so haven't had a chance to go stir crazy yet, although that's starting to sound pretty good. :)

    Have a Merry Christmas!
    Cher Sunray Gardens

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  2. They look great Liz... Wish you a very happy Christmas
    Happy if you come to see me at
    http://craftaworld.blogspot.com/
    with love from
    Farah

    ReplyDelete
  3. Liz, your plants look great! My poinsettias are in urns and doing quite well. However, I have had my Christmas cactus for 2-3 years now; and it has yet to bloom. I, too, read that it should be placed in a cool, dark room around October and brought back out in December to promote blooming. But, another blogger says that she has hers in a West facing window and just leaves it alone...and it blooms every year. So, I'm not sure what to do with it! LOL!

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  4. What a colourful Christmas you will have. Mrs Tootlepedal will have to make do with my sunny smile.

    Happy Christmas.

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  5. I hope the amaryllis make it before Christmas so you have a bloom or two!!! I thought that if you leave a Christmas cactus alone and leave it undisturbed that it would bloom year after year but they don't like being moved around. At least that's what I've heard. I have heard that the poinsettia is what likes a dark place to cause it to bloom but I wouldn't think putting anything in the dark would make it bloom would you???? Kinda goes against everything I've ever thought, but what do I know!! It is very nice having something to tend to and watch bloom when its cold outside though. I hope you have tons of blooms!! Merry Christmas dear Liz!!

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  6. Oh and every time I look at your header picture it makes me sigh. I just love your fountain with the hosta all the way around. Gardening really is good for the soul and I miss it so much in the winter.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi Liz,

    Your poinsettias are beautiful! Wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for your comments! I don’t always get a chance to reply but I do read them!




ABOUT ME



Welcome to Home and Gardening With Liz. I have combined my previous blogs “Infuse With Liz” and “Sit With Me In My Garden” into this new blog. I love interior decorating and gardening. I enjoy redefining interior spaces by moving things around and reusing decorative items already found in the home. I also enjoy creating tablescapes and an occasional crafting project. I'm so pleased you've stopped by. I invite you to follow me and I do hope you will keep coming back! Liz
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