THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, December 10, 1995 TAG: 9512080098
SECTION: HOME PAGE: G1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ROBERT STIFFLER
LENGTH: Medium: 55 lines
TUESDAY IS DESIGNATED ``National Poinsettia Day,'' which serves as a reminder that it's time to fill your home with colorful poinsettias. They're inexpensive and will provide color in your home through Valentine's Day and beyond.
The favorite poinsettia color for the holidays remains red, followed by white and pink. The speckled and marbled varieties are considered unusual. ``Freedom'' is a new, vibrant red cultivar, with dark green foliage. If you prefer yellow, there's ``Lemon Drop.''
The ``hot'' poinsettia this season is ``Monet.'' It's pink and looks like you sprayed its pink petals with red spray paint that had a stopped-up nozzle. ``Monet'' has some fine streaks and some blotches of red, making it unusual but attractive. Suppliers say it's in short supply, so if you want ``Monet'' in your living room, better not delay.
When buying, choose plants with small, tightly clustered buds in the center, recommends the Society of American Florists. The buds are small green pea-like objects in the center of the red bracts. If they've opened up into tiny yellow spidery blooms, the poinsettia may be past its peak.
Other tips for buying and preserving your poinsettias are:
Look for plants with crisp, bright, undamaged foliage.
Avoid buying plants displayed in drafty areas.
Do not expose poinsettias to cold air when taking them home, because they've been grown in warm greenhouses.
To keep poinsettias looking good, keep them away from hot or cold drafts.
Don't put them on top of TVs or radiators.
Keep the soil moist but not soggy. This usually means watering every three days.
Place your plants where they receive enough natural light so that you can read in that place without turning on the lights.
Finally, test after test has proved poinsettias are not poisonous. If your pet or child accidentally eats the leaves, feed them milk or ice cream to soothe the stomach ache. Keep poinsettias and other houseplants out of reach from curious pets and children.
If you want to see even more of these beautiful holiday plants, Longwood Gardens, outside Wilmington, Del., has a magnificent indoor display every year. Call (215) 388-6741.
If you're headed south, Cypress Gardens Poinsettia Festival at Cypress Gardens, Fla., runs through Jan. 7. Their display is outdoors, with waterfalls, and includes a Swiss Mountain Holiday Garden Railway, the only one in the world, plus 40,000 poinsettias. Call (800) 237-4826. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
The favorite poinsettia color for the holidays remains red.
by CNB