Pointsettia
(Euphorbia pulcherrima)
When mid-October is here, you will find pointsettia's decorating shopping malls and home gardens. Then, mid-November comes and you will find them in greenhouses and flower shops around your town. It's that time of year when we are thinking about the holidays and want to decorate our home. My husband and I went to a local greenhouse where we saw rows upon rows of pointsettias in all sorts of colors and variety of colors. We agreed that the one above was our favorite and so we brought it home.
The pointsettia has been known as the Nativity flower after a man by the name of Dr. Joel Roberts Poinsett. He was living in Mexico as the first US ambassador. So, we're learning not only about the pointsettia but also about the first US ambassador to Mexico. Do you know who was President then? It was James Madison.
Mexico is home to the pointsettia. In the 1800s, it was sent to Robert Buist in Pennsylvania who was a botanist. By the 1900s, it became the Christmas flower. Now we can find it from coast to coast.
Did you know that December 18 is National Pointsettia Day? Has been since Dr. Poinsett's death which was in 1851. Do you purchase pointsettias for yourself or give as gifts?
What drew us to the above pointsettias were the beautiful leaves.That's the first thing people notice about the plant. It takes until mid-December for the flower to start blooming. The leaves keep people smiling throughout the life of the plant.
It's been a week since our visit to Felly's Greenhouse and we are still enjoying the most beautiful pointsettia we have ever seen.
Remember: each week I provide information. It is not all encompassing. It's a view.
Watch out next Tuesday to learn about why and how ponds and lakes freeze.
Here's to a healthy and happy holiday season!
Thanks for reading,
Judy
References:
The pointsettia has been known as the Nativity flower after a man by the name of Dr. Joel Roberts Poinsett. He was living in Mexico as the first US ambassador. So, we're learning not only about the pointsettia but also about the first US ambassador to Mexico. Do you know who was President then? It was James Madison.
Mexico is home to the pointsettia. In the 1800s, it was sent to Robert Buist in Pennsylvania who was a botanist. By the 1900s, it became the Christmas flower. Now we can find it from coast to coast.
Did you know that December 18 is National Pointsettia Day? Has been since Dr. Poinsett's death which was in 1851. Do you purchase pointsettias for yourself or give as gifts?
What drew us to the above pointsettias were the beautiful leaves.That's the first thing people notice about the plant. It takes until mid-December for the flower to start blooming. The leaves keep people smiling throughout the life of the plant.
It's been a week since our visit to Felly's Greenhouse and we are still enjoying the most beautiful pointsettia we have ever seen.
Remember: each week I provide information. It is not all encompassing. It's a view.
Watch out next Tuesday to learn about why and how ponds and lakes freeze.
Here's to a healthy and happy holiday season!
Thanks for reading,
Judy
References:
Wells,
D. (1997). 100 Flowers and How They Got Their Names.
https://www.phoenixflowershops.com/pages/poinsettiahistory.htm
https://www.whychristmas.com/customs/poinsettia.shtml
https://www.independentmail.com/story/news/2017/12/12/poinsettia-facts/899491001/
https://pss.uvm.edu/ppp/articles/points.htm
http://www.poinsettiaday.com/history.html
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