CELEBRATE POINSETTIA DAY

December 12 is National Poinsettia Day, so celebrate in style by treating yourself to a Euphorbia pulcherrima plant or two or three or four or more of your own!

Now, we all know this "holiday" is just an excuse to sell more plants, but that's okay because poinsettias are great decorative plants. And even if you don't live where this is a proclaimed and official (commercial) holiday, go ahead and celebrate anyway because you can never have too many poinsettias around the house.

When you purchase a poinsettia plant, look for a healthy one so it will hold up well through the holidays. First off, these plants need good light and good air circulation to stay healthy. So skip the plants crammed tightly together in a display, and skip the plants with foliage pre wrapped in foil or decorative paper. Avoid plants displayed in a cold or drafty place, too.

Next, check the soil. These plants require an evenly moist soil when they are in active growth, so it should be slightly damp, not bone dry and not soggy wet.

Now, check the flowers. A plant still in bud will look crisp and fresh much longer than one whose blooms are already fully opened. This is a little bit tricky. The red "petals" are actually leaves surrounding the golden colored "real" flower in the center. You want to select a plant with the real flower still in bud rather than already opened, so take a close look at the center before you buy.

Finally, look carefully for pests. Probably the most common problem is whitefly. Unfortunately, whitefly is notoriously difficult to eradicate, even with the use of chemical controls. Whitefly is a tiny little white insect, aptly named, that flies up when the plant is disturbed. Besides being hard to control, whitefly can quickly spread throughout your other house plants at home. If you see whiteflies around the display of poinsettias, don't buy one from there. It's too risky.