What to Do with Leftover Poinsettia Plants

What to Do with Leftover Poinsettia Plants is something many of us in colder climates worry about as we put away our holiday decorations. If you live in Florida you can simply plant them outside. 
 

Well, all of my Christmas decorations have been safely tucked away for several weeks now but I can never seem to allow myself to throw away a perfectly good plant.

What to Do with Leftover Poinsettia Plants

Can I Plant a Poinsettia outside? 

Poinsettias can not live outside where the temperatures drop below 45 degrees and they can not tolerate frost.

what to do with poinsettia plants after the holidays

How do I Save my Poinsettia for Next Year?

A few years ago I thought I would try to keep it for the following year by strictly following the daunting directions requiring 14 hrs of complete darkness etc. to only find a green plant at Christmas.

I kept it growing like this for 2 years and this year I did not take it out of the greenhouse b/f our first freeze.

Check out this article about keeping Poinsettias alive for the next holiday.

This year I also received a beautiful one from a florist which I know cost more than the ones at Lowes that I usually pick up!

Anyway, you may start getting sick of that bright pink or red plant in your house, reminding you of the hectic days. Well, you now have a great resource for cut flowers around your house.

 

how to use poinsettia flowers as cut flowers

HOW TO USE Poinsettia Plants as Cut Flowers

Simply cut the stem the length you need and put a flame under the cut side of the stem.

This will cease the white liquid from oozing and place in your vase. Once cut they should last about a week. I think they look totally different this way!

 

According to Better Homes and Gardens this is what they suggest

Start by cutting stems with bracts (the colorful modified leaves we think of as the poinsettia’s flowers) to the desired length. Remove the lower leaves and stand the stems in a vase of cool water for 30 minutes. Discard the cloudy water and replace it with fresh.

Coming next week is the start of Valentine’s Day activities and hopefully,  I will be back on track with my Barefoot Contessa recipes.

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