{"id":5881,"date":"2017-11-14T14:06:10","date_gmt":"2017-11-14T13:06:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/starsforeurope.com\/en\/?post_type=press&p=5881"},"modified":"2025-07-17T10:39:31","modified_gmt":"2025-07-17T08:39:31","slug":"a-quick-guide-to-buying-poinsettias","status":"publish","type":"press","link":"https:\/\/starsforeurope.com\/en\/press\/a-quick-guide-to-buying-poinsettias\/","title":{"rendered":"A quick guide to buying poinsettias"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Bonn, 14 November 2017 \u2013 In the last months of the year the poinsettia is the most-sold flowering house plant. Its star-shaped brightly-coloured bracts make this winter bloomer one of the most popular decorations in the Christmas season and also a pleasing present. If you want to be sure that a poinsettia will retain its beauty for a long time, some simple rules should be observed when shopping. High-quality poinsettias, whose care needs have been met in the retail environment, will best meet the prerequisites for lasting plant enjoyment. <\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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Dense foliage and budding flowers<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

In order to assess the quality of a poinsettia, one should take a close look at its leaves and flowers before purchasing. Fresh, plants that have been given proper care can be recognized by their fresh flowers and full, balanced foliage without any visible damage, discolouring or deformation. A simple tap test will show whether the foliage will deliver on its promises. If a light tap against the sides of the pot causes the leaves to drop, it\u2019s better not to buy the plant. The flowers of the poinsettia are tiny and unassuming.

They are grouped within small structures at the base of the coloured bracts and measure only a few millimetres in diameter. The flowers give a good indication of the condition of a plant. If they are greenish-yellow rounded buds, the plant is fresh and quite likely to retain its full beauty for another few weeks. But if the flowers are covered in yellow pollen, it\u2019s obvious that the poinsettia is already past its prime and will soon drop its lovely bracts.<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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A protected location and slightly moist soil<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Steer clear of poinsettias that have been exposed to draught or even left standing outdoors. These warmth-loving plants don\u2019t like draughts or temperatures below 15 degrees Celsius at all. The consequences are often not visible until days later, when the poinsettia suddenly drops its leaves. In this case there\u2019s little hope of recovery, and the only recourse is to go out and buy a new plant. Apart from location, proper watering is also decisive for lasting plant health. Poinsettias should never be overwatered, but neither should they be allowed to dry out. To find out whether a poinsettia has been watered properly, just stick a finger in the pot.

If the soil is slightly moist and there is no sign that the pot has been standing in water, there is no reason not to buy it. But to be really sure that a poinsettia is absolutely healthy, you should lift it carefully out of its pot and check to see whether the roots are white. Don\u2019t let anyone see you though, it\u2019s not the best way to find favour with the sales staff at the garden centre or flower shop!<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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Bundle up for the trip home<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

In order to ensure that your carefully-chosen poinsettia makes it home in good condition, it should be properly packed in paper before taking it outside and then transferred to its new location straightaway. Even a brief spell unprotected in the cold is enough for poinsettias to suffer lasting damage. Care must also be taken when wrapping and transporting the plant to avoid damaging the branches or foliage. Every injury to the plant will weaken it and the leaking sap can also leave stains.

By the way: Garden centres and florists have fresh, beautiful poinsettias on hand right up to Christmas. So if yours should need replacing at the last minute, you won\u2019t have to celebrate the holidays with this traditional Christmas decoration.<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n

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Whether you will enjoy your poinsettia for a long time is already decided at the time of purchase. We tell you how you to guarantee that you buy the best poinsettias.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":5546,"template":"two-column-press","press_cat":[58,82],"press_main":[124,53,151],"class_list":["post-5881","press","type-press","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","press_cat-care","press_cat-interesting-facts","press_main-knowledge","press_main-press-releases","press_main-worth-knowing"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starsforeurope.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press\/5881","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starsforeurope.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starsforeurope.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/press"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/starsforeurope.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press\/5881\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7997,"href":"https:\/\/starsforeurope.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press\/5881\/revisions\/7997"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starsforeurope.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5546"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starsforeurope.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5881"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"press_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starsforeurope.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press_cat?post=5881"},{"taxonomy":"press_main","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starsforeurope.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press_main?post=5881"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}