A Poinsettia's Story

 

Hello. Let me introduce myself. My name is Red and this is my story. I’m one of the 50,000 poinsettias grown by Al’s Garden Center. My journey began many months ago, and boy, was it an adventure.  It has taken me across two continents to my temporary home at Al’s Garden Center. My story began back in June….

 

Today I left my family. I was taken as a cutting off my parent plant at The Paul Ecke Ranch in Guatemala. Did you know that over 75% of us poinsettias are grown in Northern America and over 50% of poinsettias grown in the world get their start at The Paul Ecke Ranch? Although I wasn’t sure if I was ready to break away from my mom and dad, but they told me I am ready to stand on my own and create a beautiful plant. I am only about 2” long. I have three leaves, but no roots to dig into the soil yet. They said for some lucky “customer” (I’m not quite sure what this is), I will complete their holidays. 

 

My parents came originally from Mexico, where they were discovered by Joel Poinsett. He said that if they came to the United States with him, he would make them big stars. He was true to his word and after many years of hard work, my parents have become the most popular potted plants in the U.S.

 

Before all the other young poinsettia cuttings go, we receive our first grades. We are graded for quality. My parents were proud at how well I did. I’m placed on a shipping tray and surrounded by ice packs to ensure a safe trip to Oregon. 

After a long journey in close quarters with many of my buddies, we finally arrive at Al’s Greenhouses. I can’t wait to start growing! A beautiful lady immediately stuck me in a holding pot before I dry out. A holding pot isn’t like a jail. It’s just a smaller pot that will keep me snug until my roots grow. On these unique heated tables, I feel like I am sunbathing just like at home with my parents. I was told in just a couple of weeks for my roots will sprout. Soon I will be strong enough to graduate to a new pot!

 

All of this growing has given me an appetite. They have put me on a liquid diet to keep me strong and lean. Although the food will help me become sturdy and enhance my growth, they say that it isn’t needed after I leave the greenhouses. I should store up a good supply of nourishment to last me well through the holidays.

 

I have overheard my caretakers say that I am going to be a 12” poinsettia. Yahoo!  I will never be lonely because two of my buddies will be placed in the big pot with me. We are sized up carefully to ensure equal, consistent growth for our pot and placed together in a 12” container. I love my new surroundings as there is so much space and we have a beautiful halo ring surrounding us that will help support our leaves as we get bigger.

I woke up to the most unusual sensation this morning. Somebody was pinching the top off of my stem! I wasn’t sure that I liked it at first. But the other poinsettias said it looks cool, like the buzz cut one of our caregivers has. I definitely feel lighter. They say that I must be pinched back so that I produce multiple stems and branches and don’t get floppy. They say I’ll need lots of space to grow to become wide and bushy, instead of tall and leggy. They also promised me that this pinching will help me produce more gorgeous, colored bracts, so I am putting my trust in their expertise. 

 

 

My parents said that where they grew up people considered them a weed. At Al’s they treat me like royalty. Growing in Al’s Greenhouses is like a day at the spa. No wonder they are trusted to grow so many poinsettias and asked to trial new varieties for poinsettia breeders. 

 

Now that the pinching is done, my stems have branched out and I am growing new leaves. They do look great if I can say so myself. The friendly caretakers check on us every morning, one poinsettia at a time. They fluff our leaves, lifting our leaves that get stuck under the ring that helps hold us up, and bringing our larger leaves to the top. Fluffing keeps us growing bigger and more beautiful.  

My beautiful caretaker said I need my beauty rest now that I am getting bigger. Every evening at 4pm a huge black curtain is pulled over us to help us sleep through the night. Promptly at 7am they return to remove the curtain and wake us up for another day of pampering. I was told this will continue every day for a month to help me to bloom a month earlier than I would naturally. My buddies joke that we were “tricked” into blooming early. All I know is that the green in my leaves, called bracts, are beginning to show hints of red. My friends are green with envy, so it looks like the joke is on them. 

My flowers (or cyathia, the yellow clusters in the center of the colorful leaves) are tightly budded. This ensures that I will live for a very long time. I’m almost completely red, just like my parents. There are a lot of us red poinsettias, but not all of us have the same shape. As I look out there is a sea of color. There are pink poinsettias, white poinsettias, yellow poinsettias and poinsettias that come in mixed colors. My parents told me that no matter the color or shape we grow up to be we are all very special poinsettias. We are each unique, just like the customers who buy us.  

Today is the day. I’ll finally meet my first customer. After 5 months of rooting, growing, pinching, fluffing, black clothing, and coloring, it is time for me to make my debut.  Our caregivers said some of us are ready to be moved the garden center so that the customers can see how perfect each of us are grown up to be. They said we have reached the high standard of quality that Al’s is known for. Other poinsettias are still growing. They move to the garden center in December. 

 

My new family is taking very good care of me. They read Al’s Poinsettia Care Tips, so I’ll look great when Santa Claus comes to visit. The kids are really trying to be good for this Santa Claus. I love kids - and pets, too. Some people think that I could harm them, but many studies and research have proven that poinsettias like me are most definitely not poisonous. In fact, a 50 pound child would have to eat 500 bracts to get a slight stomach ache.  Grandma’s cookies will do more damage than I’ll ever do.

 

 

So that’s my story. I know my parents would be proud. I’m sorry I couldn’t have gone home with every customer, but I still have lots of friends ready to impress you at Al’s Garden Center. Wait until you see their colors and quality! They would love to help complete your holiday season. 

 

Thanks for reading my story, and have a very Merry Christmas!! 

PS: I can’t wait to meet Santa Claus!