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Ashley's Flowers, specializes in flowers for all occasions and offers delivery thought the Los Angeles California area.

Poinsettias are beautiful flowers and a Christmas tradition. Poinsettia quality is at an all time high because poinsettias can be shipped directly from the greenhouse to your house quickly to retain high quality and freshness.

These tips will help you buy the best poinsettias for your Christmas holiday season.

This picture is a nearly perfect example of a poinsettia from Bloomdepot.com.
Click below to buy poinsettias from Bloomdepot.com.
Red Christmas Poinsettia	Pink Christmas Poinsettia	White Christmas Poinsettia

Buy these Poinsettias:

• Choose a poinsettia plant with dark green foliage down to the soil line.
• Choose poinsettia plants with bracts (modified leaves) that are completely colored.
• The poinsettia should look full, balanced and attractive from all sides.
• The poinsettia plant should be 2 1/2 times taller than the diameter of the container.
• Check the poinsettia's maturity. Check the true flowers which are located at the base of the colored bracts. If the flowers are green or red-tipped and fresh looking the bloom will "hold" longer than if yellow pollen is covering the flowers.

The National Poinsettia Cultivar Trials were established in an effort to bring a thorough body of research and information to poinsettia growers across the country.

The site contains recomendations for growing poinsettia cultivars useful to large commercial growers as well as small specialty growers and home gardeners.

The research is the result of efforts by:

• Universities:
• Purdue University
• University of Florida - Gainesville
• North Carolina State University
• Commercial Site:
• Homewood Nursery, NC
• Commercial Breeders:
• Paul Ecke Ranch
• Oglevee, Ltd.
• Fischer USA
• Selecta First Class
• Dummen

Fisher USA is a leading breeder of poinsettias, impatiens and geraniums. They have over 400 varieties of flowers they sell to greenhouse growers all over North America.

Fisher is also a leading sponsor of university research on poinsettias as well as other types of flowers.

Their website has many useful resources for home gardeners as well as professional growers.

Read more about Fischer USA.

Oglevee Ltd is a leading producer of flower cultivars (varieties). Oglevee has an in-house breeding department and evaluates varieties submitted by breeders worldwide. The policy of Oglevee is to sell the best varieties regardless of the source.

Oglevee also sponsors university research on flowers.

Oglevee sells the following types of flowers:

• Begonias
• Carnations
• Geraniums
• Impatiens
• Kalanchoes
• Poinsettias
• Streptocarpus

Oglevee's web site has a great deal of information about growing these types of flowers for both professional growers and home gardeners.

Read more about Oglevee Ltd Flower Variety Producer.

Most gardeners and growers think of poinsettias as a tricky plant to grow. This is because poinsettias are very sensitive to temperature and light variations. If the proper conditions are not met, the blooms will not form properly or wilt prematurely.

If you have a large greenhouse full of poinsettias growing and reflowering can be tricky. However, if you only have a few plants in your home it is easy.

Fortunately, there is plenty of information available on how to control these conditions properly.

The main conditions for growing poinsettias:

• Night temperatures above 50 F.
• Daytime temperatures below 70 F.
• A period of uninterrupted long, dark nights for about 2 months in the fall.

The ideal is to have a temperature of about 69 F all the time.

This is true of growing new plants or to get a plant to reflower in subsequent years.

How to make poinsettias flower or reflower:

• Light your poinsettia plants with grow lights until 2 a.m. until Sept. 25. Then cover with a black cloth from 5 p.m. until 8 a.m. until Oct. 15, followed with natural day lengths.
• Keep the temperature at 69F all the time.

The Texas A & M University Agricultural Extension Service has produced a great resource for growing poinsettias. The information aims specifically at growing conditions in Texas but is very useful for growing poinsettias anywhere.

Topics at the Texas Poinsettia Producers Guide site include:

• Poinsettia History
• Poinsettia Forms and Styles
• Poinsettia Economics and Marketing
• Poinsettia Cultural Characteristics
• Poinsettia Cultivars
• Production Schedule
• Poinsettia Height Control
• Selecting a Poinsettia Growing Medium
• Poinsettia Water Quality
• Poinsettia Irrigation
• Poinsettia Nutrition
• Insect and Mite Management
• Poinsettia Diseases and Control
• Common Poinsettia Disorders
• Conversion Tables for Growers and Gardeners
• Additional Poinsettia References

Read more about Texas Poinsettia Producers Guide.

The University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension has conducted detailed research related to poinsettia cultivation and flowering. The research was funded by the Paul Ecke Ranch, the UNH Agricultural Experiment Station, and the Anna and Raymond Tuttle Environmental Horticulture Fund.

This research is useful to commercial growers as well as gardners and consumers caring for poinsettias.

Read more about the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension Poinsettia Site.

Poinsettias have long been associated with Christmas. At least part of the reason is that the very deep red of the flowers (bracts) and the very dark green of the leaves go well with other traditional plants and colors.

Legend has it that poinsettias have been involved in Christmas miracles. One especially charming one involves a poor child who gave weeds from the side of the road as a gift to his church suddenly springing to full scarlet red poinsettias.

The short answer is no...but don't eat them.

Poinsettias will make people or pets ill if they are eaten.

Individuals allergic to latex might have an allergic reaction to poinsettias since the plant produces a similar substance.