Poinsettias

Did you know that in its original home – the deciduous forests of Central and South America – the poinsettia grows up to four metres tall and blossoms all year round? It's therefore no wonder that naturalist Alexander von Humboldt took it back to Europe with him when he came across this eye-catching beauty in Mexico in 1804. In Europe, the plant received the botanical name Euphorbia pulcherrima («the loveliest of the Euphorbias») as far back as 1833.

Nevertheless, it took a long time for it to move into our homes and conquer our hearts: many years of breeding were needed before the poinsettia was able to survive as a pot plant in heated rooms in the late 1950s.

Poinsettia Day is celebrated on 12 December. The date goes back to the anniversary of Joel Poinsett’s passing away. The first US diplomat in Mexico, he came across an unfamiliar plant there while travelling: the poinsettia.

He was so excited by it that he sent it to friends and botanical gardens in the USA. There, the plant was given the common name «poinsettia» in 1836 and Poinsettia Day was introduced in the mid-19th century in memory of the US diplomat. Poinsettias are given as gifts on that date, not only in the USA but also in other countries. This custom is also attracting more and more adherents in Switzerland.

Although the classic red poinsettias are always popular, new colours are also winning hearts and placing the poinsettia at the centre of modern living environments. These include gentle rose, delicate cream, bright pink, a charming salmon pink-apricot shade or plants with cheeky, speckled bracts.

However, the varieties not only differ in colour but also in shape and size.

From «minis» to tall-stemmed varieties, from poinsettias for hanging baskets to bushes, quite literally everything is available in the flower shops. What's more, poinsettias not only come with standard leaves, but with pointed ones, oak leaf-type, toothed ones or crinkly ones.

You'll find our care tips for poinsettias HERE.