Gardening Houseplants

Laidback Gardener Tip of the Day

Unwrap your Poinsettia Right Away

décembre 12If there is normally no problem leaving plants purchased for Christmas in their wrapping for 4 or 5 days, that is not the case with the popular Christmas plant known as the poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima), often offered as a hostess gift during the holiday season. This plant produces ethylene, a toxic gas, and begins to poison itself in as little as 16 hours if there is no or little air circulation. Soon the bracts fall off and the plant, although it is not necessarily dead yet, won’t be very presentable. If you plan to offer a poinsettia as a gift, but not for a few days, unwrap it immediately when you get home and rewrap it just before you leave.

Garden writer and blogger, author of 65 gardening books, lecturer and communicator, the Laidback Gardener, Larry Hodgson, passed away in October 2022. Known for his great generosity, his thoroughness and his sense of humor, he reached several generations of amateur and professional gardeners over his 40-year career. Thanks to his son, Mathieu Hodgson, and a team of contributors, laidbackgardener.blog will continue its mission of demystifying gardening and making it more accessible to all.

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