Love Thursday: Christmas Poinsettia Love
For our first Christmas together, P brought home a gorgeous stella di Natale (poinsettia, or literally Christmas star). He really had no way of knowing how much I love the poinsettia — always a fixture at my house growing up during the holiday season — so it was a special gift indeed. It became even more wonderful over the next four Christmases as it bloomed each year (not always right at Christmastime, but it came close).
But then this past summer, it began looking sickly, shriveling and sagging. I furiously searched the Internet for what to do to fix it, but nothing worked. I think it got some sort of root rot, but whatever it was, it was fatal, and it made for a very sad day here.
Until this little one showed up a couple weeks ago:
I don’t know if this poinsettia will make it past the Christmas season (it doesn’t seem nearly as strong as the previous poinsettia but fingers crossed!) but it did bring a little something special with it tucked in among its gorgeous red leaves:
Happy Love Thursday everyone; I hope you’re enjoying a fabulous holiday season.
How sweet! We have a teeny tiny stella di Natale that we couldn’t resist bringing home from Maiori a couple of weeks ago. I’ve never had one before, and I didn’t realize they could live so many years. Any tips?? I’m glad you got a new one this year! Wishing you a wonderful and happy 2011!!
Hugs from the Amalfi Coast,
Laura
I really don’t have tips on making it live (just water now and again), but if you want it to really bloom (i.e., have red leaves for Christmas), you have to put it in the complete dark for about 12 hours a day beginning in September — they say. We never did that, so it never got the full lush red leaves like the first year, but it always had some red leaves anyway. That’s something, btw, I learned quickly about the poinsettia once I researched it (after it didn’t just die after that first Christmas): that the red parts aren’t really the flowers, they’re just regular green leaves turned red because in nature they don’t get very much sun for a few months and POW! Red! Pretty cool!
I love Poinseta’s but they donot love me, so when ever someone makes a gift aof one to me, I keep it for a few days and pass it on, I don’t want to be the poinseta killer.
My husband bought one for me this Christmas and it was in a lovely bird house thype box with a red cardinal , the only thing that survved was the cardinal and it was stuffed!The plant looked like it was suferring from radiation poisning………
Haha well it’s nice to be giving as well…hope it really wasn’t radioactive though, as that wouldn’t be a very nice gift to someone else! Hahaha ๐
It’s so beautiful, Michelle! I see three ?hearts? ๐
Have a very happy, healthy new year!
I did too Pat! ๐ Buon 2011!
That is so cool…hope it makes it for many years to come!
Thanks FH; it’s still looking pretty ๐
Good luck with the new one! I don’t think we ever got more than one season out of one.
Gil, that was the first time for me as well — it had a good run for sure!
your love thursday serie make me smile!i admire you for the ability to find and see love in everything around us….
keep up this positive spirit and have a great new 2011 full with love, smiles and happiness!
Thanks Jana; same to you!