With Christmas approaching, there is one houseplant that traditionally steals the show: the poinsettia. According to grower Bianca van Veltom, the plant creates atmosphere in the home, although it is also known to be difficult to maintain. “It’s just part of Christmas, whether you like it or not.”
“This is it,” says Van Veltom as she holds up the Christmas star. The bright red plant is extremely popular at this time of year. “Hence the name,” she laughs. “It is a unique plant that suddenly takes on full color at the end of the year. That is why they are only available for a short time.”
The poinsettia is mainly recognizable by its bright red leaves, which are caused by the short winter days. “It is a response to the lack of light: the sooner it gets dark, the redder the leaves turn.” Van Veltom emphasizes that those red parts are not flowers. “They’re just leaves. The real flowers don’t develop.”
Summer Christmas plant
The poinsettia originally has nothing to do with Christmas. “The plant comes from Mexico, a country with lots of sun and warmth,” says Van Veltom. Yet it grew into a real winter classic, partly thanks to a Christmas story. “According to legend, a poor girl had no gift for Jesus and so she picked some weeds along the road. Among those plants there happened to be a poinsettia, which then began to bloom. That was seen as a miracle at the time.”
Tradition
The grower believes that the plant should not be missing in the living room during Christmas. “It’s part of it. A kind of tradition, yes, that’s what I call it. And whether you like the poinsettia or not, there is always a place for it.”
Yet the poinsettia is sometimes replaced by its ‘sister’: the Christmas rose. “They are sometimes confused because of the color, but the Christmas rose is really yellow and not red.” Moreover, this plant is also suitable for outdoors. “You can put it on the balcony or in the garden, but absolutely not the poinsettia.”
Difficult to maintain
Anyone who brings the plant into their home faces a challenge. “It’s not an easy species to maintain. Some customers sometimes say, ‘It’s dead before I get home.’ And I understand that frustration,” laughs Van Veltom. “You just notice that it needs the Mexican conditions to survive for a long time: a lot of light and, above all, little water. If there is too much moisture, the leaves will droop and the plant will die.”