Christmas Blooms

  Did you know that the plant we know as the poinsettia was once used as a fever medicine?  The poinsettia is a native of Southern Mexico. The Aztecs used it for practical things, like the extracted purplish dye used in textiles and cosmetics.  The milky white sap of the poinsettia, which we call latex today, was used in the fever treatment.   The Founder of the Smithsonian Institution, Joel Roberts Poinsett (1779-1851) had attended medical school and had an interest in botany.  When he discovered Poinsettia plants in the Taxco area, he sent them home to his South Carolina plantations, where he grew them and gave them to friends and botanical gardens.  One of those friends, a nurseryman… began selling them under the now famous name, Poinsettia. 

For those of you who are local, Acer Gardens in Deep River has a terrific selection at good prices this year. They carry a huge selection of bows and wreaths too.. the two on my header are from their shop.

 I have two crazy geraniums who are still thriving on my back porch.  I’m going to try to keep them happy all winter, anyone have any tips?  There is a small heater back there that we turn on when we want to sit out there. The sun warms it up during the day and it is glassed in for the winter.

4 thoughts on “Christmas Blooms”

  2. I love pointsettias. My photo club is going to a pointsettia greenhouse tomorrow. Looking forward to getting some photos like yours…and maybe a couple of plants too 🙂

  3. I love your poinsettias too Karen! I have to be careful with the girlz…especially Chloe and her sense of curiousity! She has been getting in to the weirdest things lately!! Namely…my potpourri!!

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