Poinsettias are the embodiment of Christmas colors.  Though they can be finicky and difficult, the home at Christmastime is not complete without their bright red bracts, dark green leaves, and shiny foil as a compliment to the rest of the home Christmas decor.

Poinsettias are usually considered throw-away plants after the holidays, but this doesn't have to always be the case.  My mother, who lives in zone 7, got a Poinsettia one year and planted it along a wall on the south side of her home.  By the next year, that plant was pretty near six feet tall and was the most gorgeous Poinsettia plant I have ever seen.  Obviously, this won't work in the north, but given the right conditions, you could conceivably see your own Poinsettia bloom again next Christmas.

Poinsettia blooms are not actually blooms at all, but are rather colored leaf-like bracts that range in color from red, yellow, white, pink, or mottled.  The actual blooms on this plant are small and rather inconspicuous.   This plant is widely believed to be poisonous, but in reality it is not a danger, other than it may irritate sensitive skin.  If ingested it won't kill you but it won't make you feel any better either.  So don't eat this one and keep it out of reach of toddlers.

Most Poinsettias will remain an attractive container plant if given the right care.  Drafts - either cold or hot - will make them drop leaves in a hurry, so placement is important.  They also appreciate bright light and bi-weekly fertilization with a water-soluble, complete fertilizer.  Given these requirements and a moist soil, they should do well in a normal household situation, i.e. no hotter than 80 degrees during the day and no colder than around 65 degrees at night.

Eventually, your Poinsettia will lose it's colored bracts, but if cared for properly, it will still be a reasonable-looking houseplant.  Once the outside temperature is a solid 60 degrees at night, they can be moved outdoors to a sheltered location that receives some light.  Once new shoots emerge, start fertilizing every two weeks again with the same complete fertilizer, and move into a bright area of the garden suitable for a green, leafy accent plant. 

By mid-September, if all has gone well, you can bring the plant back indoors and put it in a dark area, such as an unused room or closet.  These plants need 15 hours a day of total darkness (even indoor lights will interfere with the results), so put them to bed every night and 15 hours later bring them back out into the light.  Around the end of November you should see coloration of the bracts again, at which point you can bring them back into bright light for the holidays.

Poinsettias are propagated by stem cuttings, but again, care has to be taken, as these are not the easiest plants to successfully multiply by cuttings.  Make sure the soil from the cuttings is a sterile mix, and take care to give high humidity such as in a terrarium so that the leaves don't wilt.  This is tricky, as the cuttings appreciate bright light, so something of a balancing act is required here.  Once the cuttings have taken root, however, they can be cared for in the same way as their adult counterparts.

Whether or not you choose to go to the effort of preserving your Poinsettia until next year, these plants  add a bright, festive touch to your holiday decor at minimal cost, so do place one or two around the home for the enjoyment of your family and guests next holiday season!