Not a Christmas flower, but a midsummer flower! Here’s how Nina keeps her poinsettias “blooming” wildly even in summer

Wow, those poinsettias are incredible! Nina, how old are your poinsettias now?

I currently have four poinsettias. The newest one was a gift last Christmas, two are from the previous Christmas, and the oldest is from Christmas 2022.

My oldest poinsettia is the biggest and especially eye-catching. Early in the summer, my poinsettias aren’t at their best because they’re often a bit sparse after winter. In bright summer light, though, they sprout new leaves and become lush by late summer.

Here’s how the poinsettias looked when bought at Christmas 2022! Nina hasn’t been able to get white poinsettias to thrive the way the red ones do.

What inspired you to keep your poinsettias after Christmas?

I’m a bit sentimental when it comes to plants. I have a soft heart and can’t throw out Christmas flowers once they’re alive and healthy. I love the cozy ambiance poinsettias bring to a holiday home. That’s why I’m both happy and slightly exasperated whenever I get a new poinsettia as a gift. It’s so beautiful, but I can’t toss it out either!

I think poinsettias’ leaves are gorgeous, so I enjoy them even when they’re completely green. At home, the leaves grow smaller than in a greenhouse, but the plants produce more of them.

Here’s the poinsettia glowing in fall 2023, nearly a year after it was purchased.

Have your poinsettias always looked this impressive?

My first experiences with poinsettias weren’t very successful. It took a while to figure out how to give them the right conditions at home.

I’m in a busy life phase and can be forgetful. Sometimes my poinsettias have dried out and dropped their leaves. In summer, though, I have more time to care for them, and they bounce back.

How do you care for your poinsettias?

Poinsettias need consistent moisture and ample light, and they dislike the cold. I usually keep them in self-watering pots because I tend to forget to water. They stay by the west-facing window—the brightest spot in our home. We also don’t ventilate through that window, so they’re safe from drafts. From April through late September, I add fertilizer to every watering. In winter, I use seaweed extract once a month.

In spring, I trim my poinsettias a bit, especially if they’ve grown long stems without branching. They’ll produce new branches where I cut, making them fuller. Over time, they do sprout side shoots on those single stems, but pruning speeds it up.

In this January 2024 photo, the poinsettia has plenty of “flowers,” or colored top leaves.

Here’s one of the poinsettias in December 2024. Nina says she loves it even when it’s green, thanks to its beautiful leaves.

How do your poinsettias make it through the winter?

I’ve noticed poinsettias drop their leaves fast if they don’t get enough light. I keep them under a grow light all winter. I don’t give them a cool period, but we keep our home temperatures moderately low in winter.

Professional growers keep poinsettias in the dark in the fall so their top leaves color up. Do you do that too?

Indeed, the red top leaves drop off over the summer, and by fall the plants are completely green. In fall 2023, I tried putting them in a dark closet at night for about seven weeks, and they did start flowering.

Last Christmas, though, I decided to skip the dark treatment. Winter was especially hectic, and I didn’t have the energy to move the plants in and out every morning and evening. Instead, I set the grow lights on a 12-hour timer in November and waited to see what would happen, keeping them on until April. I wasn’t expecting much, but to my surprise, all my poinsettias formed red bracts during the darkest time of the year. The most intense color actually showed up in February and March, rather than at Christmas.

Here’s Nina’s two-year-old poinsettia showing off right now!

What’s most important in caring for poinsettias?

Plenty of light and consistent moisture are key to avoiding leaf loss. Many people keep poinsettias as table centerpieces, but then they might not get enough light and start dropping leaves. My trick is to place the poinsettia where I want it for part of the day, then move it back under the grow light the rest of the time.

Another common problem is forgetting to protect your poinsettia from the cold on the way home. One I received as a gift got badly chilled in transit and lost most of its leaves. It did recover slowly and is now doing just fine.