Flowers on Friday: Poinsettias

It's Christmas, and we couldn't have Christmas without a Poinsettia!
Don't judge me but, usually I have  eeek . . . . Fake . . . . poinsettias around the house, but with good reason. I always believed that they were poisonous and I didn't want to risk Max sneaking a taste of it, as it turns out . . . it's NOT TRUE. Poinsettia's aren't poisonous!
Apparently it all stemmed from the death of a small boy in Hawaii, in 1918. It was believed that he consumed a Poinsettia plant, and later died. Recent Tests, have all come back conclusively that in fact NO part of the plant is poisonous! And today, all poison control centers list the plant as non-poisonous :) So, this year we are celebrating with a tiny Poinsettia!

He sits on a ceramic white tray I found at Homesense for $12. In a small tin pot I sprayed white, free. With a little acrylic deer Lee bought me at The Real Canadian Superstore for $8. Including the poinsettia the whole arrangement was under $20.

Caring for your Poinsettia:

• Poinsettia's are Tropical Plants so they like LOTS of light. Think, west or south facing window.
• A house between 65 and 75 degrees F is best, if it drops below 60 at night, that's ok too.
• Make sure the plant, isn't pushed up against a cold window, they will drop their leaves.
• Since they are tropical they like the air Moist, a little mist from a spray bottle would be much appriciated by these guys.
• The amount of water they require will vary a lot, depending on the size of plant, how dry the air is, how much light they get, but a good rule of thumb is to water when ever the surface is dry to the touch! 
• Water until it runs out the bottom of the pot.
• DO NOT let your poinsettia sit in water, they don't like it!

So if you thought they were poisonous like I did, no need to worry, you, your kids and your fuzzy friends are safe. Although I wouldn't make a salad out of it anytime soon :)

Also, in the interest of full disclosure this is what the coffee table looked like before I moved all of the mail to take the picture. It's been covered in Christmas Cards for a good 3 days now!
They are going out Monday!