Glendale Farms Winter enews

Volume 5 | November 2021

Winter - Holiday 2021

Glendale Farms News & Updates

Thanksgiving, Hanukkah and Christmas are just a few of the holidays that we will be celebrating in coming days. Thankfully many of us will be with family and friends this year.

Here at Glendale Farms we will be busy over the next few weeks greeting friends who will be picking up their prize poinsettias for their holiday decorations. We have been delivering to others who carry our plants in their stores. Remember, we only take cash and checks on the farm.

In this enews, we included a little bit of poinsettia history, tips on poinsettia care and a few decorating ideas for some unique seasonal flair. We hope you will enjoy reading about these prized and colorful plants and will stop by the farm to pick up your holiday poinsettias.

We will be open daily - seven days a week after Thanksgiving starting on Black Friday. We hope that you will plan to stop by on Shop Small Saturday and will support local businesses in your community. This year we grew enough poinsettias to pack six greenhouses with these beautiful tropical plants.

We look forward to seeing you over the holiday season.

If you have any questions, call Deb or Tim at 203-874-7203.

Visit our Website

What is the history of the poinsettia and its connection to the holidays?

The poinsettia originates in Mexico. It grows wild as a bush in the highlands and reaches a height of up to five metres. As "Flores de Noche Buena", "Flowers of the Holy Night", the plant has been associated with Christmas in Central America as early as the 16th century. The poinsettia is also known as the Christmas Star, Christmas Flower, Mexican Flame Leaf, Lobster Flower, Winter Rose, Crown of the Andes, and, in Turkey, Atakurk’s Flower (named after the founder of modern Turkey).

Poinsettias were introduced to America in 1825 by botanist Joel Poinsett, who was the first US Ambassador to Mexico.

The most beautiful “petals” on the plant aren’t flowers at all, but lush red, white, pink or green leaves. The flowers are actually the little yellow buds in the center of each collection of leaves (the collection of leaves is called a bract).

National Poinsettia Day is celebrated on December 12th.

How do I care for my poinsettia plant?

Poinsettia care is easy throughout the holidays. Just follow these simple rules:

Light: Place your poinsettias in an area where they'll receive a minimum of six hours of bright

(but not direct) sunlight each day.

Temperature: These plants prefer temperatures from 65 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and from 60 to 65 degrees at night. The lower night temperatures help the poinsettias keep their brilliant color. Protect the plants from both cold and hot drafts from outside doors, heat registers or appliances.

Never expose them to temperatures below 55 degrees Fahrenheit. Take them right home from the farm.

Water: Poinsettias like moist, but not wet, soil. To know how often to water poinsettias, wait until the top of the soil is dry. Add room temperature water to the plant, allowing the water to drain through the pot. Then discard any excess water in the saucer. If the plant's container was wrapped with decorative foil, be sure to remove the foil from the bottom of the container to allow water to drain through.

Decorating with live Poinsettias

Cut poinsettias will last two weeks or more!

This Christmas, why not think differently about how you decorate your home?

Here are a few ideas

Transfer your poinsettia to a colorful pot and place in a prominent location in your home.

The heart of any festive scene, the Christmas Tree, draws upon the wonder of nature, so it is only natural that we look to replicate this style elsewhere within our homes. Poinsettias – also highly recognisable as a festive bloom – are the perfect way of creating calming and warming interior displays; displays which tap into the current trend for placing nature at the centre of the design.

Nestle your poinsettia plants around the base of larger plants to create a colorful festive area in your home or office.

The bright red poinsettias are often associated with this festive bloom – however the white poinsettias are the ideal solution for creating a magical snowy look. Paired with silver, or enchanting gold, the poinsettia provides a crisp colour accent to winter wonderland themes.

Forget traditional bunting and hanging décor, but instead draw upon the homemade and maximise the stunning floral displays that poinsettias can create!

Cut the poinsettia stems off the plant and use them to decorate your holiday table, arrange on a wreath and make various holiday decorations with these live plants.

Immediately after cutting the poinsettias, hold their stems in 60°C water for approx. 5 seconds, then dip in cold water. This way the magnificent bracts will stay dazzlingly beautiful for up to two weeks.

Visit Glendale Farms for your holiday poinsettias. Not only do they make great holiday decorations, they make great host gifts.