Hannah Stephenson offers tips on how to keep that festive favourite, the poinsettia, looking its best

THEY are the symbol of Christmas, their traditional red bracts bringing festive cheer to the home – and now poinsettias come in a range of colours, including light pinks and creams, which would complement more subtle decor.

Some six million plants are sold in the UK in just three weeks in the run-up to Christmas Day, with 80 per cent snapped up in the final shopping weekend, according to grower group the British Protected Ornamentals Association.

Caroline Marshall-Foster, editor of The Florist magazine, suggests an alternative way of decorating with poinsettia is to arrange a row of them in simple copper-coloured pots along the mantelpiece or the windowsill, or to dot a few potted poinsettias among lush green garlands of pine and spruce.

Celebrity florist Larry Walshe says that using metallic-coloured containers can instantly add a hint of Christmas luxury to your poinsettia. “A bit of sparkle makes Christmas. Accessorise your arrangement with gold-leafed candles and glassware and you have the perfect festive table decoration.”

Yet so often poinsettias wilt before the Christmas guests start arriving. So, how do you keep them going?

1 Make sure you buy a healthy plant whose roots are not spilling out through the base of the pot. Check where it is located when you buy it because plants that have been stood outdoors a long time may fail. Unwrap them as soon as you get them home.

2 Place them in a light spot, but not in direct sunlight. If direct sunlight hits the plant, reposition it. Poinsettias should be kept warm, ideally between 13-22C. Don’t place them in draughts and avoid cool rooms.

3 The most common cause of failure is over-watering. Let the upper half of the compost become dry before watering thoroughly. This may mean letting the water drain away and then watering it again. Don’t let them stand in water.

4 Mist the leaves frequently as poinsettias (Euphorbia pulcherrima), which are native to Mexico and Central America, need moist air.

5 If your poinsettia starts to wilt and is as dry as a bone, soak the rootball in warm water, which may revive it.

As well as the traditional red varieties, you can also buy poinsettias in pink and white or with lighter green leaves. Try the stunning white Princettia ‘Pure White’, a new addition to the Thomson & Morgan range (£14.99, www.thompson-morgan.com) or the popular cream type ‘Regina’.

If poinsettias just don’t take your fancy and you’d like to try something new, alternatives include the Christmas cactus, hippeastrum and orchid.

Two new orchids, Phalaenopsis Purple Princess - a dainty type with two to three flower spikes which produce a spray of 3-4cm mauve flowers - and Phalaenopsis ‘Kleopatra 4’ - which has cream flowers with intensely deep purple spots - have recently received the RHS Award of Garden Merit.

For more information on poinsettias, visit www.christmas-star.info

GOOD ENOUGH TO EAT: BRUSSELS SPROUTS

Darlington and Stockton Times:

Thanks to supermarkets, sprouts are available all year round and many chefs have used innovative skills to make them more interesting. But they are a winter vegetable that taste best if you grow them yourself.

Brussels sprouts need rich soil and plenty of space. Sow seeds in 9cm pots from mid-March to April, keeping them outside in a sheltered spot or coldframe, making sure the compost remains moist, but not waterlogged. Dig over the ground where they’ll be planted, adding garden compost or well-rotted organic matter. Thin the seedlings to one per pot and when they are 15cm high, they can be moved to their final position. Water the rows in well and plant the lower leaves just above the soil surface, allowing 50-90cm between plants.

Complete planting by early June, keeping the soil around them weed-free and adding nitrogen-rich fertiliser to the soil, watering in if the weather is dry. Draw soil around the base of late varieties and stake the taller types.

By October, you should be harvesting the first of the sprouts. Cut off the young sprouts as you need them, doing it from the bottom of the stalk. Only pick what you need as the rest can stay on the plant until you are ready.

BEST OF THE BUNCH: HOLLY

Darlington and Stockton Times:

This evergreen shrub is another Christmas must-have, its bright berries adding festive cheer to a plethora of indoor decorations. But it is also a valuable shrub in the garden and you can get unusual and more decorative varieties including variegated types with gold or silver-splashed green foliage, as well as types with yellow, orange or black berries.

Nearly all types are male or female, so you’ll need one of each to ensure berries unless you have neighbours who also grow holly in close proximity in their garden.

The most popular type, Ilex aquifolium, is an upright shrub with 5-10cm long leaves.

Holly will thrive in any reasonable garden soil in full sun or partial shade.

If you are growing holly as a hedge, trim it in spring.

WHAT TO DO THIS WEEK

  • When pruning large branches of trees and shrubs with a saw, make a cut on the underside first, to prevent bark tearing back as the branch comes away
  • Protect the tops of celery with cloches or cover them with straw
  • If a new flush of growth starts to appear on Christmas cherries - Solanum capsicastrum - and threatens to hide the colourful fruits, pinch it out
  • Remove any debris which may have lodged between newly-planted spring bedding and remove weeds
  • Protect early peas and beans sown in autumn from the protection of a little soil drawn up around them to make a windbreak
  • Erect a screen to protect newly planted evergreens from wind scorch
  • Prune deciduous shrubs and trees if any fairly large-scale work is necessary
  • Reduce the length of the stems on any tall rose bushes to decrease the risk of them being moved in the ground by the wind
  • Prune out the areas of apple trees infected with apple canker.