Proper poinsettia care will yield prettiest blooms

Poinsettias, an enduring holiday tradition, offer delightful choices for adding colorful cheer to homes during the holidays. With more than a hundred varieties available, homeowners can find poinsettias in shades of red, pink, white, and bicolor, and sizes ranging from single-bloom, mini-poinsettias in 3-inch pots to voluminous plants with 15 blooms or more.

To ensure a poinsettias will bloom beautifully throughout and the holidays, select plants with dark green leaves and tight flower clusters. A poinsettia's flowers are the small yellowish clusters in the center of the modified leaves known as bracts, and it's actually the colorful bracts that make poinsettias a cherished holiday tradition. Bracts tend to fall after pollen is released, so plants with tight flowers stay colorful longer.

Most poinsettias are sold with protective sleeves. But, if possible, it's helpful to also have plants wrapped in paper or covered with shopping bags. Moderately sensitive to cold temperatures, the extra insulation protects poinsettias from temperatures below 50 degrees while they are moved from a store to a preheated car and later indoors.

For the longest lasting blooms, place poinsettias in bright light where they are not exposed to cold drafts from windows and doors, or warm drafts from heating vents and fireplaces. Flowering generally lasts longer when daytime temperatures are between 60 and 70 degrees, and nighttime temperatures are about 55 degrees.

It is best to monitor poinsettias daily, especially with smaller plants, and to water deeply once soil becomes dry. Plants wilt dramatically if under-watered and, while they usually recover, generally won't flower as long. Make sure soil is well drained by punching holes in decorative foil wraps, and by immediately discarding water that collects in saucers after plants are watered.

General garden care

•Try to avoid using salt-based de-icing products in garden areas. Sodium chloride products are potentially more damaging to plants than calcium-based products.

•When temperatures are above 15 degrees, chemical de-icers made with calcium magnesium acetate are considered the best choice for plants and the environment. Use de-icing products made with calcium chloride when temperatures are colder.

•Shovel as much snow as possible before using sand or de-icing chemicals. Try to distribute treated snow equally on turf grass and garden plants, especially those that are salt-sensitive.

•In areas with good drainage, during periods of thaw, water plants that received salt spray or treated snow. The water will rinse plants and dilute chemical concentrations in soil.

Trees and shrubs

•Deciduous trees and shrubs can be lightly pruned this month. Wait until late winter or very early spring for heavy pruning.

•Remove heavy snow loads from evergreen branches by gently sweeping snow off with a broom. Ice on tree branches should be allowed to melt.

•Immediately prune any branches damaged by snow and ice.

•During periods of thaw, continue to water newly installed trees and all evergreens.

Flowers

•Mulch perennial beds once the ground has frozen hard. Apply 2 to 4 inches of shredded bark or garden compost. Later in the month, evergreen boughs from seasonal wreaths or branches of Christmas trees may also be used.

•Check summer-flowering bulbs that are being overwintered to make sure they remain just barely moist. Lightly sprinkle with water if bulbs, tubers, or rhizomes are drying out. Throw away any that have rotted.

Lawns

•Early in the month, mow turf grass for the last time and cut the grass quite short. Don't mow if grass is dormant.

•Remove any garden debris on grass to prevent problems with mold and fungus.

Indoor plants

•Monitor indoor plants for problems that are more likely to occur during winter. Low light levels, warmer room temperatures than plants prefer, lack of humidity, and improper watering and fertilizing can leave plants stressed and more susceptible to disease and insect problems.

•Remove decorative foil sleeves from potted plants or punch holes in the foil to allow water to drain.

•Flowering azaleas require moist soil, bright light, and occasional misting. Remove spent flowers immediately to prolong blooming.

•Place cyclamen plants in quite cool conditions. Water plants only when soil is dry. To avoid problems, don't pour water over leaves. Instead, place pots with drainage holes in a sink that is partially filled will tepid water. Remove after a few minutes when soil has absorbed water.

Garden wildlife

•Continue to monitor trees and shrubs for animal and rodent damage. Create barriers, if needed, to prevent additional gnawing on or stripping of bark.

•If possible, maintain a supply of water for birds during winter. Use small heating coils in stone birdbaths to prevent water from freezing.

•Clean and refill bird feeders. Regularly cleaning feeders helps to prevent the spread of disease.

•Pour warm water on frozen garden ponds. Using hard objects to break ice can injure fish.

•Denise Corkery is a horticultural writer at the Chicago Botanic Garden.