Red Poinsettias Are The Perfect Christmas Flowers

What do you think of when you think of Christmas flowers?

The image that comes to mind when most people think about the traditional Christmas flower is a pot of red poinsettias. During the holiday season, you are likely to see this Christmas flower everywhere you go, from the fake displays in department store windows, to the real ones scattered throughout people’s homes. This plant with its brilliant red flowers is the ultimate Christmas foliage.

And the truth is, there really aren't a whole lot of alternatives if you want to incorporate flowers into your Christmas decor. There just isn't a whole lot of so called winter flowers to choose from

The problem with poinsettias is that they can be toxic if ingested by people and animals. And while most adults don’t go around eating plants, cats and children are especially susceptible to this hazard because they are naturally curious about the world. I’ve seen children eat anything from money to dust balls on the floor, so thinking that they won’t eat a plant is a little unlikely. As for cats, it is sometimes impossible for a curious feline to pass up a brightly colored flower, seeing as how their palates are so undiscerning that they will often eat their own vomit.

But because the poinsettia is a Christmas flower, using them as outdoor Christmas decorations, away from the people and animals in your home who might be tempted to ingest it, is not an option. If you have small children and pets, it is probably best to go with an artificial poinsettia plant or just not have them in your home at all.

Of course with small children only, another option is to place them high where they cannot be reached. We place a whole display on top of our fireplace mantle. True they don't last as long up there, but we don't have to worry about the kids getting into them either.

Though poinsettias are traditionally red in color, there are now hybrids that come in white also. This color is not traditionally thought of as a Christmas flower, but looks nice when you have a large display of poinsettias and want to mix some different colored blooms in with the usual red. I’ve seen beautiful displays of poinsettias in the mall at Christmastime that incorporate both the red and white variety of flowering plant to create a gorgeous display of Christmas blooms.

As a side note, poinsettias make great Christmas centerpieces for any table as well. In fact there's really not much you can't do with them as part of your Christmas decorating.

Again, when you think of winter flowers, not many variations come to mind. After all, flowers are more of a spring thing. This is probably why the traditional Christmas flower is not pastel, but instead a rich red color that is deep and muted, like winter itself. When the heavy snow falls, and the air is cold and dark, the plants that come to mind in this kind of environment are not delicate like lilies and roses. Instead, like the mums of fall, the poinsettia, with its hearty composition and heavy leaves, live on in our minds as the perfect, albeit the only Christmas flower.

One final note, these flowers are not hard to come by during the holiday season. Sure you can go to any garden center and purchase all you need. But have you ever notices how many charitable non-profit agencies have poinsettia sales each year? When we can, we will always buy from them. Not only are we getting some great Christmas decorations, but we're also helping out people who need it. And isn't that at least some of what the Christmas season is all about?