Everything You Need to Know About Poinsettias
15th Dec 2025
Few flowers are as synonymous with the holiday season as poinsettias. Every December, you’ll see the unique red flowers pop up everywhere from grocery stores and businesses to churches and people’s houses.
Nobody knows whether it’s because of the rich history and tradition, or just the simple fact that poinsettias happen to be the perfect shade of red and green for Christmas decor, but there’s no doubt the poinsettia has become an absolutely crucial element of every Christmas season.
If you don’t know much about poinsettias but you want them to be a part of your holiday celebration, then keep reading. We’ve compiled everything you need to know about this famous Christmas flower.
The Backstory of Poinsettias
Indigenous South American tribes cultivated poinsettias for a long time before Europeans ever knew about them. The flowers are still mostly cultivated in South and Central America.
The most famous ancient poinsettia growers were the Aztecs in Sourth America, who believed the flowers represented new life. Later, Spanish priests learned about the Aztec belief and linked it to Christmas. The priests started referring to flowers as Flor de Noche Buena, which means “Christmas Eve Flower”. Many churches still decorate their sanctuaries with poinsettias on Christmas Eve because of this tradition.
Poinsettias were popularized in the United States in the early 19th Century by an American diplomat named Joel Roberts Poinsett. The flowers were later named after him, and that name eventually became the popular title for the flower around the world.
How to Decorate with Poinsettias
Poinsettias are some of the most fun flowers to use in Christmas decorations because their colors match so well with common holiday themes. Since they often come in pots, they rarely need to be specially arranged. Because of this, decorating with poinsettias often comes down to the simple choices of where to put them and what to put them with.
Poinsettia pots look great on mantels, lining staircases, or arranged as table centerpieces. If the weather permits, you can also put them outside on a patio or next to your front door. If you want to keep them outside, remember that, though they are a Winter flower, they are grown in South and Central America and are not as resilient to the cold as you might expect.
An easy and inexpensive way to upgrade a poinsettia pot is with seasonal add-ons. These might include the addition of other season greens to compliment the vibrant red in the flowers. Alternatively, you could arrange pinecones amidst the leaves, hang ornaments, or wrap the plant in ribbon.
Where to Buy Poinsettias and How to Care for Them
During the holiday season, you can find poinsettias for sale pretty much everywhere. Bix box stores often carry them, and many of the national flower delivery services sell Christmas-themed poinsettia arrangements as well.
However, local florists are the ideal places to buy poinsettias. That’s because florists don’t stock the flowers at the same scale as larger competitors. This means they can buy from growers who focus on quality. Florists can also provide better care to each individual plant to ensure yours is in perfect health when you take it home. At Gidas Flowers, you can also purchase Christmas themed bouquets and table centerpieces.
Once your poinsettias are at home, the care they need is similar to most other houseplants. Water them regularly, but only do so when the top layer of soil is dry. If possible, keep the temperature in the room warm and stable. Poinsettias do best outside of direct sunlight. If possible, place them in a room with plenty of windows that let in natural, indirect light.
Conclusion
Poinsettias are an easy and cheerful addition to any home during the holidays and beyond. They don’t tend to be super expensive, and they don’t require any sort of specialized care. This makes poinsettias a no-brainer for a Christmas decoration or gift.
Keep in mind that while location and care play a huge role in the vibrancy and life expectancy of a poinsettia plant, the way it was cultivated and arranged is also important. While larger stores can offer poinsettias at low prices, florists select higher quality plants and give them better care before you buy them. Florists also offer a higher degree of customization, meaning that you can get a poinsettia pot that is decked out for the holidays, and all you have to do is decide where to put it.
If you’re looking for affordable and high-quality poinsettias in the Pittsburgh area, Gidas is the place to go. We offer many different shapes and sizes of off-the-shelf poinsettia arrangements. But if you have something special in mind, our talented florists would be happy to help you design a custom Christmas arrangement just for you.