Poinsettia’s are the highest selling potted flowering plant in the United States – over 34 million plants are sold each year! What’s more surprising is that these sales yield an estimated $60 million in worth over the course of only a 6 week period throughout the holiday season.
Aside from revealing its vibrant reddish hues in December of each year, the plant’s Southern Mexico roots have also helped it to forge a prominent place in the holiday season due to a well-known Mexican Legend. It is said that a young girl and her brother had nothing to gift, but thoughtfully picked a bouquet of what they believed to be weeds – humbly offering them as a warm welcome. Soon these “weeds” bloomed into magnificent red “flowers”, symbolizing purity and hopefulness – like that of the two small children’s offering.
The efforts of Joel Roberts Poinsett introduced, what was later named the Poinsettia, to the United States in 1828 when he returned from his trip to Mexico with clippings from this plant. Although known to be challenging – he successfully cultivated these Poinsettia clipping in his South Carolina greenhouse.
Today we embrace the Poinsettia’s bloom each holiday season by decorating our homes to welcome “Winter’s Rose” – a vibrant reminder of hopefulness and the purity of the two young children’s generous spirit.
