Thanks so much for hosting me today on the Paranormal Romantics. I had a great time writing Deadly Undertaking with a ghost-like character, a shadow man, Henry.
In my pre-writing life, I was in the flower business for twenty years. We were busy elves helping Santa out at this time of year with providing decorations, floral arrangements, and blooming plants for gift-giving and parties. The poinsettia is the plant every one associates with Christmas time, so if you give or receive one, I am passing along some pointers on caring for this seasonal favorite. Happy Holidays!
12 Pointers on Poinsettia Care by J.Q. Rose
‘Tis the season of the year
when the transformation occurs. Winter’s grim grip on the land is broken by the
bright lights and decorations of the holidays. The poinsettia plant, introduced
to the US by Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first US Ambassador to Mexico, remains
the all-time favorite of decorators.
Purchasing a poinsettia
·
Do you know the
beautiful shades of red, pink, and white are not the poinsettia flower? The
flowers are located in the center of the colored leaves or bracts. When
purchasing, look for buds. The freshest plants have the buds and will last
longer than plants with flowers opening or already opened or missing.
·
Check the rest of
the plant to be sure leaves are a rich green, not yellowed, wilted, or curled.
Wrap it up
·
In cold areas,
your newly purchased plant should be wrapped or sleeved before taking it
outside to your car or truck. Poinsettias hate cold drafts.
·
Don’t leave the
plant in the vehicle for a long time in the cold weather even if it’s wrapped.
Watering and Fertilizing
·
When you get home
with the plant, immediately unwrap it.
·
Dig your fingers into the soil to see how wet
it is. Go about an inch deep. Poke a
hole through the foil wrap or remove the foil before watering to allow the
water to drain.
·
Always set the
poinsettia in a tray to catch the water that drains through. After an hour or
two, empty the tray of remaining water. Just
like you and me, the roots of the poinsettia don’t like their feet wet all the
time.
·
Don’t fertilize
while the plant is blooming. To keep the leaves green after blooming, fertilize
once a month with a liquid fertilizer.
·
With any plant
you have in your house, always feel the soil to determine how wet or dry it is
before watering.
The Best Location in your house
·
Poinsettias do
well in bright light, but not hot sun. Find a brightly lighted area in your
home.
·
Don’t put the
plant in a cold window or near a heat vent.
Poisonous?
·
Poinsettias have
been wrongfully accused of poisoning pets and children. The Pet Poison Helpline
states, “While poinsettias are commonly “hyped” as
poisonous plants, they rarely are, and the poisoning is greatly exaggerated.”
Pet Med adds “If the leaves are ingested, they will often cause nausea and
vomiting, but it would take a large amount of the plant’s material to cause
poisoning, and most animals and children will not eat such a large enough
amount because of the irritating taste and feel from the sap.” You can be
assured the poinsettia can safely claim its place adding a pop of color and
beauty to your home or workplace during the holidays.
If you have any questions
about caring for your poinsettia plant, please ask in the comments section
below. I’d be happy to answer. Do you usually have a poinsettia plant in your home
during the holidays? What’s your favorite color? I’m traditional because I prefer
red. Do you have other holiday plants like the Christmas cactus, amaryllis, and
cyclamen?
# # # #
J.Q. Rose has been working
with flowers most of her life. She began by helping in the family’s funeral business
setting up flowers for visitation and funeral services. Later she and her husband owned and operated
a floral shop, greenhouses, and garden center where she designed floral
arrangements which included funeral flowers.
In her romantic suspense, Deadly Undertaking, her main character,
Lauren, is the daughter of a funeral director performing many of the jobs J.Q.
knows so well such as dusting caskets.
Lauren Staab of the Staab and
Blood Funeral Home returns home to help out with the family business and take
care of her mother stricken with Alzheimer ’s disease. She hadn’t planned on
meeting a handsome detective, being exasperated with a shadow man, and
discovering a murder victim in the garage between the flower car and the
funeral coach. Welcome home, Lauren!
EXCERPT: Deadly Undertaking by J.Q. Rose, from
Chapter 12—Meet Henry, the shadow man
Lauren
entered her office and shut the door behind her. She was infuriated with her
brother and with Emmett. She stomped to her desk and tossed the cigarette
lighter in the drawer. The heat of her anger still flamed inside her. She
shook her head in disgust.
“Lauren, you really should give up smoking those
cigarettes. They can kill you.” Her eyes darted to the wall. Henry’s shadow
hovered next to the closed door. He never showed up at the right time. Of course when was the right time to see a
ghost?
Stifling the three little sneezes that always signaled
Henry’s presence, she said, “Dear, dear Henry. You aren’t exactly a healthy
specimen yourself, a flat black shadow on a wall. Are you telling me cigarettes
killed you?” She smirked at the shadow.
“No, not cigarettes.”
“I think you know this isn’t the right time to be
discussing my health. That was you knocking the stuff off the shelves and
flashing the lights on and off, wasn’t it?” She practically stared a hole
through the shadow.
“Why, what do you mean, dear?” It’s a good thing Henry
didn’t have a face to slap because she would have if she could have.
“You know what I mean.” She sighed. “I guess I should be
grateful instead of mad at you. At least your shenanigans scared off Emmett.
“You’re welcome.” Henry bowed deeply. “Glad to be of
help.”
“Well, I’ve got work to do, Henry.” Tapping her computer to wake it from its
hibernation, she said, “By the way, what did kill you?” Funny how she’d never
even thought about how Henry died.
“Some bad guys didn’t like me too much.” He twirled his
umbrella and tucked it under his arm.
Now that statement spiked Lauren’s curiosity. “Do you
mean somebody murdered you?” Her eyes grew wide with the realization. “Why?
Were you a bad guy or a good guy?”
She heard Henry’s deep chuckle. “Now how am I supposed to
answer that? Of course, I think I’m the good guy.” He gave the “thumbs up”
gesture to emphasize he was truly was.
Lauren leaned forward in her chair. She waited. “Well
aren’t you going to tell me what happened?”
A knock at the office door interrupted the conversation.
# # # #
Deadly Undertaking is
available at Amazon. Click here to read
a sample or download the e-book.
Bio
J Q Rose is an avid reader, photographer, and blogger with blogs about writing and growing a vegetable garden. Janet and her husband are snow birds who spend winters in Florida allowing them to garden twelve months out of the year. Summer finds her up north camping and hunting toads, frogs, and salamanders with her grandchildren.
10 comments:
Thank you for hosting me today. My sincere desire is to help people enjoy their poinsettias for as long as possible. Now if you're in the tropical regions, your poinsettia may be growing outside your window and as tall as a hedge!
Welcome, JQ. What a timely post. On our honeymoon in the Virgin Islands, we saw poinsettias as tall as a house! Fantastic. Best wishes on Deadly Undertaking. Sounds very interesting.
Great Poinsettia tips! I have a few *ahem* adjustments to make to mine now. :)
Diane, you can imagine how we felt seeing those monster sized poinsettias when we were in the greenhouse business and struggling to keep them pretty in a 6" pot! Hey, I just found out via FB friend today is Poinsettia Day!
Hi CJ, I know exactly what you mean. Glad the article was helpful.
What great tips! I love flowers, and poinsettias, but I claim to have a 'black thumb' as they never live long. I will have to try some of your suggestions. Your book sounds intriguing!
Maureen,So glad you enjoyed the tips. Usually folks who feel they have a black thumb are the ones who over care for their plants!! Killing them with kindness. LOL..Relax. Just feel the soil before watering and keep the plants out of a hot hot sunny window--if that is ever possible to find up north in the winter. You'll be fine! Plants add so much life to a home.
Great post, Maureen. I love the color and festivity poinsettias give the holidays (and just realized I don't have mine yet!). As a Christmasaholic, they are a permanent December feature. Love the peak at your book. I'm a sucker for a ghost sidekick.
nice information
Wonderful post, JQ Rose! I love this Christmas staple. Do you know who I could care for them if I planted them outside in the spring, here in the Tucson, AZ, Sonoran desert area?
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