Poinsettia's Spring Surprise

The 4 foot tall poinsettia from the basement - ©CindyRippe2013

Mom and I set up an area with grow lights in her basement over 10 years ago.  We used it to save geraniums and a few other annuals each year before they were killed by frost.  It allowed us to enjoy flowers for most of the winter.  It's an old unfinished basement, always slightly damp with a consistent cool temperature. If we brought the plants up into the heated area of the house they would dry out, so we left them down there and just enjoyed the flowers on laundry days.  We also used the area to force Spring bulbs and enjoy their blooms in the house during the most depressing winter days.

Several years ago I saved this poinsettia for my Mom-in-Law, Alice, at the end of summer.  She didn't want it back so it's spent every year on my deck.  I never did the work timing the lights to get it to re-bloom but I couldn't just let it die.   For more information on the correct way to care for poinsettias CLICK HERE. 

This year all of the plants were ignored.  I saved a few, but  they'll need some work when I replant them outdoors.  I guess the poinsettia liked being left alone.  I found it covered in red "flowers" and brought it up to join the rest of the Spring plants. It was a nice surprise.

The only thing that should surprise us is that there are still some things that can surprise us.  Francois de La Rochefoucauld

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