Eight things you need to know about growing poinsettias

On holiday in Portugal one spring, I was intrigued to see a very familiar plant in very unfamiliar (to me, anyway) surroundings. Among the orange groves and ornately-tiled pavements was a municipal planter, out of it leaning a rather old and leggy poinsettia, with straggly woody stems, with small bracts at the end. The gentle warmth of the Algarve in March was a world away from the winter supermarket dashes that I tend to associate these plants with.

It was also a reminder that these often disposable house plants, frequently treated like a cut flower have the potential to last much longer than the twelve days of Christmas! Growing them is as ingrained a Christmas tradition as buying the bumper Radio Times and having one tin of Quality Street too many in the house and with a bit of effort they will last much, much longer than both. On a recent garden centre visit they were selling two poinsettias for less than the price of a pretentious coffee, so perhaps it’s no surprise that there ends up being one in so many living rooms every December.

• 15 of the best Christmas plants and flowers
• Five top tips for Christmas plants
• Celebrate flowers in December, with Isabelle Palmer

Poinsettias don’t have to be as disposable as Christmas cracker toys. With a bit of dedication, you can keep them growing for next year, and you’ll have a much bigger plant than this year (as well as a slightly smug glow of satisfaction when someone comments on it). Get practising your: ‘what that? Oh it’s just from last year…’ nonchalance.

• Keep growing your poinsettia as normal until April, then prune back each stem to 10cm from the base and keep it in a cool, shady place
• In early May, water