A poinsettia is not just for Christmas, part 2

​Last week’s meeting with textile artist, Jessica Geach of www.rubycubes.co.uk was awesome.  We bounced ideas off each other and now all is in place.   I first met Jessica and fell in love with her craft at the 2017 Exeter Cathedral’s Winter Fair.  She was similarly impressed with my floristry and craft and we have kept in touch ever since.  One of her unique pieces has pride of place in my much loved bathroom - my absolutely-best-ever-birthday-present-to-myself gift last year.  When I suggested to her making something bespoke for my poinsettias, she was very enthusiastic and last week we had our first brain storming session.  Something wonderful this way comes, uniting three homespun businesses, a family-owned one of almost a century growing plants and two freelance, self-employed artisans.  But I am not going to let three cats out of their respective bags just yet …..
 
And about the two poinsettias taken under my and my friend’s wings last Christmas?
 
Well, my friend enjoyed her beauty – a white version – for more than seven months without losing a single leaf.  A four day holiday away with her daughter during the worst of London’s heatwave, leaving her husband and son in charge of her poinsettia under strict orders saw its demise and no amount of coaxing and tlc has resurrected it.
 
I have followed a set of self-gathered rules and at one stage found myself hacking my Venus Hot Pink plant down.  She has been nurtured ever since with careful watering during our Mediterranean summer and is currently going through a growth spurt and looking very healthy.  I am now trying to decide whether to make a special “dark box” for my plant as all my googlings have dictated.  I would need to keep her in this box for 14 hours a day in a couple of weeks’ time until December.  Or, should I take a tip from Devon poinsettia-grower Kevin and just keep her in an unused room where my plant will never be exposed to artificial light after the Autumn equinox?  Decisions, decisions …..