It’s that cheerful time of year again when holiday tables, fireplace mantles and festive windowsills sport the elegant and familiar red and green houseplant—Euphorbia pulcherrima—better known as the poinsettia.

Join Clallam County Master Gardener Jeanette Stehr-Green on Thursday, December 8th from noon – 1:00 p.m. for a Green Thumb Garden Tips Zoom presentation and learn more about these gorgeous houseplants and how to keep them thriving all year long:

“The Strange Tale of the Poinsettia: The Past and Future of a Holiday Tradition”

December 8th, 2022 from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm via Zoom.

A direct link to the presentation can be found here.

This will be the final Green Thumb Education Series program of 2022. Next year, we will be hosting these in a hybrid fashion with both in-person and Zoom options available. Come back and check our online calendar for all of the most up-to-date information.

Or join by phone: 253-215-8782

Meeting ID: 920 0799 1742

Passcode: 709395

Did you know that the poinsettia is a plant whose production and sale contributes hundreds of millions of dollars to the U.S. economy each year? Jeanette will discuss the origin of the poinsettia, its introduction to the United States and its transformation to the most popular holiday gift plant around the world. She will talk about the challenges in the commercial production of poinsettias, their growth requirements and what it takes to get them to bloom in time for Christmas.

Jeanette will discuss how to select a quality poinsettia for your own home or to give as a gift, how to care for a poinsettia to keep it looking beautiful through the holidays and how to get a poinsettia to bloom for subsequent holiday seasons. She will be ready to answer questions not only about poinsettias, but all holiday gift plants.

Jeanette is a houseplant enthusiast and is especially fond of holiday gift plants. Through independent study, she has learned about the culture and care of poinsettias, amaryllises and Christmas cactuses. She has had hands on experience with these plants, growing many of them in her own home and experimenting with their propagation and bloom time.

Jeanette has been a WSU-certified Clallam County Master Gardener since 2003. She enjoys teaching others about gardening and writes articles for both the Peninsula Daily News and the Sequim Gazette. She also contributes to gardening programs on local radio stations KONP and KSQM. Jeanette attained the Lifetime Achievement status with Clallam County Master Gardeners in 2010 and was the 2012 Clallam County Veteran Master Gardener of the Year.

We hope you have a wonderful Holiday Season!

The “Green Thumbs Garden Tips” education series, sponsored by the WSU Clallam County Master Gardeners, is held on the second and fourth Thursday of each month through October. In November, December, and January, one lecture is offered. Scheduled presentations are subject to change. Visit the WSU Extension Clallam County website calendar for the latest information on upcoming presentations. For questions, call 360-565-2679.