It wasn’t the John Lewis ad or the switching on of the fairy lights. It wasn’t even the opening bars of the Fairytale of New York. It was a moment among a sea of vibrant red poinsettias when Irish Country Living knew that Christmas 2015 had arrived. Brighter than Santa’s red suit, the poinsettia has in recent years become the flower of the festive season.

However, for Jim O’Connor, owner of O’Connor Nurseries in Gorey, the decision to grow poinsettias happened because of a chance encounter right in the middle of summer.

“About 20 years ago, I was at a trade show, and one of the vendors had about 500 poinsettia plants left over that he didn’t want to take back to Holland. He gave them to me for free, said to take them off his hands. They sold well so the next year, we grew 1,000, the year after that 2,000. Now we’ve 40,000 for the 2015 market.”

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Long Way from Home

Not only are the poinsettias massively popular around Christmas, they help complete the seasonality of the floristry business. “We’re really busy from March to July with our bedding and potted plants. We grow over a million of each during the year.

“However, the poinsettias aren’t planted until the end of July/early August, so they are our primary focus at this time of year. Without them, things would be very quite around here,” he laughs, looking around at the masses of red that fill his acres of glasshouses.

Although they are a winter plant, they are originally from a warm climate. “Believe it or not, they are from Mexico, and in the 1820s a governor from California was in Central America and saw them growing on the side of the road.

“He was really into botany, so he brought them home and propagated some plants and it went from there. He was Joel Robert Poinsett, hence the name.”

Although these plants are very far from home, they grow well in Ireland. “As we get closer to Christmas, we reduce the temperate in the glass houses. This helps harden them up for longevity, but it also makes the red become more vibrant.”

Keeping it Irish

In fact, if you are looking for the best poinsettias, the key is to get those grown close to home. “A lot of plants come in from Holland, and it’s not that we are great growers and the Dutch are bad growers. I would never say that.

“It’s just the poinsettias can be a sensitive enough plant. They don’t do well if they are packed into a warehouse and then a lorry, which takes three days to get here. They don’t like transport or being locked up in a dark place with no ventilation and light. That’s what ruins them; they become stressed and start dropping leaves.”

Staying Fresh

Instead, there are five poinsettia growers in the country, including Jim. So by looking out for the Bord Bia Quality Mark, you’re guaranteed that the plant is grown in Ireland and will have better longevity.

Even with that though, the poinsettias can be hard to keep, so Jim gives Irish Country Living some top tips in getting the most out of your plant.

“Before you make your purchase, have a good look at the plant. You can’t make a bad plant good, so ensure it looks healthy. The leaves should be all the way to the bottom. Look inside the sleeve. If the leaves are falling off the stem, stay away from it.

“When you get home, take it out of the sleeve straight away. It will more than likely need to be watered, so place it on top of a saucepan of water and let it soak it up itself. This is more than likely the way it has been watered in the nursery and it also means you don’t overwater it. If you water it from above, there is a chance you could drown the roots and rot them.

“Leave it there for 15 minutes, and you won’t need to do it again for another three days. But keep an eye on it, if it does need water, it will let you know, as the leaves will start to droop and if, you lift it, the pot will feel light. Keep your poinsettia out of direct heat and that’s it, a little bit of care and it should last you right into January.”

Perfect Gift

Jim says they found in recent years that the bigger poinsettias have become much more popular. They have a real wow effect if you’re giving them as a gift and as a good, fair price for a large one is usually between €9.50 and €11.50, they won’t break the bank either.

This Christmas will be a bittersweet one for Jim and his family, as his father Barney passed away during the summer. “My father handed over the land to me when I was about 24. Up until then he had a tomato nursery, before myself and my sister Ailish changed it to flowers. He was 65 when he retired and, although he was always popping up, he really did enjoy his retirement and was 87 when he passed away – a great age.

“Myself and my wife Helen have four kids: Ben, Caitlin, Tara and Eva, aged from 15 down to nine. Maybe one of them will let me enjoy retirement in a few years,” he laughs. “In the meantime, I’ll keep growing poinsettias for Christmas.” CL