Unfortunately, poinsettias as cut flowers are no longer very common. So, in this article, we answer the following questions:
What makes poinsettias great cut flowers?
Where can I get cut poinsettias?
What to look for when cutting poinsettias?
What do cut poinsettias have to do with Hollywood?
Here are lots of beautiful decoration ideas with cut poinsettias. From bouquets to table decorations, Christmas tree decorations and Advent wreaths, it’s all here.
What makes poinsettias fantastic cut flowers?
1. The coloured bracts of poinsettias form huge false flowers that look impressive in bouquets and floral arrangements. 🤩
2. Poinsettias come in many different shades, such as red, apricot, pink and rose, all the way to cinnamon and lemon yellow. IThere are also lots of two-tone variants. There’s bound to be your favorite colour there.
3. Poinsettias are grown in regional nurseries.
4. Poinsettias are upmarket, yet cheap. From an average sized potted plant, you can get several cut flowers.
5. Cut poinsettias have a long vase life. If you do it right, you can enjoy them for about 14 days. We’ll tell you below what to look out for so your cut poinsettias stay fresh for longer. ⬇️
Bouquets and floral arrangements to fall in love with
With poinsettias you can create colourful bouquets and arrangements in autumn and winter. These winter bloomers are simply fantastic with other cut flowers and foliages but can also be used alone. Fall under the spell of our ideas for bouquets and arrangements!
For a welcoming table: Blush-coloured poinsettias sit happily with carnations, poppy seedheads, sea lavender, thistles, scabious seedheads, various ornamental grasses and branches of larch cones in a vase. Some flowers have been attached to the outside of the vase with rubber bands covered with wool.
Make a statement: this arrangement showcases pink cut poinsettias, slinky miscanthus and fluffy lagurus grasses, graceful eucalyptus and pretty berry branches.
Cheerful yet sophisticated: a gorgeous tonal winter bouquet of cut poinsettias, ilex and amaryllis in refreshing apricot.
This combination of apricot poinsettias, dainty cymbidium orchids, delicate roses, Berzelia galpinii, fluffy Berzelia lanuginosa, birch twigs and linen ribbons is a masterful creation by English florist The Blacksmith’s Daughter. It works on its own and can also serve as a delightful bridal bouquet at any winter wedding.
A real showstopper with a masterful touch: an autumn bouquet created from carefully cut poinsettias, pine branches, eucalyptus and various dried florals such as coloured asparagus.
Festive and beautiful: a bouquet of artfully arranged ilex branches, swaying grasses and bright red cut poinsettias resplendent in elegant test tubes.
Where can I find cut poinsettias?
Retailers don’t usually sell cut poinsettias.
But that’s not a problem, because you can simply take poinsettia stems from potted plants yourself.
A mini poinsettia usually gives one cut poinsettia, a standard poinsettia in a 12-13cm pot gives two to three, and a large plant in a 17cm pot gives about four to five cut stems.
Cut poinsettia table decorations
Cast a spell over your festive table with a poinsettia centrepiece: With their brilliant elegance, these magnificent blooms will make your invitation unforgettable. Discover table decorations with cut poinsettias to suit every interior style and taste. Be inspired! ✨
Scandi chic: a dream autumnal toned arrangement made of cut poinsettias, kangaroo paw (Anigozanthos manglesii), winterberry (Ilex verticillata), wild asparagus (Asparagus acutifolius), eucalyptus pods (Eucalyptus robusta), cambria orchids (Oncidium cultivar) and kiwi vines (Actinidia deliciosa).
Like something out of a fairy tale: Adorn your table with this coral and terracotta centrepiece of cut poinsettias, candles and decorative panicum grass.
Festive magic for your table in on-trend Japandi style: white and cream cut poinsettias and delicate ornamental grasses come together in simple glass vases.
Light, airy and romantic: decorate your table with eucalyptus and two-tone cut poinsettias in red-pink and cream.
Create unique touches: simply make a hole in a crisp apple, insert a test tube filled with water, decorate the apple with glitter and add a vibrant cut poinsettia!
What should I look out for when cutting poinsettia stems?
Cut the poinsettia stem at a slight angle and remove the lower leaves. Dip the end in hot water (about 60°C) for five seconds. This will stop itsmilky sap leaking out. Then place the cut stem in cold water. This will keep it fresh for about two weeks. Be sure to change the water regularly. If you add flower food suitable for poinsettias to the water, it can further extend their vase life.
Cut poinsettia Advent wreaths
What would Advent be without a pretty wreath? The following ideas show beautiful alternatives to the classic evergreen foliage wreath. The star-shaped bracts of the poinsettia fit perfectly into the Advent season. 🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️
Artistically designed: An Advent wreath made of dried florals, finished with red cut poinsettias in flower tubes.
Cool elegance: A wreath of cut poinsettias, pretty echeveria and a selection of dried florals will stay fresh for several days with a circular floral foam frame as a base.
Festive and elegant: This Advent wreath features cut poinsettias in golden cones. Use empty Christmas tree decorations without their little caps as chic vases!
Feel the retro 70s vibe : Make this vintage-style Advent wreath yours!
Quick and effective: built around shiny Christmas baubles, this DIY wreath is decorated with bright poinsettias and exotic eucalyptus.
Clever space-saving: A hanging Green Living style wreath on a straw frame base covered with moss and berries. Attached to it are long pine and lichen-covered branches. The cut poinsettias are placed in flower tubes filled with water.
What can I use cut poinsettias for?
Cut poinsettias are as versatile as roses, carnations or baby’s breath (gypsolphila) and can last at least as long. You can incorporate them into bouquets or floral arrangements, use them to create table centrepieces or tree decorations, or work them into Advent wreaths. The possibilities are endless.
Just make sure cut poinsettias always have enough water. In filled tubes, vases or soaked floral foam, cut poinsettias can easily stay fresh for up to 14 days.
Cut poinsettia Christmas tree decorations
Cut poinsettias are perfect for Christmas tree decorations. We will show you different ways to attach poinsettias securely and enjoy them for longer. Let your creativity flow and find the perfect way to use cut poinsettias to turn your Christmas tree into a festive focal point! 🎄
Simple and beautiful: transform classic Christmas baubles into stylish settings for cut poinsettias!
Cleverly concealed: here, the cut poinsettia is tucked into a small, hanging glass vase, in which the fresh bloom floats, dancing in the air.
Orchid tubes filled with water and wrapped in moss, attached to the tree with wire, also work.
A look back into history: What cut poinsettias have to do with Hollywood
Did you know poinsettias were very popular as cut flowers long before they were used as potted plants? Maybe you’ve heard that cut poinsettias are by no means a new idea. And Hollywood plays a crucial role in this.
It all came about like this:
After wild poinsettias arrived in the US from Mexico in the 19th century, they spread to the warm areas there. In 1902, German immigrant Albert Ecke observed how the bracts of wild poinsettias around his farm near Los Angeles turned red before Christmas. This gave him the idea of cutting branches and selling them as cut flowers on Sunset and Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood in the run-up to Christmas. The branches with their star-shaped, bright red bracts sold like hot cakes.
Sales went so well that Albert Ecke acquired additional land and focused entirely on growing poinsettias from about 1909.
When Albert died, his son Paul took over the family business. It was he who established the poinsettia as a Christmas symbol under the name Christmas Star. It was not until the 1950s that they succeeded in breeding poinsettia varieties that could be kept indoors as potted plants. But until the mid-1960s, the Eckes were still trading mainly in cut poinsettias.
So if you love Hollywood, cut poinsettias are just what you need! 😊