In Mexico, during the holiday season, a story is told about a poor young girl who was embarrassed and sad that she could only bring a bouquet of simple weeds to church for her Christmas offering. Her young brother tried to comfort her, saying, “Even the most humble gift, if given in love, will be acceptable in His eyes.” It is told that when the girl placed her offering on the church altar Christmas Eve night, the humble bouquet burst into a brilliant display of beautiful red flowers. In Mexico, the poinsettia plant is known as Flores de Noche Buena, Flowers of the Holy Night. A native of Mexico, the poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) was cultivated and used by the Aztecs for dyes and as a medicinal plant to bring down fevers. The plant was introduced to the United States by our first ambassador to Mexico, Joel Roberts Poinsett, in 1825 and since its introduction it has become an American holiday tradition. The beautiful red petals of the poinsettia are not the plant’s flower but its leaves. The plant’s flower, or cyathia, is the small yellow and green berry-like center portion of the plant. In the 1980s, I had the privilege of meeting local horticulturist Milton Sessions, the nephew of Kate Sessions. I enjoyed my conversations with Milton, especially his stories about “Aunt Kate.” One story he told was about the Sessions family’s poinsettia business in the 1920s, and how they sold them as cut flowers, not potted plants. This puzzled me because every time I’ve placed a broken poinsettia branch in water, it would wither and dye. Milton explained that the family had large cauldrons of boiling water in which they would dip the cut branches of the poinsettias. By doing this, the plant’s white milky sap becomes cauterized and will allow the branches to live in water for about a week without wilting — it definitely works! Every holiday season when I bring home a poinsettia plant, I fondly remember Milton, who passed away in the early ’90s. Poinsettias are the number-one selling potted plant sold in the United States, with approximately 70 million sold each year. When selecting your poinsettia, choose a plant that has green foliage to its soil line. Plants that have a more “naked” bottom may tend to be older or overly exposed to elements and that will shorten their life span. Besides traditional red, you can choose poinsettias in white, pink, peach and yellow, and there always seem to be new hybrids that are marbled and speckled with different colors. Know for their fabulous poinsettias for the past 75 years, Encinitas-based Paul Ecke Ranch is now run by the family’s third generation. Paul Ecke Sr. is responsible for introducing the first potted poinsettia plant in the United States and today, 75 percent of the poinsettias sold in North America get their start with the Ecke family.   Here are a few do’s and don’ts on poinsettia care from the experts at Paul Ecke Ranch: • Do place your plant in indirect sunlight for at least six hours per day • Do provide room temperatures between 68 and 70 degrees F  • Do water your plant when the soil feels dry to the touch • Do fertilize after the blooming season with a balanced fertilizer • Don’t place plants near cold drafts or excessive heat — fireplaces, heat ducts • Don’t expose plants to temperatures below 50 degrees F • Don’t over-water your plant, or allow it to sit in a pot in standing water • Don’t expose your plant to chilling winds • Don’t fertilize your plant when it is in bloom Contrary to popular myth, Paul Ecke Ranch says the poinsettia is not poisonous. To bring your plants back into bloom the following season, place them outdoors in the spring or summer, when temperatures do not go below 55 degrees. In March or April, cut the plants back to approximately 8 inches. Begin to fertilize with an all-purpose, well-balanced fertilizer about every two to three weeks, and by May you should begin to see vigorous new growth. Continue feeding your plant through the fall. Photoperiodic in nature, poinsettia plants require long fall nights to set their buds. If you can give the plants complete darkness for 14 hours per night, beginning in October, and six to eight hours of bright sun during the day, your plants should bloom for the holiday season.   — The owner of a historic home and garden, Linda is a local Realtor with Coldwell Banker who specializes in historic and architecturally designed homes. Take a tour of her garden on www.LindaMarrone.com.