5 February 2018 - The Christmas Star

Store Poinsettia Soon

Did you get one of these flowers for Christmas?

If so and you haven't thrown it away or killed it, it is soon time to do something else with it.

This Almanac entry is about taking care of that red plant.

I don't garden.

Let me clarify

I can garden. I choose not to.

Once upon a time I had a vegetable garden and it was amazing.

The best tomatoes, organic produce, crazy long green beans, and some fresh basil.

Now when a weed came and destroyed everything and all my hard work was gone I just put my gloves and shovel down exclaiming

"I QUIT!"

....

If you care to keep your plant around for next Christmas you can follow these instructions here.

....

URBAN LEGENDS

Now there is a myth that the plant is toxic. There is an urban legend that states a child died from eating the leaves of the plant.

In truth the poinsettia isn't toxic enough to kill a person.

Eating it can cause an upset stomach and unfortunate side effects but not death.

If you rub the sap from the plant on your eye it can cause temporary blindness. So incase you want a sick day from work definitely do not do this.

Comments

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Almanac for Homemakers

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