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Ok so I'd like to buy these things for the holiday festiveness but won't they just die outside due to the cold temps??? Also, (and you can tell Im new to this) but are there live wreaths as well as fake ones?? Do they smell? How do they stand up to the cold??
There are live and fake wreaths. I usually buy a live wreath from the same places that sell live Christmas trees. They are more expensive than fake ones, but I find it worth it because I like the pine smell. If you buy one around the first week of December, it will still be "alive" (meaning fragrant and not all dried out) by Christmas, just make sure you get one that looks green and freshly cut. The cold is fine, mine always did ok in Chicago, lol!
I've always had Pointsettias as indoor plants, not sure how they'd do in the cold outside here. They are easy to care for as long as you don't let them go bone-dry for too long. Also, most people throw theirs away after the holidays, but I keep mine. In late spring you cut the branches way back, then the plant grows up again by the fall and by the next holidays you'll have an even bigger, more beautiful plant. When the leaves first grow they will be green and will turn reddish/red by Christmas as long as the room they're in in October/November stays pretty dark at night. I think they are beautiful as green plants (look like minature trees) and even though mine never turned all the way red again, with red/green mix they look very festive! (PS - these plants have sap sometimes. try not to touch it, is very sticky and can irritate skin on some people)
Just want to chime in as the holidays approach, remember to keep your holiday decorative plants well out of reach of pets (indoor or outdoor) because they are poisonous to pets.
More info:
Many of our traditional holiday plants are poisonous to pets, especially inquisitive dogs and cats: holly, poinsettia, and mistletoe specifically. Dogs and cats will typically display signs of intestinal problems, such as vomiting, diarrhea, drooling, and sensitivity in the stomach and abdominal areas.
Holly berries, as well as berries from yaupon, nandina, and pyracantha, can be particularly disastrous. Those bright berries are naturally attractive but can quickly cause tremors, seizures, coma, and death.
Bulb plants, such as amaryllis, narcissus, daffodil, and crocus, can also be poisonous to pets. Many bulbs were once spring only plants but can now be forced to bloom for the holidays.
And be careful of pets. Thay are poisonous (sp?) to cats.
That is true, although when my cat got into my pointsettia she just ate a few leaves, puked them up, and then was fine and never went near it again. Which is pretty much what happens whenever she eats something that's not cat food. But yes, care should be taken.
I assume poisonous to pets also means poisonous to babies? (I've got two crawlers/stuff-anything-in-their-mouths-they-can-find)
oh and to answer the original question... poinsettias should be kept inside. I like live wreaths better because I like the fresh smell. I usually get them wherever I get my live tree
Oh and while we are at it... if you have cats and dogs stay away from tinsel. They eat it and it can wrap around the intestines causing blockages, and hemorrhages.
No tinsel here either. I haven't had any since I was a little girl. I do keep some plastic ornaments on the bottom for the brat to bop around
We actually wrap fishing line around the trunk of the tree and tie it back to the walls... our 4 furkids are notorious for knocking over the tree. I too put the glass ones up high and the the satin ones down where they can get at them.
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