15 Holiday Decor Ideas for Poinsettias

When it comes to poinsettias, you're not limited to traditional red and white blooms. In the Garden Center, look for poinsettias in colors like pink or peach, and some red varieties with white speckles. You may also find the painted natural varieties in shades of blue and sometimes with glitter sprayed on them. These beauties make a stunning centerpiece on a holiday table.

When displaying poinsettias, you're not limited to just one color. Add interest to your holiday decor with a mix of poinsettia colors.

Tip: Red and white are the most popular poinsettia colors in the Garden Center. Color selections will vary by region.

Set a grand entrance for your home with a bounty of beautiful poinsettias. If your outside temperatures are 65 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, poinsettias will be fine outdoors. They can handle brief bouts of cool weather if you're entertaining guests, but be sure to bring the plants inside overnight.

Put a ring around your Christmas tree with a border of poinsettias. And while you can go the traditional red and green route, there may be more options in store. Look for blue poinsettias (they're typically spray-painted, not faux flowers) to circle your icy white tree.

Keep in mind that poinsettia selections vary by store.

A hall table is a perfect spot for welcoming holiday decor. A Christmas display catches your eye when you enter the space and sets a festive mood. Place poinsettias alongside bowls of glittery Christmas ornaments and perhaps sprays of evergreen garland on your entryway welcome table.

Create a mantel vignette when you lace your poinsettias by the stockings with care. This abundant display brings the beauty of poinsettias to eye level. Intersperse poinsettias with evergreen garland for a festive feel.

And a mantel doesn't have to be over a fireplace. You can choose open shelving or bookshelves instead. This idea can be scaled for whatever size and type space you have.

Tip: Consider putting your poinsettias out of reach of pets and small children that may knock over the plants.

Below the mantle, place poinsettias alongside the firebox for a warm holiday glow. Consider white poinsettias to brighten up the space, or a mix of red and pink blooms.

If you use your fireplace frequently, consider placing the poinsettias off to the side and pay attention to their water needs. Heat from the fireplace can dry out the pots.

And if your fireplace is just for show, consider it the perfect spot for a cluster of hot-hued poinsettias. Place the plants in your firebox so they're slightly tilted towards the room. A rock or a ball of aluminum foil should provide enough lift to achieve the effect.

Staircases are rich with opportunities for holiday decor and poinsettias are here to help you achieve the festive look. You can wrap the handrails in evergreen garland overlaid with twinklling lights. On the newel post, cluster more swags of garland or hang a wreath.

Draw attention to the staircase when you position poinsettia pots on each step.

Poinsettias add a festive flair to your holiday table. Instead of large plants that block views across the table, look for smaller plants in quart-size pots and line them up in the center of your table with sparkling Christmas ornaments and sprigs of greenery.

Tip: Look around your landscape for evergreen trees and shrubs like boxwood and holly. You can take cuttings from these and use in your holiday decor.

Float a new poinsettia centerpiece idea when you place the festive blooms in bowls of water. The key is to seal the poinsettia stem over a candle flame. Once sealed, the blooms stay fresh for several days.

This idea makes great use of a crystal or glass bowl like a punch bowl. Just fill with water, float a handful of fresh cranberries, and top with poinsettia blooms.

Tip: To avoid confusion, display this floating centerpiece away from food and drinks. This project is not for consumption.

You can use poinsettias as cut flowers when you know this simple trick for sealing the stems.

Poinsettias are euphorbias, and they ooze a latex-like sap that can irritate to your skin. Keeping that in mind, it's a good idea to wear gloves to protect your hands when working with poinsettias.

Using pruning snips or shears, cut blooms from a poinsettia plant. Seal the end over a candle flame and then place the stem in water. Poinsettias sealed this way and kept in cool room temperatures should last for several days.

Tip: Snip and seal blooms from your favorite poinsettias and display in an elegant collection of matching bud vases.

Feeling the rush of Christmas decorating, shopping and merrymaking? Here's a no-stress take on decorating: buy poinsettias and place them in your favorite baskets around your living and entertaining areas. Be sure to put a moisture proof layer in the bottom of the basket, like a layer of plastic that will protect both your basket and floors.

When the holidays are over, you can compost the plants, recycle the plastic nursery pots, and repurpose the baskets.

You're in the kitchen making holiday treats, so why not bring festive poinsettias in to set a merry scene?

You can put poinsettias along the windowsill and on the kitchen table. Or, fill bare spots on your baker's rack. Or put large plants in pots on either side of the entryway.

And since guests at every holiday party inevitably make their way into the kitchen anyway, your space will already be decorated.

Tip: Keeping up with watering is convenient from the kitchen tap.

Crown your favorite 12-foot skeleton with a wreath of poinsettia blooms.

Treat poinsettias like cut blooms. Here's how: Snip poinsettia blooms from a fresh plant and seal the cut end with a candle flame. Place in water while you're making the wreath. You can also use florist's tubes to keep stems hydrated.

Tips from an 12-foot skeleton expert stylist:

• Start with a grapevine wreath that's 24 inches in diameter on the outside and 17 inches on the inside.
• You may have to wriggle the wreath to fit on the skeleton's skull.

Pair white poinsettias with classic blue chinoiserie vases for a Festival of Lights vignette on a hall table.

Tip: Get more impact from your poinsettia purchase when you snip a stem or two, seal them and pop them into bud vases to display alongside the full plants.

Poinsettias can be as versatile as roses in your tablescapes. A classic blue-and-white theme that can be carried out throughout the year, becomes celebratory when you place white poinsettias down the middle of the table.

This blue-and-white celebration works for Hanukkah, Christmas and other celebrations.

Poinsettias are easy to care for once you know their needs. In your home, treat them like houseplants. Don't overwater them and give them plenty of light.

More expert tips for poinsettia care:

• Put poinsettias in a sunny spot in your home, preferably near a window.
• Water once a week when the soil is dry to the touch. Avoid over-watering. Too much water will cause root diseases, resulting in leaf drop. Overwatering could even kill the plant.
• A poinsettia expert recommends a simple ice cube method for watering poinsettias. A 6-inch pot needs six ice cubes every three to five days. An 8-inch pot requires eight ice cubes, and so on. If your poinsettia gets a lot of sun, add ice cubes or water when the soil feels dry to the touch.