Red Poinsettia ‘Christmas Day’

Classic red—still our biggest seller

At Diefenbacher we take pride in our quality poinsettias. We find great satisfaction in growing large, lush plants that look beautiful for the holidays and beyond. It’s taken years of hard work and close attention to come up with our growing strategy and every year we hone our skills a bit more.

Large, lush plants look beautiful for the holidays and beyond

From the moment we first plant them back in July we nurture our poinsettias with great care. We recognize the importance of letting the plants have their space, so we give them plenty of time to slowly develop into the premium specimens we ultimately pass on to our customers with confidence.

Over the years we’ve added a number of standard and novelty varieties to our poinsettia collection but our biggest seller is still the classic red. Vivid, bold, and dramatic, it evokes fond memories of Christmases past; who can imagine a holiday season without it? This is the one you want for traditional displays, seasonal gifts, and eye-catching stands of brilliant, festive color. 

Our red of choice is ‘Christmas Day’, our new favorite and highest produced red; we like the natural V-shape the branching takes. A lavish canopy of color is what we’re after and ‘Christmas Day’ delivers, producing a nice, full ball of red effect, as the newer bracts tend to lay flat while the older ones hang down. Stems are strong on this variety as well and resist breaking.

Big bracts with crisp, clean edges

Now, notice the size of these bracts; large bracts signify that you’re getting a premium poinsettia. We’ve mentioned in the past that our 8-inch plant looks bigger than some other growers’ 8-inch plants, even though the pot is the same size. That canopy of color makes the difference; it’s larger on a Diefenbacher poinsettia—a result of our slow and steady growing process.

You’ll find that our plants already have lots of vibrant, rich red color showing when you receive them—another sign of a healthy plant. Zeroing in on the bracts, notice that the edges are crisp, clean, and well defined, all the way out to the tip. We’re careful to avoid any kind of damage to the foliage because once a poinsettia leaf gets scarred it will remain so for the life of the plant. 

Tight green flowers indicate freshness

Focusing in on the center of the bracts you’ll see that the delicate cyathia—the actual flowers of the poinsettia—are tight and green. This is a true indicator of the freshness of the plant. When the flowers are small and bright like this you can be sure the poinsettia will be around for a long time before it ultimately fades.

Leaves “under the hood” are fresh and verdant

Zooming out again, take a look at the undercarriage of the plant. All the leaves underneath are just as fresh and verdant as the brilliant bracts up top. We believe that what goes on under the hood is just as important as a grand presentation of color; strong, healthy plants keep the show going until long after the holiday is a Christmas Past. That extended season of enjoyment is well worth the time we take to grow them.