Now that I’ve flipped my calendar to November, I’m counting down to Christmas and planning how I’ll decorate my home.

However, I don’t stick to the usual festive tree and decorative lights; I always rely on seasonal houseplants to bring vibrant life into the mix. Apart from my Christmas cactus, a poinsettia is a must-have — it’s basically Christmas in a pot.

Step into any garden center in mid-November, and you can’t miss a sea of crimson. Poinsettias have officially arrived and are the bright spark of color that signals the holiday season is near. But picking up a pot before Santa slides down the chimney comes with a risk. Choose the wrong plant now, and you could be left with a wilted stem by Christmas morning.

So how do you choose the perfect poinsettia so it still looks good when Santa arrives in December? Here, David Denyer, flower expert at Eflorist, shares how to choose a poinsettia in November so it creates a perfect display right through to the New Year.

Whether you’re picking a poinsettia for yourself or as a festive gift, Denyer advises checking the center of the colored leaves, known as bracts. “You’ll see small yellow-green buds, which are the true flowers. If these are still tight and unopened, your plant is fresh and will last much longer.”

Did you know? The colored sections on a poinsettia look like flowers, but they’re bracts, often called modified leaves. The red ‘petals’ have developed to attract pollinators to the tiny flowers in the center.

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