Ten thousand. That’s the number of poinsettias Clegg’s Nursery grows every holiday season in its massive Greenwell Springs Road greenhouse.
Distributed to its four retail locations across greater Baton Rouge, the festive plants come in 20 varieties, including traditional red and white, as well as gold, pink and orange, along with marbled and speckled shades.
“Now there are so many more to choose from,” says Elena Fennell, Clegg’s head grower who has worked at the local plant nursery for 25 years.
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Fennell says that many of the newer, novelty varieties have been bred to meet the growing demand for earlier holiday decorating.
“A lot of people want to start decorating for Christmas almost right after Halloween, so we have varieties like Autumn Leaves, Norwin Orange and Golden Glow that are good for those early sales or for Thanksgiving displays,” she says. “People just hang onto them for Christmas.”
Each year, new varieties of poinsettias are introduced nationally, and Clegg’s will “trial” them prior to releasing them to the public, says Ron Fennell, Elena’s husband and fellow head grower.
“We like to see what works best for us, and then we’ll add them in,” he says.
Along with traditional red and white, this season’s most popular novelty varieties include Superba Red Glitter with bright crimson bracts (leaves) and white specks. The delicate Princettia Pure White, a true white shade with smaller bracts, is also a top seller. New this year is the Princettia Sparkling Rose, with Barbie pink bracts and white flecks.
The Fennells have been at work on Clegg’s many poinsettias since September, when they received young poinsettia plants from a grower in Broussard. As usual, the plants were finished in the greenhouse, located adjacent to Clegg’s Greenwell Springs store. The operation grows enough of the festive flowers to not just meet consumer sales, but also those of many schools and churches, which resell Clegg’s poinsettias for annual fundraisers.
Poinsettias make easy interior decorations or gifts during the holidays. They can be placed outside, but only if it’s warm. As tropicals, they don’t like temperatures that drop below 60 degrees, Elena says.
As for care, Elena says to check the soil of your poinsettia every couple days and add a cup or so of water or ice cubes to keep it moist. The plants aren’t expending much energy, so don’t overwater. If the pot is encased in a foil wrapper, remove or punch holes in it so it can drain. And if it’s sitting in a saucer, empty it out regularly.
To maintain those vibrant colors, place the plants near a sunny window, although it’s perfectly fine to move them to less sunny places temporarily if you’re decorating for a party.
Pick up poinsettias and other holiday plants, including amaryllis and Christmas cactus, from one of Clegg’s four local locations or from other local nurseries below.
Other places to find poinsettias
Louisiana Nursery
Multiple locations
A great stop for festive plants, Christmas trees and holiday decorations
The Plant Barn
2912 Valley St.
Boutique garden center with lots of variety located off Perkins Road
D’s Garden Center
Visit the local nursery for plants and Christmas trees.
Beaver’s Abundance Native Plant Nursery
17873 Old Jefferson Highway, Prairieville
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Pick up a native plant or locally made gift at this nursery and eco-boutique in Prairieville.
Plant World Nursery & Hardware
10131 Greenwell Springs Road
A great source for not just poinsettias, but also baby chicks, hardware and household items