I absolutely love this time of year. I know it may be chilly and shopping may not always be the best, but I just love the decorations and what all the season brings.

I am sure everyone is putting up their Christmas décor after eating loads of turkey and dressing. If you are like me, who loves bringing out the Christmas decorations after Thanksgiving, then you are also probably in the market to buy your local poinsettia.

If you are in the same boat as I am and did not get to attend the Poinsettia and Winery tour, we will have to start visiting some of our local growers to pick out our perfect poinsettia. Local growers that sell to the public are Patterson Farm and John Weddington Greenhouse.

To buy the Patterson Farm poinsettias, you have two locations to choose from. You may visit their greenhouse, 3480 Millbridge Road, China Grove, or Patterson Market in Granite Quarry, 136 S. Salisbury Ave., located in the Brinkley Center.

John Weddington Greenhouse is at 1975 Miller Road, China Grove. They are open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and they are closed on Sundays. Look for the signs because their greenhouses sit off the road.

To buy poinsettias from other garden shops and greenhouses, try the following locations: Rufty’s Garden Shop, 1335 W. Innes St., Salisbury; Godley’s Garden Center and Nursery, 2281 Statesville Bld., Salisbury; and The Garden Greenhouses, 4070 Woodleaf Road, Salisbury. Some of the local FFA chapters may also have some poinsettias available.

There are many colors to choose from such as pink, red, white and even a combination of the colors. Some of my favorites are Ice Punch and Glitter. I am even fond of the winter rose which is a variety of poinsettia that makes the bracts curl like a rose.

If you are not familiar with poinsettias, they are quite interesting and often misunderstood. Many think the beautiful colors on the poinsettias are the flowers, but they are actually the bracts or the colored leaves.

If you look closely, usually in the center of the bracts, there are tiny yellow flowers and they are the true flowers of the poinsettia. In their native area, Mexico and Central America, they can get fairly tall, even soaring 16 feet. Some homeowners try to keep their plants year after year. I know a few who are able to keep them alive and well, even reaching to 6 feet in height.

To get the colored bracts they require a certain amount of time being in darkness, but contrary to some beliefs, they still need some sunlight to survive.

Another common misperception is that they are poisonous. This is not the case and there have been numerous studies to prove that this plant is not toxic. Although it has been proven not to be toxic, I still would not recommend anyone eating them.

As always, I wish everyone happy poinsettia hunting and I hope you all have wonderful happy holidays this season.

If you would like more information on selecting your perfect poinsettia, how to care for your poinsettia this holiday season, or horticulture questions in general, contact your local Cooperative Extension Agent, Danelle Cutting, at 704-216-8970.