urgent poinsettia alternatives required

[iheartdusty]

The DCs have painted some dear little plant pots for family, and I bought 6 mini-poinsettias to go in them. 3 died within a week, so I bought 3 more. 2 of them have now lost all their coloured leaves and are just boring green. I have been looking for more mini ones but can't find them anywhere (they are 3inch/8cm diameter pots).

Any alternatives out there? I have looked at Christmas cacti, they are pretty but always too big. I need to get them TOMORROW, so please pretty please, any ideas.

cyclamen? You can get fairly small ones.

Poinsettias are very sensitive to cold, it's mad that they are so popular as Crhistmas flowers

Or primrose/polyanthus? Are they available yet? Winter pansy/viola?

Kalanchoe? images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=www.aboutflowers.com/florallibrary/gbloom/KALABIG.JPG&imgrefu rl=www.aboutflowers.com/gandb/kalan.html&h=326&w=250&sz=17&tbnid=6cDeMRdRv3We1M:&tbnh=118&tbn w=90&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dkalanchoe%2Bphoto%26um%3D1&start=3&ei=ZupqR7XgJoGIwAHVy9zJDw&sig2=HVCH7cPtNM wqyUbtgaw4TQ&sa=X&oi=images&ct=image&cd=3

cyclamen very good idea.

Do you think I could repot them (cyclamen) into a smaller pot if necessary? I mean they won't have made too many roots yet, will they? bearing in mind I need them to last until Wednesday morning then they can collapse!

mine used to die so i gave up buying them. same as cyclamen.

get fake ones.

also kalanchoe a good idea, sorry cross posted.

I haven't seen any polyanthus yet, and no pansies anywhere.

Cyclamen hate to be in a warm room. I've got three in the toilet as this is the only unheated room in the house! They thrive there.

yes they're nice (kalachoe) and mine didn't die.

or get a pot mum and re-distribute it amongst pots.

or fill them with flowers the children have made? they're easy to do but time consuming.

do both cyclamen and poinsettas need to be kept cold?

cyclmen are sensitive too but their thing is over-watering - I have killed a few in my time, sea

ihd, I would think it's worth a try - have you got a good garden centre near you? Even if they haven't got any baby cyclamen they might be able to suggest something else!

Cyclamen cold, poinsettia warm. They're both hopeless at this time of year because of day and night temperatures.

time available is 3.30-7pm tomorrow!

I may just cram them with twigs out of mum's garden and hang baubles on them.

poinsettia want cool but not cold - I had one delivered today from M&S, the instruction sheet said 13-16 degrees. (As it had been in an unheated van for most of the day and the cold was radiating off it when I got it out of the box, I don't expect it to last very long )

i look at all the lovely red poinsettias in the shops and know that if i got it home, it would last a day or two if i'm lucky.

You could have mine if you were near me, sea - I hate 'em!

I once saw them growing in the wild in Vietnam, they grow up to 20 feet tall. no wonder they don't like the cold.

they're from vietnam? didn't know that, do any of them live beyond christmas at all?

20 foot poinsettias?

Sounds like Day of the Triffids

(I thought they were Australian but I spose it's the same part of the world)

well yes it's hot. why on earth are they sent here? poor plants

seems they are actually from Mexico
wikipedia

but sound like very fussy individuals.

it like sun, no wonder it doesn't prosper here