Poinsettias a growing tradition in B.C.

Local nurseries are shipping poinsettias by the thousands this week, in the run up to the holiday season.

Every year, B.C. produces more than three million of the plants. Because of the warmer climate, nurseries in the Fraser Valley are able to ship to locations around Western Canada.

“Mother’s Day, if it has a flower on it, it sells, but Christmas, it’s poinsettias,” says Mark Vaandrager of Vaandrager nurseries.

The plant comes in 150 varieties, with new colours like pink and orange on display this year. But Vaandrager says red remains by far the most popular choice.

“It’s a bit of tradition and a bit of what works for your decor as well,” he says.

According to legend, a Mexican monk used the plant in a Christmas display more than a century ago, and poinsettias have been symbolic of the season ever since.

The plants need 12 hours of darkness a night to grove, but thrive in warm daylight, with moderate water. They have a shelf life of three to four weeks.