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Poinsettias have become as much as part of the traditional Christmas as holly and ivy and are now available in a range of pastel colours from white right through to the traditional red. They originate from Mexico where the plants reach large proportion although they tend to remain quite small when grown as houseplants. The bright red bracts are often mistakenly though to be flowers, which are in fact the small insignificant yellow buds in the centre. Keep the compost just moist and place in a warm brightly lit room to ensure the brightest bract colour. Plants will discolour and start to drop their leaves and bracts if they get too cold so make sure that they are well wrapped when you buy them.