Christmas Yard Decorations

This is a poor relative of the fabulous Poinsettias that are ubiquitous this time of year. I actually posted this picture in September, but with the beautiful big red ones everywhere these days, I thought you might have forgotten where they came from.

In summer I have annuals in several large pots around the yard. I used these pots to stage groups of greenery decorated with ribbon and sprayed sticks. I like the winged sweet gum sticks, but plum twigs with their bumpy surfaces and fruiting spurs are also good. Dogwood stems are also beautiful.  Most of the stems I sprayed silver and one set I sprayed red to look like the red stem dogwood (Cornus sericea). This was a fun and simple project.
 The mailbox decoration used an assortment of local evergreen trees and shrubs as well as some dried berries that I sprayed lightly with artificial snow. The base is a styrofoam block with attached wire usually used for artificial flowers on head stones. It fits the top of a mailbox just right.

Wild Poinsettia

Last year I dug this small plant up and brought it home to my flower bed. I was really surprised when  it returned this year, as I had thought it was probably an annual. There is no doubt that it is a Poinsettia, though, even as small as it is. It is called by several names: Fire on the Mountain, Wild Poinsettia, and Painted Leaf. It is in the genus Euphorbia (know it by the milky sap it exudes when broken) and is currently classified as E. heterophylla although at various times it has been called by other species names. On your walks, keep an eye out for this one to remind you that Christmas is coming. My information says these plants can grow to 3 feet tall, but I have never seen any that big.