Poinsettias are in bloom

The red and green variety of poinsettias are very popular in Jamaica during the Christmas period. Households and offices across the island are decorated with the plants during this season to bring about a bit of Christmas cheer.

Sabrina Reynolds, owner of Unusual Creations, a new flower shop located just off the Stony Hill main road in St Andrew, started stocking the plants early.

"I wanted to be ahead of the competition," she joked. "People love them though, and they go really quickly, so I wanted to ensure that I was ready."

Reynolds' poinsettias start at $650. Prices increase depending on the size of the plants. "But they don't go very high," said Reynolds.

There's an art to taking care of poinsettias, not to mention choosing the best ways to display them. You do, after all, want to extract as much Christmas cheer as possible from them.

"A lot of times people will just buy the poinsettias and pick a spot and leave them there in the same pots they got them in," said Reynolds. "That can be fine but there are also many more options that you can choose from. You can change the container, put them in hanging pots and so on. There are no limits," she said.

"They really do light up a room. You want to arrange them in a way that allows you to feel that cheer as much and as often as possible."

The plants also need to be properly cared for if they are to make it to the new year. They're living things, after all.

"They like a lot of water," said Reynolds. "But be careful not to water the leaves, just the soil. They will also need a good amount of sunlight, so choose your display spots carefully," she said.

"The main thing is to enjoy them during the season. Plants make people happy so just have fun with them."

For more tips and info, check out Unusual Creations on Facebook.