The Importance of Toasting

Celosia ‘Dragon’s Breath’ toasted to a vivid red

Certain plants are promoted with an unusually rich color to their leaves. We are thinking of Celosia ‘Dragon’s Breath’ in this case, but the same is true for a number of other plants we sell: Pepper ‘Black Pearl’, Pennisetum ‘Vertigo’, and others. Their significant feature is that vivid color; however, we are certain you have also seen samples of these plants with muted or washed out tones. “What’s the deal?” you may be asking.

This is toasting—or the lack of it—in action. Toasting is a technique of placing certain cultivars in hot, blazing, preferably full-day sun in order to bring out the famous, foliage color. Let’s take a look under the hood so we can understand what’s going on and what’s going wrong.

‘Cinnamon’—a pink Poinsettia with warm tones

‘Cinnamon’ Poinsettia is a warm pink cultivar covered with a light flecking, and an occasional hot cinnamon red speck here and there. Color appears on the top bracts when the chlorophyll bleaches out of them. Though it’s considered a shade of pink, ‘Cinnamon’ has a yellow base that infuses it with warm tones.

Sturdy central branches hold up a tabletop of color

We’ve chosen Poinsettias with large cyathia, the green and yellow flowers in the center of the Poinsettia star. Like our other Poinsettias, ‘Cinnamon’ has sturdy central branches to hold up the tabletop of color, and a habit with a nice vase-like shape.

Poinsettia ‘Cinnamon’ is available in the 6.5-inch pot.

You can breathe easy—that’s not the first holiday card of the season in your mailbox, it’s our 2019 Holiday Idea Book. Keep this useful reference handy as you wend your way through the busy Christmas season. It’s a survival guide of sorts, with a comprehensive list of sizes, colors, prices, and finishing options available for all of our holiday plant material.

For your convenience, our 2019 Holiday Catalog can also be viewed online at our web site. You’ll find a wide range of traditional Poinsettia colors as well as eye-catching art-style Poinsettias and arrangements. Be sure to look for our beautiful warm ‘Cinnamon’ Poinsettia this year.

If you’re not on our mailing list for the printed catalog and would like a copy, please call the office or return this email to request one.