When picking a poinsettia plant, look closely at the centre of the coloured leaves (known as bracts). You’ll see small yellow-green buds, which are the true flowers. If these are still tight and unopened, your plant is fresh and will last much longer.

Don’t choose plants that have been displayed outside shops or near automatic doors, they’ll most likely be damaged by the cold draughts already. Likewise, any plants with drooping, yellowing or missing leaves.

Be sure to keep your poinsettias warm by wrapping them for the journey home, they really don’t like the cold.

Being native to Mexico, it makes sense that poinsettias love warmth and light, so placement in the not so sunny UK is crucial. Select a bright room, ideally near a window where it can enjoy plenty of indirect light, but without its leaves touching the cold glass.

They thrive in temperatures between 15–21°C, but they don’t like sudden changes, so keep them away from draughty doorways, radiators, fireplaces and open windows, they’ll struggle otherwise. 

Because of the colder climate in the UK, poinsettias should be kept indoors throughout autumn and winter. You can move them to a sheltered spot outside during the warmest summer months, but will need bringing back in once night-time temperatures drop below 15°C.

The million dollar question - “how often should you water a poinsettia?” This all depends on the compost, when the surface feels dry to the touch you’ll want to water it. In a warm, centrally heated home, this usually works out at around once a week.

Use room-temperature water when you do water them, letting any excess drain away fully. If your poinsettia sits in a foil wrap or decorative pot, empty any water that collects at the bottom, to avoid the roots rotting.

Poinsettias will welcome some humidity, so grouping them with other houseplants or standing them on a tray of damp pebbles can help in rooms with dry heating.

The cause is usually one of the following:

• Cold draughts: Even a short spell near an open door or cold window can trigger leaf drop.
• Watering problems: Soggy compost and bone-dry compost will both put the plant under stress.
• Not enough light: A dark corner will cause leaves to yellow and fall.
• Sudden temperature changes: Moving a plant straight from a chilly shop to a hot living room can shock it.

Don’t panic, as once you’ve identified and corrected the problem, a healthy plant will usually settle down and stop shedding.

With the right care, a poinsettia should hold its colour for at least six to eight weeks, so a plant bought in early December will see you comfortably through to February.

Treated well, it can live for years as a houseplant, and many keen gardeners keep the same plant going from one Christmas to the next.

Here are some top tips on keeping your poinsettia alive after Christmas is well and truly over:

• Late winter: Once the bracts begin to fade, gradually reduce watering and let the compost dry out a little more between drinks.
• April: Cut the stems back to around 10cm and keep the plant somewhere warm and bright.
• May: When new growth appears, repot into fresh compost, then water regularly and feed every couple of weeks throughout summer.
• Autumn: From late September, give your plant around 14 hours of complete darkness each night for eight weeks. Covering it with a box or popping it in a cupboard overnight will do the trick. This short-day treatment triggers the colourful bracts to develop in time for Christmas.

• Keep it warm (15–21°C) and away from draughts and radiators.
• Give it plenty of bright, indirect light.
• Water only when the surface of the compost feels dry.
• Never leave it sitting in water.
• Keep it out of reach of curious pets, as the milky sap can cause irritation.

Knowing how to care for a poinsettia is quite straightforward then - like all good things in life, it’s all about consistency: steady warmth, good light and careful watering. Get these right and your poinsettia will reward you with vibrant colour throughout the festive season and well into the New Year.

And if you’re feeling adventurous, follow the post-Christmas steps above and you could have the very same plant glowing red on your windowsill next December.