Oklahoma City greenhouse is largest poinsettia grower in state

TLC Florist and Greenhouses grows nearly 40,000 poinsettias in time for Christmas each year. The Oklahoma City nursery is the largest grower of poinsettias in Oklahoma, according to the state Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry.

TLC receives poinsettia plugs from South America beginning in late June, and once planted, they produce 14 to 17 different varieties of poinsettia, varying in leaf shape and color. Solid red is the most common, but some varieties are white, pink, orange, or a combination of colors. The nursery also sells “fantasy poinsettias” that have been painted by hand in every color imaginable.

Wendy Johnson, TLC's greenhouse manager, says the plants will hold their color until Christmas. For the color to return the following Christmas, the plant must have 12 hours of total darkness every day for about nine weeks.

Poinsettias are easy to care for, she adds, and are not poisonous, despite popular belief. TLC has two locations, at 105 W Memorial Road and 8208 Northwest Expressway.