Compared to the riot of spring colors outside, the poinsettias in my living room are looking faded and dusty. Really, truly, it’s time to pitch these puppies, but I can’t make myself do it.
All winter (and if you recall, winter was a drawn out affair in these parts) the three poinsettias clustered in front of our picture window were the lone bright spot of color in our house. The blooms lasted for months, and they still don’t look too shabby as long as the three plants stick together. I’ve grown rather attached to them.
With the warm weather, they’re shedding profusely and picking up after them is becoming a bother. It really is time to get rid of them. You’d think that since they were freebies thrust into our arms after a wedding in December, parting with them would be easy.
But no. I inherited the warped economic model of my mother who was raised during the Great Depression. According to that mantle, free stuff – used aluminum foil, grocery bags, cardboard toilet paper, wrapping paper, and paper towel tubes and the like – are immensely valuable. Free food, along with free plants, rank right up there with gold fillings and Carnegie endowments.
So how in the world am I supposed to get rid of three poinsettia plants in perfectly fine shape, especially when admired in the dark, which is still about ten hours? I just can’t do it by myself. What I need is some tough love.
Could someone tell me to pitch poinsettias after four months of hard use, even though there’s a lot of wear left in them? And could you do it soon? I’m tired of cleaning up after the pesky little critters.
